Red Sea, Egypt Snorkeling Trip Report – September 2017

Bluespotted Stingray in the Red Sea Egypt
Bluespotted Stingray in the Red Sea

By Michel – (Netherlands)
Here another Red Sea Egypt snorkeling trip report from our September 2017 visit. As usual we split our two week stay over three different bays. This gives the opportunity to search a bay quite good, but see something new after 4-5 days. We stayed in Brayka Bay, Marsa Shagra, and Marsa Nakari.

Brayka is quite familiar to us since we have visited this place five times already. The hotel is very big, the bay quite busy, but the corals and the fish are still very good. And since the bay is very sheltered from the wind, you can snorkel here in quite calm conditions even with strong winds.

The face of an Indian Ocean Crocodile Fish
Indian Ocean Crocodile Fish

Marsa Shagra has a smaller bay, but the hotel is visited only by divers so the place is much more quiet. When the wind is not too strong, you can snorkel the fringing reefs. Especially the north reef is highly recommended. You can have the zodiac drop you out on the reef, and snorkel back with the waves and the current at your back (always coming from the north). The bay is quite often visited by wild dolphins, and has a good variety of fish. The corals here are very good and varied.

Marsa Nakari is also a ‘divers only’ destination, and a lot smaller than Marsa Shagra. The bay is also quite small, and due to the shape more vulnerable for wind and incoming rubbish from the sea. But for fishes the bay is very good. This bay also has dolphins as regular visitors, a good number of macro opportunities, and regular views of sharks and several species of rays. We saw a lot of scorpionfish (two species), several species of goby in the shallows, and very tame Bluespotted Stingray, and Indian Ocean Crocodile Fish.

This is an update to another post I have about the Red Sea on this site. For much more about what I know about snorkeling here, please read my post Red Sea Egypt, The Best Snorkeling.

Coral reef with school of fish seen while snorkeling the Red Sea Egypt
Slingjaw Wrasse on a hard coral reef in Red Sea Egypt
Slingjaw Wrasse in the Red Sea Egypt

Comments Moved From Previous System

Nicole and Galen– Oct 30, 2017 – Great Update Michel!

Thank you Michel for this great update and Red Sea, Egypt snorkeling trip report! Your wonderful pictures give us a good sense of what can be seen there too!

Sandra C – Nov 5, 2017 – Egypt Countdown

Great report! My husband and I will be traveling to Egypt in 14 days. Can’t wait to snorkel the Red Sea. We’ll be staying in Sharm el Sheik. Anxious to see how it compares with our past snorkeling destinations.

Mini – Aug 2, 2018 – Question for Michel

Hi Michel, I have a question for you. In September we go to Hotel Floriana Dream Lagoon. I understand that it is a 15 minute walk to Marsa Nakari. You can snorkel in the bay for 5€. Can you tell me if you can also snorkel over the reef? And do you have any tips about snorkeling there? Is it really so beautiful? I hope to hear from you.

Kind regards.

Michel – Aug 2, 2018 – Marsa Nakari

Hi Mini, snorkeling Marsa Nakari can be very good. Good corals, and especially lots of good fish. There are few places – that I know of – in Egypt with such good diversity of fish. Also dolphins visit the bay on a regular basis. Don’t miss the shallows, you can expect several species of Goby that are rare in most other places. Also rays and crocodilefish are usually present in the shallows.

I don’t know what you mean by “snorkeling over the reef”. Snorkeling over the reef top is forbidden in all places I know (more or less). I think that’s for good reasons. When people snorkel over the reef top, they always end up standing on the reef top, or hitting the corals with their fins. It’s just too shallow in almost all places.

You snorkel alongside the reef. But since the corals grow up to the surface, that’s not a problem I think. The only problem in Marsa Nakari is rubbish. Due to the shape of the bay, it collects drifting rubbish (plastic) from the sea. After a storm, or during a period with strong winds, there is a lot of rubbish drifting in the southern part of the bay.

Visibility also depends a bit on the wind and the tide. It’s usually good to very good in the early morning, sometimes – especially during windy periods – murky in the afternoon.

But if you have the opportunity, I would certainly go there. But try to pick a day with little wind if you have a choice…

Have a nice time in Egypt!

Mini – Aug 5, 2018 – Thanks Michel

Hi Michel, we have really snorkeled over the reef at Aurora Bay. That was okay, I did that when the flood was. What a beautiful reef that is. The most beautiful thing I have seen in all these years in Egypt. What I also found a beautiful reef was at the Hilton Nubiun Resort in Marsa Alam, and in Coraya Bay it is also very nice snorkeling. There are four hotels where we were in Jaz dar el Madina.

Greetings.

Nicole and Galen – Dec 7, 2019 – More Updated Info From Michel!

Hi all, we wanted to let you know that Michel shared his updated 2019 suggestions for snorkeling the Red Sea in Egypt, including some wonderful pictures. Enjoy!

Nicole and Galen – November 20, 2022 – Organized Group Trip

Hello All, we wanted to share with you our trips partner’s snorkeling the Red Sea Egypt group option. It combines a stay at Marsa Shagra with a week on a liveaboard yacht. Get all the details here.

Nicole and Galen – January 3, 2023 – New Info From Michel

Once again, Michel has shared an update to his series of Egypt posts. Check out his 2022 recommendations.

Comments are closed on this post. Please continue your discussion on Michel’s 2022 post linked to above.