Brothers Island
Indian Ocean
Egypt
£2.50
Brothers Island: The Wild West of the Red Sea
The Brothers Islands (El Akhawein) are the stuff of Red Sea legend. Located smack in the middle of nowhere, these two isolated pinnacles rise up from the abyss, acting as the ultimate magnet for pelagic action. This is not a place for a casual drift; it is high-energy, current-swept wall diving where you hang in the blue and wait for the landlords to show up. It is arguably the best place in the world to encounter the inquisitive Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Longimanus), a bold predator that patrols these reefs with an entourage of pilot fish. It is raw, remote, and absolutely thrilling.
Why We Chose This Sticker Design
You can't tell the story of the Brothers without the lighthouse. We used a split-shot to feature the iconic Victorian-era lighthouse with its distinct red and white stripes, standing guard over the barren rock. But the real star is below the surface. We illustrated the Oceanic Whitetip with its signature rounded, paddle-like fins and pilot fish companions to capture the exact silhouette divers scan the blue for. We set this against a vertical wall dropping into the deep to emphasize the sheer, bottomless nature of these offshore pinnacles.
Diving Brothers Island
The Brothers are two small islands sitting alone in the open Red Sea, some 60 kilometres offshore, and they are among Egypt's most sought-after dives. Big Brother carries a lighthouse above water and two wrecks below — the Numidia and the Aida — draped down its steep walls. The attraction is sharks: grey reef, thresher and hammerhead, plus oceanic whitetips that patrol close to the surface in the cooler months. Because the islands are exposed, remote and current-swept, they are liveaboard-only and firmly for experienced divers.
- Best time to dive
- Roughly March to December; oceanic whitetips peak in autumn and winter
- Difficulty
- Advanced — strong current, deep walls, no shelter
- Water temperature
- 22–29°C
- Visibility
- 20–40m
Top dive sites
- •Numidia wreck — Cargo ship spilling down the wall from 10m to well past 80m
- •Aida wreck — Steep, deep wreck on the north-west side
- •Little Brother walls — Gorgonian-covered drop-offs with shark traffic
What you’ll see
Frequently asked questions
How do you dive the Brothers Islands?
By liveaboard only. The islands lie roughly 60 kilometres off the Egyptian coast with no land facilities beyond a lighthouse, so day boats cannot reach them. Trips typically run from Hurghada, Marsa Alam or Port Ghalib as part of a southern or offshore itinerary that also takes in Daedalus and Elphinstone. Access is controlled as a marine park and can be restricted at times, so check current arrangements when booking.
When can you see oceanic whitetip sharks at the Brothers?
Oceanic whitetips are most reliably encountered in the cooler months, broadly from autumn into winter, when they patrol close to the reef and often just below the surface. They are bold, curious animals that approach divers directly, which is thrilling and requires calm, disciplined behaviour — stay in a group, keep vertical in the water and do not swim away. Grey reef sharks and thresher are present more consistently across the season.
