The Brothers Island

The Brothers Islands are a pair of small, remote islands in the Red Sea, situated 42 miles (67 km) offshore east of El Quseir and south-east of Safaga. Small Brother covers 0.1 km² and Big Brother covers 0.3 km², with the two islands just 0.62 miles (1 km) apart. Together they offer more than 12 dive locations, predominantly wall dives and steep drop-offs; Big Brother also has shipwrecks on its north-west side. Access is by liveaboard safari boat from Hurghada or Safaga, typically as part of a week-long trip spending two to three days at the islands.

The diving at the Brothers Islands is characterised by walls, strong drop-offs, and wreck diving, with a maximum depth of 8 m recorded for the site and a reef bottom type. Strong currents are a defining feature and conditions are tide-dependent, with low tide the preferred time to dive. The site is rated technical in difficulty and suits experienced divers comfortable with demanding current.

The Brothers Islands are known for encounters with pelagic and large fish species, including hammerhead sharks, thresher sharks, oceanic grey sharks, whitetip reef sharks, barracuda, Napoleon wrasses, anthias, glassfish, sweepers, and sea cows. The best conditions for pelagic encounters run from December through February.