Red Sea
Best Time to Dive in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed
27.73°N 34.24°E
The pull is Ras Mohammed's reef walls, Shark and Yolanda, and the Thistlegorm. Nothing about it runs to a calendar, so it comes down to the weather: go October to December.
- Best time
- Oct–Dec
- Water
- 23–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–35 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.3–0.7 m
- Species logged
- 8
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Water temp (°C) | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Steady | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Oct–Dec
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed diving season
January to September · Off season
9 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. The wind is up.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed in these months.
October to December · Peak season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 25–28 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer. The wind eases.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed water temperature and weather
620 underwater observation records · 28 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
Rarely
rough enough to cancel
Seas top 1.5 m on 2% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
1
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
0
wet days a month
0 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.1 m | 9% | 0 | 0 | 22 °C | 10.4 h |
| February | 1.3 m | 11% | 1 | 0 | 23 °C | 11.0 h |
| March | 1.4 m | 11% | 1 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.3 m | 5% | 0 | 0 | 31 °C | 12.7 h |
| May | 1.3 m | 6% | 0 | 0 | 35 °C | 13.4 h |
| June | 1.2 m | 2% | 0 | 0 | 38 °C | 13.7 h |
| July | 1.1 m | 3% | 0 | 0 | 39 °C | 13.6 h |
| August | 1.3 m | 2% | 0 | 0 | 39 °C | 13.0 h |
| September | 1.1 m | 1% | 0 | 0 | 37 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 1.1 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 33 °C | 11.3 h |
| November | 1.0 m | 1% | 0 | 0 | 28 °C | 10.6 h |
| December | 1.1 m | 4% | 0 | 0 | 24 °C | 10.3 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Moderate | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Moderate | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Moderate | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Good | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Good |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Moderate | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of December
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.0 m | 23 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 2% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.2 m | 22 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 23 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 2% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 23 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 21 km/h | 0% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 21 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 21 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 21 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 21 km/h | 1% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.9 m | 20 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 19 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 20 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.0 m | 19 km/h | 0% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.0 m | 18 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Good | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 21 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 21 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 1% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 5 mm | February: 5 mm | March: 5 mm | April: 5 mm | May: 5 mm | June: 3 mm | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: 3 mm | December: 3 mm |
- Jan–May5 mm full suit
- Jun3 mm full suit
- Jul–Octskin or 3 mm shorty
- Nov–Dec3 mm full suit
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
No tropical storm has come within 250 km in 30 years of records. Swell and wind set the season, not cyclones.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluespotted ribbontail ray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 307 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 63 | ||
| Napoleon wrasse | All year | Near-guaranteed | 104 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Hit-or-miss | 13 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Jul, Nov | Likely | 30 | ||
| Ocellated eagle ray | Apr, Jun, Oct, Dec | Likely | 23 | ||
| Whale shark | Jun–Jul, Nov | Hit-or-miss | 29 | ||
| Spinner dolphin | Apr, Jul, Nov | Likely | 18 |
Peak Present
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- The pull is Ras Mohammed's reef walls, Shark and Yolanda, and the Thistlegorm. Nothing about it runs to a calendar, so it comes down to the weather: go October to December.
- When is the diving season in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- The diving season in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed runs October to December.
- Is the diving in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- Between 23 and 29 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- A 5 mm full suit covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a skin or 3 mm shorty is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- Roughly 15 to 35 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- The most consistently recorded species are Bluespotted ribbontail ray (near-guaranteed), Hawksbill turtle (near-guaranteed) and Napoleon wrasse (near-guaranteed), from 620 records within 60 km.
- Does Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- The tide rises and falls 0.7 m around the full and new moon, against 0.3 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- June, August are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Oct–Dec.