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The sea is a huge
living organism. It's a vibrant eco-system full of species living in
symbiosis or hunting each other down for prey. The moon,
temperatures and daylight over different seasons
signal to various species to breed, migrate or lay egg and there are
plenty of reasons why.
The Equinox is an event
that triggers a lot of activities in the sea. This is when the
centre of the Sun can is exactly above the Earth's equator an it
occurs around March 20th and September 23rd every year. The cycle of
the moon is another signal, especially the first full moon after the
Equinox.
This being said, to me
there also seem to be another cycle in the Red Sea. One that repeats
itself about every fourth year. Since I came to Egypt I've been
keeping a fairly detailed log of what's been going on and I have
noticed that we say "Well isn't this a strange year" with an
interval of four years. Most of the time it's regarding shark
sightings or other spectacular encounters like for example Manta or
sailfish. 2009 has been "strange" because of many things There has
been loads of Tigersharks hanging around for an extensive time on
Elphinstone, Maksour and Panorama Reef. The Longimanus never really
left over summer. There has been more Manta and Whale shark
sightings. Shortfin Pilot whales has been seen more often. And the
normal annual occurrences have been slightly off schedule. Even the
Storks were early to fly north. Last time all those thing happened
was four years ago, in 2005. The time before that was in 2001. If
you plan your dive holidays long in advanced, you might want to pay
the Red Sea a visit in 2013...
Here are some examples of
what's going on in and around the Red Sea at different times of the year. Marked
with purple is the time of year when it's best chance to see this
events.
Look for:
When:
How:
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Storks migrating.
February and September. |
In February they fly
north.
In September they fly
south.
You can't miss them they
cover the sky. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Sand Storms.
Late March to mid April.
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From one day to another
the wind can go from nothing to evil sand storm creating zero
visibility.
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Blue Spotted Shield Slug.
End of March to beginning
of may
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Chelidonura Livida is
what the experts call this little thing and they are all over the
shallow sandy plats for a month or so. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Coral Spawning.
First full moon after the
Equinox twice a year.
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To see this you have to
get out and night dive for a couple of nights in a row around the
full moon after the Equinox...
No guarantees that you'll
see anything but hey. That's diving...
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Blue Spotted ray mating.
End of April to end of
may.
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At this time of year you can find the Blue Spotted Stingray or Blue
Spotted Ribbontail Ray
Taeniura lymma
shooting across shallow sandy sea beds
chasing each other for some hanky panky. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Yellow Lip Shield Slug.
End of April to beginning
of June
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Chelidonurs
Flavolobata is the scientific name for this cute little thing. All
of the sudden you see them everywhere and one day they are gone
again |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Jellyfish season.
In the beginning of
summer
around May.
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They don't sting so don't
worry. They might be bad for visibility but they are the provoking
some cool action on the reef.
The smaller fish
like the Butterflyfish like to eat jellyfish and there is a lot of
feasting this time of year.
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Eagle Ray.
May to mid June
Tip:
Red Sea Shadow |
In a place called Ras Atantur - Sinai
you can encounter this
magnificent creatures if you can find your way there. Check with
Asser
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Longimanus.
May and June.
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At this time of year this
shark is often seen in the St. John's area.
Hang on 6-12m and they'll come to you. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Octopus Porn.
May and early June
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This is a rather special
experience. Most of the time the happy couple don't mind audience at
all and you can get wicked photographs.
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Hawksbill Turtles mating.
Late
May and reaches a peak in early June.
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This
turtle normally breeds in the northern Red Sea and nest on the
beaches of islands like Shedwan, Big Giftun and Small Giftun. If
you're lucky you might see the young turtles after hatching 8-12
weeks later.
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Whale shark season.
End of May till the end
of July.
Mainly in the northern
Red Sea
but also here and there
in the south. |
It's really all about
luck. Be at the right place at the right time looking in the right
direction... |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Hammerheads on Daedalus.
Summer time.
Big congregations of
females around Daedalus.
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Hang on 25m and survey
the whole water column. Don't go too far from the reef, I've seen
guides taking their diver out in to the blue looking into the blue
while the sharks pass between them and the reef. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Bumphead Parrotfish.
late May till beginning
of August
Photo: James Dawson |
In the deep deep south - Abu Fandira and Ohrob areas, close to the
Sudanese border, you are almost guaranteed to see vast schools for
this majestic creature. The rest of the year you might see a few
here and there.
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Green Turtle mating.
Late
June and reaches a peak in early July.
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This
turtle normally breeds in the southern Red Sea and nest on the
beaches of islands like Zabargad. If you're lucky you might see the
young turtles after hatching 8-12 weeks later.
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Hammerheads on Jackson.
Every year July to
September
Tip:
Red Sea Shadow
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Some days you have plenty
some days none. It's the same everywhere in the ocean but when you
meet those guys on Jackson reef it's an encounter of a life time. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Triggerfish nesting
Around August.
Be aware, they bite.
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The triggerfish has a
nest on the sandy bottom and it protects a cone shaped territory
based at the nest reaching to the surface. If you bump in to an
aggressive trigger "Back and Down" is the way to escape out of the
danger zone. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Barracudas schooling.
Ras Mohamed Mid July till
September
Tip:
Red Sea Shadow
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Ras Mohamed doesn't
really need much promotion but in the any case, here is another
magical event not to miss. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Cauliflower Jellyfish.
All over the Red Sea from
end to August till beginning of September
Photo: Derek Keats
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These very photogenic
jellyfish can sometimes appear in such large numbers that they
almost darken the reefs. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Thresher shark season.
