The Red Sea is a destination that can be dived year-round and divers can expect 100-plus feet of visibility and a variety of underwater scenery. Epic shipwrecks, pelagics and beautiful coral reefs make up the highlights among the Red Sea. Because of the variation in sites and distance from shore, liveaboard trips have become very popular in the region. There are two main routes that liveaboards take, the southern and northern routes.

If you are looking for more colorful coral reefs and easier diving, then the southern itineraries would be more suited for you. But if you are an advanced diver eager for wrecks and deep wall dives than you will want to head north. Situated between Africa and Asia, the Red Sea is a scuba diving hot spot with direct flights from parts of Europe to dive resort towns such as Marsa Alam, Egypt.

Must-dive:

The Brothers Islands are found in the northernmost Egyptian offshore marine park and are great examples of what the Red Sea has to offer. The islands are located about 40 miles out from the coast.

The larger island - Big Brother - complete with a lighthouse from 1883, is about 400 yards long with a spectacular plateau on the southeast corner. The plateau is dotted with coral mountains and is famous for thresher and grey reef shark sightings. The western side of the island features two impressive wrecks, which lie almost vertically on the side of the reef.

The Best Night Diving in the Red Sea

The most spectacular is the Numidia, a large cargo steamer that sank in 1901 and lies at a depth of 30 to 260 feet covered in soft corals and frequented by large pelagic fish. The smaller wreck – named Aida – used to be a lighthouse authority supply vessel. She sunk in 1957 in bad weather and landed in 100 to 200 feet of water.

Small Brother Island is only 200 yards long and boasts an incredible concentration and variety of marine life offshore. There is a pristine fan coral forest, a massive collection of soft and hard corals and compelling overhangs to explore. The highlight is the fish life with regular seasonal sightings of hammerheads, thresher, grey reef and oceanic whitetip sharks.

Diving the Red Sea by liveaboard is your best option, especially if you plan to dive the Brother Islands. The Red Sea Master has been refurbished recently and can accommodate 26 divers in 13 twin/double cabins that are equipped with air-conditioning, en-suite facilities, mini refrigerators and personal entertainment systems. The boat itself is equipped with a nitrox membrane, booster pump, technical blending panel and is rebreather friendly, which makes this the perfect liveaboard for technical divers. There is also a Jacuzzi on board for guests' enjoyment.