Everything I Saw Diving Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg) in Hurghada, Egypt

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Austin Tuwiner

Dive Sites

August 21, 2026

I dove Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg) in May 2026 from the All Star Scuba Scene liveaboard out of Hurghada, Egypt.

It's one of the most well-known dive sites in the Red Sea for one reason: wild bottlenose dolphins live here.

That is the kind of place this is.

Many day boats take beginner divers and snorkelers here.

Dive Log · Hurghada, Egypt · May 2026

Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg)

Dive Data from my Garmin Descent MK3i

Max Depth

49ft / 14.9m

Avg Depth

26ft / 7.9m

Dive Time

62min

Water Temp

75.2°F / 24°C

Visibility

100ft / 30.5m

Entry

Boat

Recommended Certification

Open Water

Reef Red Sea Beginner 📍 27.408811, 33.854285

Getting There

Dolphin House is a boat dive. Most divers access it from Hurghada, either by day boat or liveaboard. I dove it from the All Star Scuba Scene liveaboard, which anchors at the site directly.

If you're not on a liveaboard, day trips depart from Hurghada Marina and most dive centers in the area run regular trips to this site.

What I Saw

Dolphin House is named for its resident pod of wild bottlenose dolphins, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — Dolphin House is named for its resident pod of wild bottlenose dolphins.

There's two man made heart formations out of dead coral, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — There's two man made heart formations out of dead coral.

They're wild and not guaranteed on every dive, but this reef is one of the most reliable places in Egypt to see them in the water.

David Attenborough and the BBC reserved this reef for two weeks to shoot a documentary episode specifically on the dolphins. The footage from that shoot has been referenced widely since.

Schools of goatfish on top of the reef, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — Schools of goatfish on top of the reef.

Wide field of mixed hard corals spreading across the reef top, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — Hard coral spread right across the top of the reef.

Large overlapping table corals stacked across the shallow reef, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — Table corals stacked over the shallow section.

Royal angelfish skirting away from the camera, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — Royal angelfish skirting away from the camera.

A curious snake eel, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — A curious snake eel.

Maroon lionfish with it's fins stretched out, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — Maroon lionfish with its fins stretched out.

Dense coral garden with a bright yellow fish moving through it, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — The reef sits shallow enough that the colour holds all the way down.

Reef slope covered in branching coral fading into blue water, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — Looking out over the reef top with the light coming through.

Austin floating above the rainbow reefs, Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Hurghada, Egypt — Austin floating above the rainbow reefs.

Sunlight breaking over the reef top at Dolphin House, Shaab El Erg, Hurghada, Egypt — Light comes straight through at this depth.

Small ray resting on the sand under a coral ledge at Dolphin House, Shaab El Erg, Hurghada, Egypt — Tucked in under the coral, flat against the sand.

Wide view across the shallow hard coral reef at Dolphin House, Shaab El Erg, Hurghada, Egypt — The reef runs wide and shallow, which is why the day boats bring beginners here.

Conditions

Visibility on my dive in May 2026 was around 100 feet (30 m). The reef is shallow enough that natural light reaches the bottom easily. The max depth I hit on my dive was 49 feet (15 m), well within Open Water range.

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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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