MammalOccasionalVisible while snorkeling

Bottlenose dolphin

Tursiops aduncus

Meeting wild dolphins in the open sea – this is the encounter many divers keep coming back to the Red Sea for, all their lives.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) grows to 2–3 metres and can live up to 40 years. It is a remarkably intelligent animal that navigates by echolocation, sending out clicks and reading their echoes to "see" its surroundings. Dolphins live in tight family pods of typically 10–30 animals, and calves stay by their mothers for years.

Several resident pods live around Hurghada. Their most famous home is Shaab El Erg reef – better known as Dolphin House – whose sheltered, sandy lagoon is where the dolphins rest and play during the day. They are most active in the morning: hunting, surfing the bow waves of boats and often approaching swimmers out of pure curiosity.

On a dive, dolphins usually arrive unannounced, materialising out of the blue to a soundtrack of clicks and whistles – you often hear them before you see them. Stay calm and resist the urge to chase, and they will frequently come remarkably close to you. Snorkelers have a great chance of meeting them at Dolphin House too, which is why it is one of our most popular trips.

Did you know?

A dolphin never fully sleeps: only one half of its brain rests at a time while the other stays awake to control breathing and watch for danger – with one eye kept open throughout.

How to behave around it

Dolphins are wild animals: never chase, touch or feed them. Stay calm and let them make the approach – they will stay longer, and the encounter will be better for everyone.

Where can you meet it?

Your best chance is at Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), home to resident pods, but dolphins also appear regularly around the Shaab Sabina sandbank and Gota Abu Ramada.

Frequently asked questions

No. Bottlenose dolphins are not aggressive towards people, and wild pods decide for themselves how close they come. The rule is simple: no chasing, no touching, no feeding – that keeps the encounter safe and stress-free for them and for you.

The best spot is Dolphin House reef (Shaab El Erg), home to resident pods. There is a chance all year round, highest in the early morning – which is why the boats leave early. Nobody can guarantee wild animals, but the encounter rate is genuinely good.

Snorkelers have at least as good a chance, because dolphins often rest and play near the surface. The magic of diving is hearing their clicks and whistles underwater – often long before you actually spot them in the blue.