Egypt’s Red Sea Named Third Best Diving Destination in the World in DIVE Travel Awards

Leading scuba diving magazine, DIVE, has ranked Egypt third in the Best Destinations category in its annual DIVE Travel Awards. The awards are decided by a reader vote and, after coming in at sixth last year, Egypt climbed the rankings ahead of the likes of Fiji, Australia, the Solomon Islands, the Galápagos Islands and the Maldives.

Though Indonesia and the Philippines were named first and second respectively, DIVE had plenty of positive things to say about Om El Donia and its Red Sea coasts, highlighting its “more than 400 recorded species of coral, several hundred species of fish, stunning reefs, dramatic walls and very established dive industry,” as just a few reasons it stands as one of the best diving destinations on the planet.

The announcement of the results on DIVE's website also came with a few particular highlights; Ras Mohamed, the Brothers Islands (or El Ikhwa Islands) and St. John’s Reef are noted as hotspots for diving fanatics, while special mention is made of The Thistlegorm wreck.

The Thistlegorm wreck (Image from Weser-Kurier)

Considered by many to be one of the best recreational diving spots in the world, the World War 2 ship wreck is located in the North of the Red Sea in the Strait of Gubal. It was rediscovered by renowned French oceanographer, filmmaker, and undersea explorer, Jacques Cousteau, in 1952 and the wreckage still includes everything from locomotives, tanks and army trucks, to boots, rifles and even spare car and plane parts.

 Main image from Wikimedia Commns.