Um El Sheikh - Marsa Alam
Um El Sheikh in Marsa Alam gives you a decent shallow dive, a nice break from some of the deeper sites. We’ve found the seagrass beds here pretty interesting, not just a filler, especially with those clump seagrass and cymodocea patches. Keep an eye out for bluestripe pipefish, they blend in well. It’s also a site where we've seen various dolphins pass through, particularly the bridled and Indian Ocean bottlenose. We'd suggest it for an easy second dive, or if you're looking for something calm.
- Location
- Marsa Alam, Egypt, Red Sea & Middle East
- Coordinates
- 24.312729, 35.399070
Marine Protected Area: Tourism Development Area II
Best Time to Dive in Marsa Alam
The warmest water temperatures in Marsa Alam occur in August, averaging 31.1°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 22.7°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 23.6°C
- February: 22.7°C
- March: 22.9°C
- April: 23.8°C
- May: 26.0°C
- June: 28.1°C
- July: 29.9°C
- August: 31.1°C
- September: 30.4°C
- October: 28.8°C
- November: 27.1°C
- December: 25.6°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Marsa Alam
- Abu Dabab 4 - 5-18m (reef)
- Abu Dabab 6 - 5-15m (reef)
- Abu Dabbab Ithnain - 5-18m (reef)
- Abu Dabbab Thalata - 5-18m (reef)
- Abu Dabbab Wahid - 10-25m (reef)
- Abu Diab - 15-30m (reef)
- Abu Echera - 10-25m (reef)
- Abu Fendira - 15-30m (reef)
- Abu Galawa Kebir
- Abu Galawa Soraya - 10-25m (reef)
- Abu Galawa Soraya - 10-25m (reef)
- Abu Ghusun (Wreck) - 16m (wreck)
- ADAMANTIA K - 2m (wreck)
- Adantia K. - 15-30m (wreck)
- Barakuda Lahami Bay - 5-20m (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to Um El Sheikh
Marine Life in Marsa Alam
Home to 39 recorded species including 10 seagrass & algae, 8 whales & dolphins, 8 reef fish, 7 sea snails & nudibranchs, 3 sharks & rays, 1 clams & mussels.
Notable Species
- Long-beaked Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) - Whales & Dolphins
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- thalassia (Thalassia hemprichii) - Seagrass & Algae
- Bridled Dolphin (Stenella attenuata) - Whales & Dolphins
- Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Species code: Hs (Halophila stipulacea) - Seagrass & Algae
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- cymodocea (Cymodocea rotundata) - Seagrass & Algae
- halodule (Halodule uninervis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Species code: Hp (Halodule pinifolia) - Seagrass & Algae
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) - Sharks & Rays
- False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) - Whales & Dolphins
- Maldive Cone (Conus maldivus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Golden-Yellow Cone (Conus flavidus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Grey Dolphin (Grampus griseus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Black rock pipefish (Phoxocampus belcheri) - Reef Fish
- Sand-dusted Cone (Conus arenatus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Duncker's pipefish (Halicampus dunckeri) - Reef Fish
- Indian Scad (Decapterus russelli) - Reef Fish
- Bryde's Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) - Whales & Dolphins
Recommended Packing List for Um El Sheikh
Based on average water temperature of 26.7°C, currents 3 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 27°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories