You can of course just put on a mask and jump in – in Egypt you will see plenty of fish anyway. But a bit of preparation before the trip makes a big difference. Here are the things I think are worth doing before you go.
1. Look at the reefs before you arrive
Before you book the hotel, have a look at satellite images on Google Earth or a similar service. The fringing reefs show up as the darker band along the shore. From the images you can get a pretty good idea of where the reef comes close to the beach, where there are long stretches of sand, and where the boats go in and out. It also helps you decide where to enter the water once you are there. Read more about how to find a hotel with a good house reef.
2. Get a mask that fits
Most hotels in Hurghada, Sharm and Marsa Alam have a dive centre where you can rent gear. That works fine, but a mask that leaks or fins that give you blisters can spoil a whole day in the water. If you plan to snorkel more than once or twice, I recommend that you buy your own mask and snorkel. Then you spend the time looking at fish – and not emptying water out of the mask.
A simple test in the shop: hold the mask against your face without the strap and breathe gently in through the nose. If it stays on by itself, it fits.
3. Think about photos before you go
The Red Sea is a great place for underwater photos, but it is worth deciding before the trip what kind of pictures you want.
- Action cam: A GoPro is easy to use and good for video and the bigger scenes. But the lens is very wide, so a single fish ends up small in the picture.
- Phone in a waterproof case: Better than nothing, but do not expect sharp pictures of the details. Buy a case of good quality, and test it in the water without the phone inside before you trust it.
- Compact camera: If you want to get more serious, a compact camera with a good macro mode in an underwater housing will give you much better pictures of individual fish.
Whatever you use – learn to lie calm and still in the water first. The fish will come closer, and the pictures will be sharper.
4. Know what you are looking for
There are around 1,200 species of fish in the Red Sea. You will not learn them all, but every swim becomes more fun when you can tell a parrotfish from a Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus). When you know a bit about how the fish behave, you also start to find the shy species that hide under the coral edges – the ones most people swim right past. That is why I made the Red Sea Snorkeling Guide.
5. Keep track of what you see
After a few days in the water it is easy to forget what you saw and where. It is a good idea to tick off the species in the evening – in my e-book or in another fish book. The big identification books list many hundreds of species, which can be a bit overwhelming. In our guide we have picked out the species you are most likely to see, so the list is much easier to use.
Planning your trip? Download our free Fish Checklist. It lists the 115+ species you are most likely to meet when snorkeling in the Red Sea.
