Makadi Bay - Snorkeling in the Red Sea

We have 5 vacation days left and feel that we need to get out again. It’s not enough for long trips, but definitely enough for a week in Egypt.

Since we're quite last minute, the options—especially for flights—are pretty limited, and our main criterion (snorkeling opportunities directly from the beach) isn't met everywhere. In the end, we choose Makadi Bay, about 45 minutes away from Hurghada airport.

In Makadi Bay, there is a pretty large number of hotels, ours is rather average in many respects. However, over time, we discover 3 rewarding snorkeling areas. The longest section is on the north side of the bay, where it's still a half an hour walk to get there. It only takes half as long to reach the section in front of Fort Arabesque, and you can see something even at 'our' hotel beach deep in the bay, although the water here—especially in the afternoon—is a bit murkier. The south side of the bay would probably also offer something, but here we have to pay extra for (the necessary) dock access—we have (a) nothing with us and (b) are not willing to do so—so it remains uncharted territory for us.

During the day, we do nothing but snorkel, alternating between the three accessible sections in changing order. Even here, there are signs of destruction at the reef, but by no means as pronounced as at the Great Barrier Reef or in the Maldives. There is a great variety of fish. From previous visits to the Red Sea, we are already accustomed to the fact that they tend to be smaller than elsewhere, but this time there are also some outliers that are surprisingly large. And, as always—even though you’re snorkeling the same route for the umpteenth time, there is always something new to see—it certainly doesn’t get boring for us.

After 6 days in the water and warmth, we head back to the—at the moment—wet, cool, gray Germany.