The safari leaves from the New Marina of Hurghada. We focus on Brothers Islands during this safari. Due to the fact that the islands emerge from the water in the high seas we often can meet different species of sharks in this region. We usually spend two days around the islands and during this time we dive all the reefs and the two wrecks near the big island. In the second part of the trip we visit the Salem Express or the El Arish El Tor giant ferries close to Safaga among other interesting spots like nice coral reefs. We need to calculate with strong currents around the Brothers. The reef walls go to several hundred meters depth in some places including the deepest parts of the wrecks that is beyond the possibilities of a SCUBA diver (40 meters). We recommend this safari for the divers that have at least 50 logged dives and AOWD certification, and whom it is not too big effort to bear the several hour-long sailing in the high seas. You can learn use Nitrox on the boat that knowledge could be very useful here.
During this trip you can visit the most wonderful and exciting diving spots of the Red Sea.
Brothers Islands from Hurghada
Click for zoom1.day: Leaving from the New Marina of Hurghada in the morning,
- Check dive at Ras Disha or Torfa Abu Hasheesh, Afternoon Abu Hasheesh Drift, Leaving for the Brothers Islands.
2.day: Diving at Big Brothers Eastern wall South-Western corner in the morning
- Diving at the Big Brother's Numidia wreck (North-East) after the breakfast Diving at Big Brother's Aida wreck (North-West) in the afternoon.
3.day: Diving at Big Brother's Western wall in the morning
- Re-anchoring to the Small Brother Diving at the Small Brother's Eastern wall after the breakfast Diving at the Small Brother's Western wall in the afternoon Leaving for Safaga in the late afternoon to the Shaab Sheer reef.
4.day: Leaving for the Salem Express wreck in the early morning
- Diving at the Salem Express wreck after arriving Diving at the Salem Express wreck or at the Posseidonia wreck after the breakfast Diving on the Abu Khafain Northern table in the afternoon Night diving at the Shaab Sheer reef's small wreck.
5.day: Leaving for the Middle Reefhez in the early morning
- Early diving at the Middle Reef Diving at the Hal-Hal or at the Fellow Rock after the breakfast Diving at the Panorama Reef in the afternoon Leaving for the Tobia Arbaa reef Night dive at Tobia Arbaa
6.day: Leaving for the Ras Abu Soma reef in the early morning
- Diving at Ras Abu Soma reef Leaving for the Abu Hasheesh lagoon Snorkeling, swimming, lunch during the day at the Abu Hasheesh Arriving to the New Marina of Hurghada in the afternoon.
The "Brothers"
The Brothers Island (Arabic el-Akhawein) has two small islands with plain surface about one kolometers from each other. The place has similar characteristics like other places of the most beautiful diving spots of the world. Steep rocky walls, currents and half-currents feature the surroundings. Due to these facts many sharp reefs can be found around the islands with large shoals and huge predators. The islands are virtually deserted apart from a small Egyptian garrison. the Egyptian government announced the place National Park for rescuing the unique flora and the fauna in 1998. The place is sometimes closed for the visitors since that date. If it is not the divers have to pay entrance fee for the government.
The Islands are situated in 58 km distance North-East from El Quseir and South-East from Safaga. The two islands are remains of two giant volcanos that were born during the emerging of the self that developed the Red sea. The larger island - the Big Brother - is 300 m long and 40 m wide. On the Big Brother we can find a Lighthouse that was erected by the English settlers. Apart from that both islands are fully bare. The smaller island - the Little Brother – is known as the more beautiful diving place but it is not true at all.
The Brothers Islands are one of the most beautiful places of the Red Sea from the aspect of underwater life due to its special National Park status. The large shark population living around the islands magnetizes divers. The sharks arrive to the region around May. If we are lucky we can meet amazing variety of sharks swimming alonf the islands. The most often genres are the grey reef shark, Requiem sharks and the white potted sharks. Rarely we can meet the Great hammerhead or the most exciting one the Thresher shark.
The diving typically starts at the Big Brother's Eastern wall. The current take the divers around toward West to finish the diving at the South-Western wall. Non-doubtfully the underwater life is amazing here but it worth to watch the open water sometimes. Tunas, large sharks Eagle rays patrol alongside the walls. We almost can assure that the divers can see at least one type of large animals.
The best choice is July-August to visit the Brothers during full moon as the otherwise stiff wind is not so strong this period. All dives are wall or drift dives.
The Aida and the Numidia wrecks
Both wrecks are situated on the North-West side of the Big Brother about 100 metere from each other.
On the Western part we can find the originally 75 meter-long Aida. This Egyptian ship used by the army was build in France and launched in 1911. It sunk September 15th, 1957 during a big storm meanwhile tried to anchor. The crew (77 people) was rescued by the help of a nearby sailing tugboat. Meanwhile the Aida was slightly adrift to the North. The bow bored to the corals while the stern sank to the reef in an extremely large angle. In the past few years the wreck started to slowly slide into the deep. Today her bow is sitting at 25m and her stern at 60m. The wreck is now covered by great corals.
The wreck is recommended for experienced divers due to its deep place and strong current. It is also recommended to take torch to the dive as it is possible to swim into the front part of the ship. Keep the bottom time and the depth we dive. If the direction of the current is fortunate we can finish the diving heading to South. We should take buoy because the current easily can take us away.
The other wreck is the originally 175 m long Numidia that most probably was an English cargo vessel in the 19th century. It has been sunk for more than 100 years (it sank in 1901) the body is fragmented the parts are spread more than 70 meters. We can find large metal wheels in the surroundings which function is not known but they could have been parts of a kind of a train.