Diving in Hurghada in winter (November to March): is it worth it?

The sea cools slowly: about 26 °C on average in November, 24–25 °C in December, 23 °C in January and about 22 °C in February and March, according to ten years of data from seatemperature.info. The coldest readings in that data are just under 21 °C, in February and March.

Sources differ by about a degree. Climates to Travel gives 25 °C for November and 21 °C for February and March; Weather Spark names March the coolest month, at about 22 °C (72 °F). For every month of the year, see our water temperature guide.

Winter days are mild and sunny, but nights and early mornings are cool. These are Climates to Travel's 1991–2020 averages for Hurghada:

Rain is rare: the same data shows 6 mm or less in every winter month. Weather Spark calls 5 December to 9 March the cool season and December the cloudiest month, with the sky overcast or mostly cloudy about 24% of the time. The sun is still strong enough to burn: Weather2Travel gives a UV index of 4 (moderate) for December, so bring a hat and reef-safe sunscreen.

Not on average. Weather Spark puts Hurghada's windier part of the year from late May to early October and names November the calmest month, at about 18 km/h (11.3 mph); the wind comes mostly from the north all year. Climates to Travel gives average winds of 19–21 km/h from November to March.

What changes is how the wind feels. The same breeze is colder in 22 °C air than in 35 °C air, especially when you are wet after a dive. We haven't found reliable wave statistics for Hurghada, and the sea changes from day to day in any season. Our guides choose each day's sites for the wind and sea, and if we cancel because of the weather, you pay nothing and we rebook you. If boats make you queasy, read our seasickness tips.

Most divers wear a 5 mm full wetsuit, and add a hood or move to 7 mm if they feel the cold. PADI describes 5 mm as the thickness for temperate water and 7 mm for cold water. Our wetsuit guide goes into thickness in detail; these tips come from PADI's advice on staying warm:

• Wear a hood. You lose a lot of heat through your head. A hood with a long neck tucks into the wetsuit.
• Make sure the suit fits. A loose suit lets water flush through and chills you faster.
• Expect less warmth at depth. Neoprene compresses as you go deeper, so it insulates less. If you get cold, end the dive early.
• Get out of the wet suit between dives and put on dry clothes and a windbreaker for the surface interval.
• Eat and have a hot drink. A meal and hot drinks help you warm up. Our boat serves lunch, soft drinks, tea and coffee.

If you rent from us, a full equipment set with wetsuit is €10 a day, and we also rent 7 mm wetsuits and hoods for winter. Tell us your height and weight when you book, and that you feel the cold. For why the chill builds up over a day, see staying warm: hypothermia and diving.

About 10½ hours at the shortest. The shortest day, 21 December, has 10 hours and 25 minutes of daylight (Weather Spark, sunrisesunset.io). The earliest sunset is about 16:50 at the end of November. Through December the sun rises between about 06:17 and 06:34 and sets between 16:50 and 17:01 (Weather2Travel).

Our boat is back at the marina around 16:00, so even on the shortest days you are ashore before sunset.

The reefs and wrecks are the same; the water around them changes. In winter the northern Red Sea loses heat to the air and the surface water sinks and mixes. A 2024 study in Frontiers in Marine Science found the mixed surface layer of the northern Red Sea can be more than 150 m deep in winter, deepest in January and February. A mixed layer has nearly the same temperature from top to bottom, and recreational dives stay far shallower than that.

That mixing brings nutrients up from deeper water. Satellite data analysed in a 2013 PLoS ONE study shows phytoplankton (chlorophyll) in the Red Sea peaks in winter, which the authors link to vertical mixing in the north. The study did not measure visibility, so we won't promise clearer or murkier water in any month.

Wildlife varies too: spinner dolphins at Shaab El Erg are seen most often in late spring and summer (see our Dolphin House guide), though they are wild and no month guarantees them.

The day is the same all year. On our guided 2-dive day trip:

• 08:00 hotel pickup from Hurghada, El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay or Safaga, on board at 08:30.
• 09:00 we sail, about an hour and a half to the first site.
• 10:30 first dive, about an hour. 11:45 lunch on deck, about two hours between dives.
• 13:30 second dive, shallower and easy. Back at the marina around 16:00, at your hotel around 16:30, about 8.5 hours in all.

It costs €50 per diver (normally €60), with a maximum of 4 divers per guide. You pay in cash on the day, and you can cancel for free up to 24 hours before. Multi-day packages take up to 10% off; see the price list. A partner who doesn't dive can snorkel from the same boat for €35, mask and fins included.

For a winter day, pack a warm layer for the morning, a towel, dry clothes for lunch, a windbreaker, sunscreen and a hat. Our packing list covers the rest.