Fall and winter.
Around the off shore
islands and reefs all over the south. |
Most of the time these
guys are patrolling up and down the reefs around Brothers, Daedalus
and such on a depth of 40m. Easiest to approach at cleaning
stations. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Longimanus season.
October till the end of
the year.
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Elphinstone is the famous
hotspot but you see them all over the southern Egyptian Red Sea.
Hang on 6-12m and they'll come to you. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Sardine Runs.
End of December to
beginning of February.
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This is something really
exciting. Dolphins, sharks and tuna hunting together in big bait
balls of sardines.
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Large rays.
End of December to
beginning of February.
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During winter large rays
tend to come into the bays along the coast for some reason.
Darkspotted stingray, blackblotched stingray, fearthertail, stingray
and eagle ray are rather common encounters in Marsa Mubarak, Marsa
Shouna Marsa Abu Dabab and so on.
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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? |
Your Experience.
Do you know something
that should go here?
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Send me info on:
anders@aziab.com
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Visibility:
In general the viz is
better in the winter than the summer but do not take this as gospel.
It's enough with a bit of wind from and the waves will push silt
from the top of the reef over the edge and you're down to maybe 15 metres
visibility. However; bad viz is often good for the dive experience.
If you have some plankton in the water the small reef fish come out
to feed in the suspended particles, slightly larger fish start to
hunt the small fish and the big ones come in to feast on them. In
the end of the day, you will have a lot more action in low viz than
in high.
The coral spawning is
another reason we have low visibility but it's not as simple as that
week is crap viz and the next is good. This time of year there are
"clouds" of bad viz travelling around with the currents which means
that it can be excellent in the morning and taheena in the
afternoon... or the other way around...
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Weather:
The Weather around the
Red Sea varies throughout the year as well of course. There is a
fairly smooth pattern with winter, spring, summer, and fall but
there is always a week long break in the cold around the beginning
of January which is then followed by a stormy week. There is also a
rather stormy week in the end of November and most of the time there
is a few days of absolute calm weather.
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Average Wind Speed in kt
This is of course
interesting for Kite Surfers but what does it matter to us divers?
Well if you have a lot of wind and waves the viz goes down and if
you're on a liveaboard for a week and sail during night you might
have problems sleeping if it's rough. Plus motion sickness can be
bothering you. You can get excellent wind forecasts on
www.windguru.cz |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
15 |
17 |
14 |
17 |
17 |
15 |
13 |
13 |
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Wind >11 kt probability
If you have an average
wind speed of 13kt in November I can almost guarantee you that
you'll have a few days with wind around 17-18kt maybe even more. The
diagram below indicates how big risk it is for wind with speed
higher than 11kt. So if the risk is 60% that means that it's likely
to low a gale about 20 days that months. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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57% |
60% |
64% |
66% |
70% |
82% |
72% |
83% |
85% |
77% |
61% |
63% |
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Average Air Temp in Celsius
Now this is interesting
when you make a decision in what clothes and wetsuits to pack. But
bare in mind this is average temperatures and the winter nights and
early mornings are cold, sometimes down to 10-12°C.
If you're on a liveaboard and the first dive is just after sunrise
around 06:00 and you have a night dive around 19:30 You might want
to bring a woolly hat... |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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24 |
25 |
26 |
31 |
35 |
37 |
40 |
42 |
38 |
32 |
26 |
26 |
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Average Water Temp in Celsius
Of course the water temp
varies from site to site. Not much more than a degree or two from
north to south but the difference between 23 and 26 degrees is huge
if you dive a lot. Then it's more of a different between shallow
lagoons and deep walls. The deeper water acts as an energy reserve
that keeps the surface water from fluctuate in temperature. where
you have a sandy bottom at less than 20m the water can cool down
during cold winter nights. Therefore you can experience a
temperature difference between the morning dive on the wall and the
night dive in the lagoon. The lowest I've experienced is 16°C.
Man that's nippy! |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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18 |
18 |
20 |
25 |
26 |
28 |
28 |
29 |
27 |
25 |
23 |
19 |
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What suit should you bring?
 So... The eternal
question... Really, honestly, I swear to God! There is no
final, ultimate, once-and-for-all answer to that question. Below you
find a diagram with three alternative answers and you can chose the
one that you see fit or just go for a stab-in-the-dark solution or
use common sense. Keep in mind though, even if the average air/water
temperature seems OK, there is a cold wind after the dive from
October to March and if you're doing 3-4 dives/day and you never get
really warmed up in between... On the same token: I have had guests
that's been diving in Speedos and T-shirt every dive for a week over
New Years. MAD!
And the abbreviations
mean:
Above: A dry suit keeps you warm winter time
SH=Shorty
FS=Full Suit
2P=Two Piece
DS=Dry Suit
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The average guest use this suit on a one week liveaboard and feel
that it's OK. |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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5mm 2P |
5mm 2P |
5mm FS |
5mm FS |
3mm FS |
5mm SH |
3mm SH |
3mm SH |
5mm SH |
3mm FS |
5mm FS |
5mm 2P |
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The little bit more skinny, easily cold guest would chose: |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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DS |
DS |
5mm 2P |
7mm FS |
5mmFS |
5mm FS |
3mm FS |
3mm FS |
5mmFS |
7mmFS |
5mm 2P |
DS |
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And I use... |
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Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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DS |
DS |
DS |
DS |
7mm FS |
7mm FS |
7mm FS |
7mm FS |
7mm FS |
7mm FS |
DS |
DS |
