Diving Big Brother Island (El Ikwha)

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Austin Tuwiner

Dive Sites

August 22, 2026

I dove Big Brother Island in May 2026 on the Allstar Liveaboard Scuba Scene.

Big Brother is the larger of the two Brothers Islands, a protected marine reserve about 93 miles (150 km) southeast of Hurghada in the Egyptian Red Sea.

It is one of the best dive sites in the Red Sea, known for two things: world-class shark encounters and back-to-back historic shipwrecks on the same reef wall.

Big Brother's reef wall has two wrecks on the same slope, both sitting near the island's northern tip below its historic Victorian-era lighthouse — The lighthouse on the northern tip.

Oceanic whitetip, hammerhead, grey reef, silvertip, and thresher sharks are all regularly spotted here.

Austin in front of small brother island, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — Austin in front of small brother island.

Most liveaboard itineraries that include Big Brother also stop at Small Brother Island and Daedalus Island on the same trip.

The two wrecks are the Numidia and the Aida and you can hit both in a single dive.

Dive Log · Big Brother Island, Egypt · May 2026

Big Brother Island

Dive Data from my Garmin Descent MK3i

Max Depth

108ft / 33m

Avg Depth

53ft / 16m

Dive Time

42min

Water Temp

75°F / 24°C

Visibility

80ft / 24m

Entry

Boat

Recommended Certification

Advanced Open Water

Wreck Reef Red Sea Egypt 📍 26.3069, 34.8556

How to Get There

Big Brother is pretty much only reachable by liveaboard, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — Big Brother is pretty much only reachable by liveaboard.

I went on the Allstar Liveaboard Scuba Scene, which runs out of Hurghada.

Once on-site, you reach the water via zodiac, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — Once on-site, you reach the water via zodiac.

Entry is done with negative buoyancy to avoid being swept away by currents, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — Entry is done with negative buoyancy to avoid being swept away by currents.

Austin on the zodiac with the Big Brother Island lighthouse behind, Egypt — On the zodiac, with the lighthouse behind.

The Dive

Big Brother's reef wall has two wrecks on the same slope, both sitting near the island's northern tip below its historic Victorian-era lighthouse.

The Numidia is a 492 ft (150 m) British cargo ship that sank in 1901 on just its second voyage to India.

Numidia wreck, top at 26 ft (8 m) and stern at 262 ft (80 m), Big Brother Island, Egypt — Her top sits at around 26 ft (8 m) and her stern drops to 262 ft (80 m), putting the lower sections into technical diving territory.

View of the Numidia's top deck, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — View of the Numidia's top deck.

The Aida is a 246 ft (75 m) Italian military vessel that went down in 1957. She rests shallower, between 49 and 148 ft (15 to 45 m), and is more structurally intact.

Diver over the wreck structure with coral growth across it, Big Brother Island, Egypt — Both wrecks are fully encrusted in soft coral and surrounded by fish life.

I maxed at 114 ft (35 m) and hit both wrecks in the same dive.

What Marine Life I Saw

Lionfish resting on the reef at Big Brother Island, Egypt — Lionfish sitting out in the open on the reef.

School of dark fish streaming along the edge of a reef wall in clear blue water, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — A school running the edge of the wall.

Purple and yellow fish feeding in the shallows above a steep coral wall, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — Anthias stacked up over the shallows.

Diver holding a long pole spear above the reef, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — A diver working along the reef with a long pole.

Dive Conditions

Conditions at the surface can range from flat calm to significant swell depending on the day, and rough surface conditions can make the zodiac pickup challenging.

We did a loop around the island, ending back at the lighthouse and liveaboard, Big Brother Island (El Ikwha), Hurghada, Egypt — We did a loop around the island, ending back at the lighthouse and liveaboard.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Austin Tuwiner

I'm a PADI Divemaster based in South Florida.

With over a decade of diving experience, I help readers become better divers, buy their next piece of gear, and plan their dream dive vacation!

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