The diverse and intact marine world is a highlight of your Egypt holiday. You can spot dolphins in the Red Sea. These lovely marine mammals can be seen in many regions from El Gouna, Hurghada, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, Safaga, El Quseir to Marsa Alam and on the Sinai Peninsula near Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab. You may be wondering: Where can I swim with dolphins in the Red Sea? However, the often commercial tours to the bottlenose dolphins are also highly controversial because some of them are not compatible with animal protection. I'll give you all the important information about dolphins in the Red Sea and show you how you can still get into the water in a way that's animal-friendly.

The experience is simply incredible. Suddenly and completely unexpectedly they are there: dolphins in the Red Sea. You go out in the diving boat, the water is glassy, ​​the sun is shining from the sky and everyone is preparing for snorkeling and diving. Suddenly the captain shouts something – dolphins ahead! And there they are, jumping through the bow wave, overtaking the ship left and right, hopping playfully and joyfully out of the water.

The first encounter with dolphins is a unique experience that you will not soon forget. It's just incredibly exciting to watch bottlenose dolphins in the wild. In many places around the world, dolphins and the sea simply belong together.

Video – I went swimming with dolphins on a liveaboard

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Video – Dolphins accompany our boat

Swimming or diving with dolphins is an experience

However, watching dolphins from a ship cannot be compared to the experience of swimming with dolphins or even diving and snorkeling with them. The experience is simply unique and you will probably never forget it for the rest of your life. Being up close and eye-to-eye with the curious marine mammals is a life-changing experience.

Observing the animals up close as they approach curiously, dive down, come back and move around in a group is certainly one of the most moving experiences you can have with marine animals in the water.

Swimming with dolphins in Egypt is not always sustainable

Many places also offer the opportunity to swim with the dolphins in the sea. I once went on a liveaboard in the Red Sea. When we encountered wild dolphins on a reef in the middle of the open sea, I was able to jump into the water with my snorkeling equipment and quickly found myself among a group of free-swimming, wild dolphins, who then examined me very curiously. An experience that I will probably never forget.

Unfortunately, it has to be said that not all encounters when swimming with dolphins in the Red Sea are pleasant. Sometimes commercial providers harass the animals and send far too many snorkelers into the water to meet the bottlenose dolphins - sometimes it's downright animal cruelty. You should definitely not book such dolphin tours.

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Overview - Where to see dolphins in the Red Sea?

• During your holiday in Egypt you can watch dolphins in many places in the Red Sea.
• When encountering marine mammals, you should behave appropriately, respectfully, and keep your distance.
• Many commercial dolphin tour operators are not animal friendly.
• You can book snorkeling trips with dolphins at European diving schools, for example.

Dolphins in the Red Sea - Where to Swim with Dolphins in Egypt 

There are numerous opportunities to swim with dolphins in the Red Sea in Egypt. You can set off on tours from most large holiday resorts to observe the bottlenose dolphins. If you go on a snorkeling tour or a day diving tour, it is very common for the boats to be accompanied by dolphins. In such cases it is of course easy for you and in addition to your snorkeling trip or diving tour you also have the opportunity to go swimming with dolphins.

Im more dolphin sightings in the Red Sea

Due to the numerous marine protection measures, dolphins are becoming increasingly common in the Red Sea. Swimming with dolphins from land is also rarely possible. In order to actually meet a group of free-living dolphins, you often have to spend a little longer and have a bit of patience. One of the most famous places to encounter wild dolphins is Abu Dabbab, where the Marsa Alam manatees also live. Some groups travel from Hurghada for a day trip to have a chance to see the bottlenose dolphins.

Meet dolphins in Hurghada and the surrounding area

Seeing dolphins in Hurghada is also possible, but it is a mass cruelty event. Spotting dolphins in Makadi, Safaga and Sahl Hasheesh is quite possible. I saw the dolphins from the video at Safaga. If you are on a ship, your chances are of course the greatest. The captains of the day boats communicate with each other - and if someone has seen a group of dolphins, they will of course pass on the information.

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Dolphins in the Red Sea – swimming with dolphins in Egypt is very controversial

However, swimming with dolphins in the Red Sea is also very controversial. Commercial dolphin tours and excursions in which dolphins are visited from land are particularly heavily criticized by conservationists. For good reason: The commercial tours, of course, thrive on taking participants into the water with the dolphins.

The experiences of swimming with dolphins in Hurghada are particularly bad. At worst, more than a dozen boats, each carrying 20 to 30 snorkelers, can besiege and harass a group of dolphins. The boats literally hunt the animals. However, dolphins are wild animals that are also quite intelligent and have a mind of their own. If they don't feel like interacting, they usually disappear.

The commercial providers pay very little attention to this. On the one hand, the groups of swimmers, snorkelers and divers are far too large, especially in Hurghada. On the other hand, the providers like to harass the dolphins in order to keep them close to their paying customers. Of course, this is not at all what the inventor intended.

If you want to go swimming with dolphins in the Red Sea, it's best to get information from a local diving center and under no circumstances go on one of these animal-cruelting tours. The dive centers in particular are on the water and in the water practically every day and have the appropriate expertise when and where you can watch dolphins.

If in doubt, they can also refer you to reputable providers of dolphin adventure tours or, if necessary, offer them themselves. Swimming with wild dolphins is always best when you are completely alone or almost alone in the water with the animals - then you can interact with them naturally.

Swim with dolphins in Egypt

Behavioral tips for your tête-à-tête with the bottlenose dolphin in the Red Sea 

Dolphins are incredibly sensitive and sensitive animals. For this reason, you should only enter the water with the animals with the utmost respect. If you want to swim with dolphins, you should definitely follow a few rules to avoid injuring yourself or the marine mammals.

• Always keep enough distance from the animals
• under no circumstances touch it
• observes the behavior of the animals
• Don't pressure the dolphins under any circumstances

Swim with dolphins in Egypt

How do I recognize a reputable provider of dolphin tours?

Choosing a reputable dolphin tour operator can be difficult as there are many commercial operators that are not pet friendly and will harass or disturb the dolphins. A good place to go is a local dive center or an experienced dive instructor at the hotel. They often have experience with the various providers and can make recommendations.

A reputable provider should also provide detailed instruction on how to behave when swimming with dolphins and ensure that participants keep a sufficient distance from the animals and do not disturb them. In addition, a reputable provider should ensure that the group size is limited in order to keep the stress for the dolphins as low as possible.

It can also be helpful to find out about the various providers on the Internet in advance and to read the reviews of other tourists. However, one should be careful with reviews as they can sometimes be fake or manipulated.

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Dolphins in the Red Sea - swim with wild dolphins on holiday in Egypt?

My conclusion

It is a very special experience, especially the very first time you go swimming with dolphins and meet the fascinating animals. These large and intelligent sea animals look at people with their alert eyes and interact with them. And the experience of swimming with dolphins can be truly life-changing. Dolphins in the Red Sea are relatively common.

Swimming with dolphins has its pitfalls

However, swimming with dolphins in Egypt also has its pitfalls. For many commercial providers, profiteering is more important than the welfare of the animals. They visit the dolphins with groups of swimmers and snorkelers that are far too large or harass the animals to prevent them from escaping.

Ask a diving school for advice

If you would like to see dolphins up close in the Red Sea and swim with dolphins, it is best to contact a European-run diving school in order to go on a sustainable dolphin tour that takes animal welfare into account. The incredible fascination of the animals lies in swimming with free-living dolphins in their natural environment and not with confined and harassed animals.

Have you ever seen dolphins or been snorkeling with them? If yes, where? Share your experiences in the comments.