Elphinstone, Brothers & Daedalus - marine parks in the Red Sea.

Often referred to as Simply the Best in Egypt, this amazing diving tour and safari route focuses on diving in the Brothers Islands and Daedalus Marine Parks. Two reef systems located in the middle of the Red Sea. Brothers Islands is a translation of the Arabic "El Akhawein" which means the two brothers. The marine park consists of two underwater mountains approximately 60 kilometers off the coast. The islands rise from great depths right up to the surface. Their characteristic lighthouse has over the years warned many passing ships of the dangers lurking beneath the surface.

Diving here combines fantastic wall dives with wreck diving. The walls are covered with anemones, gorgonians and fungi. There are also lots of colorful soft and hard corals and Brothers attract a large number of fish. The fish in turn attract large marine pelagic species. Here there are great opportunities to see large tunas, barracudas and snappers and they are sometimes joined by hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, whitetip sharks and sometimes even manta rays. There is also the possibility of seeing the more unusual thresher shark here.

On the reef's northern plateau is the freighter Numidia. She lies almost completely vertical with the bow into the reef and after her many years on the bottom, she has almost become part of the reef and multitudes of reef fish and soft corals have made their home in this nearly century-old wreck. The wreck starts at a depth of about ten meters and drags down to 80 minutes. Another wreck you can experience here is Aida. She rests at between 25 and 60 m and sank about 40 years ago. Here, too, quantities of reef fish and soft corals have moved in.

Daedalus and Elphinstone

During your dive trip and liveaboard on this “Simply the Best” tour in Egypt, you will also visit Daedalus Reef. The reef is located approximately 300 kilometers south of Hurghada and as much as 80 kilometers off the coast. The reef is easily recognizable by its zebra-striped lighthouse and offers some of the best diving in Egypt and the Red Sea. The steep walls are covered in hard corals and lots of colorful anemones and gorgonians. Napoleon otters and turtles often cruise past as well as other large animals. Make sure you keep your eyes open for the blue. Daedalus is known for diving trips where anything can happen.

Årfin shark, gray reef shark, thresher shark, manta ray and whale shark are seen quite often - Daedalus is perhaps best known for its crested sharks that often swim here in big blue, especially during the summer months. The Simply the Best tour in Egypt usually ends with a visit to Elphinstone Reef, which is located outside Marsa Alams coast. Diving Elphinstone can be tough and it's easy to feel the euphoria of adrenaline. The currents are often very strong and can go in all directions. The reward for swimming to the northern plateau at the start of your dive is that you will likely find yourself there with white tip and gray reef sharks. If you're lucky, you'll also see hammerhead sharks, eagle rays and manta rays.

Along the reef and on the southern plateau, you also often find a large range of pelagic species. Årfen shark, manta rays, whale shark, swordfish, shoals of tuna and barracuda and silk shark are some of the species you can see here.

At least 50 logged dives

A recommendation and general rule is you have at least 50 logged dives to dive here. Night diving within the national parks is not permitted. As there can often be strong currents in the area, it is often only possible to dive three dives per day during this route. This tour is called and known by many as Simply The Best here in Egypt and the Red Sea as some of Egypt's best dive sites are on the schedule for this dive tour. This is one of many great diving trips you can do with liveaboard in the Red Sea and Egypt.

The tours in the southern Red Sea go by many names and the tours are often very similar. Depending on the season, weather and liveaboard operator, the tours may be called differently but the content is often quite similar.

What is included?

  • Flight including meal
  • Egyptian visa
  • Meet and greet service by ST staff
  • Transfers from the airport to the boat
  • 7 nights in a shared double cabin with bathroom
  • All meals, snacks, drinks (no alcohol)
  • 6 days of diving with 3-4 dives per day (last day 1-2 dives) including guide
  • weights, belt and 12L bottle
  • All marine park fees and taxes

Liveaboarders offering these tours