The Brothers Islands (El Akhawein) are two tiny offshore islets rising from the open Red Sea roughly 67 km off Egypt's coast, reachable only by liveaboard and reserved for advanced divers. Sheer coral walls dropping into the abyss, two historic wrecks on Big Brother, and reliable encounters with oceanic whitetip, hammerhead, grey reef, silvertip and thresher sharks make them one of the world's premier big-animal dive sites.
Destination info
Conditions, highlights, and the resident marine life.
Conditions
Water and air temperature across the year.
WaterAirDryShoulderWet
Description
The Brothers Islands are two uninhabited rocky islets — Big Brother (about 0.78 km²) and Little Brother (about 0.26 km²) — separated by roughly 1 km of open water and lying around 67 km off El Quseir in the central Egyptian Red Sea. Big Brother carries a British-built stone lighthouse dating to 1883 and is staffed only by a small Egyptian garrison; both islands are part of a marine protectorate declared in the 1980s and accessible exclusively by liveaboard. The islands are the tips of seamounts whose fringing reefs plunge almost vertically to depths of 700–800 m, and the open-ocean position funnels strong, variable currents that bring plankton, nutrients and big pelagics. Big Brother holds two famous wrecks on its northern flank beneath the lighthouse: the Numidia, a 130 m British cargo steamer that struck the reef in 1901, and the Aida, a 75 m supply ship lost in 1957, both now smothered in coral and descending the wall well past recreational limits. Little Brother is essentially a single circumnavigable wall studded with mammoth gorgonian fans, black coral and dense soft coral, with a northern plateau that ranks among the Red Sea's best shark sites. Currents can shift abruptly and include down-currents that push divers deep, so the Brothers are for experienced divers only — most operators and Egyptian regulations require Advanced Open Water certification and at least 50 logged dives.
Highlights
What makes this dive worth the trip.
The Brothers are reachable only by liveaboard — roughly 67 km offshore, about 6.5 hours' sailing from Marsa Alam or 8 hours from Hurghada — and are widely rated among Egypt's and the world's best dive sites (Big Brother ranked 9th in a 2012 list of the world's 50 best dive sites and 2nd in the Red Sea).
Big Brother holds two historic wrecks on its northern point beneath the 1883 lighthouse: the Numidia, a 130 m British cargo ship that sank in 1901 and now lies almost vertically from about 8 m down to 80 m+, and the Aida, a 75 m supply ship lost in 1957 resting from roughly 25 m to 60 m+ — both heavily encrusted in coral.
The walls plunge to 700–800 m and the open-ocean position draws reliable shark action: oceanic whitetips year-round, scalloped hammerheads in the warm season (roughly May–October, peak June–August), plus grey reef, silvertip and seasonal thresher sharks patrolling the blue water off the plateaus.
Marine life
36 species you’re likely to encounter on a dive here.
Dive sites
5 signature sites at this destination.
Numidia Wreck (Big Brother)
A 130 m British cargo steamer that struck the northeast tip of Big Brother in 1901 on its second voyage to India, nicknamed the 'Railway Wreck' for the locomotive wheels visible in the shallows. The wreck lies almost vertically down the reef wall: the bow is broken up around 8 m, masts and superstructure descend through recreational depths, and the stern and propeller continue beyond 80 m into technical range. Coral-encrusted railings and decks host glassfish, lionfish and moray eels, and big pelagics cruise the adjacent wall. Strong, variable current makes this a demanding wall-and-wreck dive rather than a true penetration.
8–80 madvancedLiveaboardStrongVisibility 20–30 m
Aida Wreck (Big Brother)
A 75 m supply ship that sank in 1957 after colliding with Big Brother's northern reef, lying close to the Numidia beneath the lighthouse. The engine block at around 7 m marks the wreck, the bow rests near 25–30 m and the stern slopes down past 60 m. More intact than the Numidia and more accessible to recreational divers, the steel superstructure, engine room and cargo winches shelter batfish, groupers and dense schools of glass sweepers, while the surrounding wall carries soft coral and gorgonians. Current and offshore exposure keep it an advanced dive.
25–60 madvancedLiveaboardStrongVisibility 20–30 m
Big Brother South Plateau & Wall
The southern and southeastern flank of Big Brother, where the fringing reef drops as a sheer wall into water over 800 m deep. A shallower ridge around 30 m on the southeast corner is one of the biggest shark-spotting opportunities in the Red Sea, with grey reef and silvertip sharks patrolling the drop-off and oceanic whitetips appearing in the blue. The wall is carpeted in hard and soft corals and gorgonian fans, with schooling barracuda, snapper and anthias. Typically dived as a drift along the wall with the current.
5–40 madvancedLiveaboardStrongVisibility 20–30 m
Little Brother North Plateau
A plateau extending northwest off Little Brother that slopes gradually before dropping to about 40 m, regarded as one of the best places in the Red Sea to dive with sharks. Grey reef and silvertip sharks circle the plateau, scalloped hammerheads patrol the blue water off the edge in the warm season, and thresher sharks are occasionally seen on early-morning dives. Strong currents sweeping the point bring plankton and nutrients that concentrate fish life. An exposed, current-swept site for experienced drift divers.
5–40 madvancedLiveaboardVery strongVisibility 20–30 m
Little Brother South Plateau & Gorgonian Forest
The southern tip and walls of Little Brother, famed for forests of mammoth gorgonian sea fans alongside black coral and dense hard and soft corals on a reef that drops to over 700 m. Counter-currents circulate around the southern point, and schools of barracuda often gather here over the plateau. The site is a feast for wide-angle photography, with the fan forest backed by reef fish, anthias clouds and passing pelagics. Strong, swirling current makes it an advanced drift dive.
5–40 madvancedLiveaboardStrongVisibility 20–30 m
Where to dive & stay
Local dive centers, resorts, and hotels.
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Verified dive centers, resorts, and hotels around Brothers Islands will list here — pricing, photos, and direct contact.
