Elphinstone
Open-ocean reef 25 km north of Marsa Alam where oceanic whitetips frequent the southern plateau, best October to December.
- Advanced
- Drift
- Manta rays
Experienced≤40 m
Big Brother
Dive site in Marsa Alam & the Brothers, Egypt
Sheer coral walls plus two wrecks, the Numidia and Aida, with a chance of thresher sharks on dawn dives in autumn and winter.
- Max depth
- 90 m
- Level
- Experienced
- Best months
- Jun–Oct
- Entry
- Liveaboard
- Current
- Strong
Photo: Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The story
In 1901 the Numidia, a ship of over 4,000 tonnes with 97 hands on board heading for Calcutta, struck the reef at the narrow north end of Big Brother. All of the crew and most of the cargo were safely removed.
Source: ssthistlegorm.com
The dive
A wall and wreck dive from a liveaboard. Known for grey reef sharks, hammerhead sharks and oceanic whitetip sharks.
Who it's for
Experienced≤40 mSource: liveaboard.com
Recommended minimum: Experienced (Deep Specialty, N3).
- Strong current: dive with a local guide and carry a surface marker buoy.
- The site goes deeper than 40 m: Experienced divers stay above 40 m.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wall, Wreck
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Grey reef sharks
- Hammerhead sharks
- Oceanic whitetip sharks
- Thresher sharks
Season in Marsa Alam & the Brothers
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Jun–Oct.
Source: liveaboard.comWhere is Marsa Alam & the Brothers?
The point shows the Marsa Alam & the Brothers area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Marsa Alam & the Brothers
Daedalus Reef
Lighthouse reef 80 km off Marsa Alam, only reached by liveaboard, where schooling hammerheads gather, especially in summer.
- Advanced
- Drift
- Manta rays
Marsa Abu Dabab
Easy shore dive to 20 m in a bay where you may meet a dugong among many giant green sea turtles.
- Open Water
- Dugong
Wreck
down to 18 m
Hamada Wreck
A 65 m coaster lying on its starboard side at 15 m, reached from the shore, with an intact propeller and holds to look into.
- Open Water
Wall
down to 40 m
Little Brother
Drift past reef so full of shoaling fish you can hardly see the coral, as silvertip and grey reef sharks patrol and hammerheads occasionally visit.
- Experienced
- Grey reef sharks
Macro
down to 25 m
Marsa Egla
A seagrass bay where macro hunters look for seahorses and ghost pipefish while turtles, large rays and possibly dugongs pass by.
- Open Water
- Dugong
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.
Photo credits
- Elphinstone Reef dive site, Marsa Alam, Dereck Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lighthouse on Daedalus Reef, Red Sea, Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green sea turtle in the bay of Abu Dabbab, Marsa Alam, Jan Beránek, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
