Snorkeling in Marsa Alam

Snorkel with dugongs at Abu Dabbab, swim with dolphin pods at Samadai and Sataya, Marsa Alam is the wild side of the Red Sea.

5.00(122 reviews) 4 trips Pay on arrival OK Airport: RMF

Turquoise water

20m+ underwater visibility year-round.

Sunny weather

300+ sunny days a year.

Variety of sites

Reefs, islands, dolphin lagoons.

Overview

Marsa Alam is the youngest of the three big Egyptian Red Sea bases, the airport opened in 2003 and the resort strip is shorter than Hurghada or Sharm. That late development is the appeal: less crowded reefs, longer stretches of empty desert coast, and the marine life that the larger destinations have lost. Dugongs feed in the seagrass bays, dolphin pods rest in the offshore lagoons of Samadai and Sataya, and the diving and snorkeling community is smaller and quieter.

Best snorkeling spots

Abu Dabbab Bay

Seagrass meadow with resident dugongs and 8+ green turtles, shore entry, family-friendly.

Marsa Mubarak

Sheltered bay with daily turtle sightings and occasional dugong, calm shallow water.

Samadai (Dolphin House)

Protected horseshoe lagoon, resident pod of 60–80 spinner dolphins, 100-guest daily quota.

Sataya Dolphin Reef

Fury Shoals reef, 100+ dolphins on a good morning, the largest pod in Egyptian waters.

Elphinstone

Offshore reef, oceanic whitetips between October and December, advanced snorkelers only.

Marine life

The southern Red Sea is wilder. Resident populations include dugongs (the world's most accessible feeding ground), green turtles year-round, large schools of barracuda, and three protected dolphin pods (Shaab Marsa Alam, Samadai, Sataya). Oceanic whitetips, hammerheads, and the rare manta ray pass through Elphinstone in winter. The reefs see fewer visitors than Hurghada, so the fish are less skittish, you can drift past a parrotfish from a metre away without it reacting.

Full Red Sea marine life guide

Weather

Best time: April to October
Avoid: Mid-December to mid-February for offshore trips
Water temp: 23°C in February, 29°C in August

Getting there

Marsa Alam International Airport (RMF) sits 60 km north of Marsa Alam town. Most resorts are spread along a 30 km coastal strip between the airport and Port Ghalib. Pickup is included on every trip and takes 30 to 60 minutes depending on the resort.