About Aida
The Aida is a prominent wreck dive site located in the Egyptian Red Sea, frequently visited on liveaboard itineraries that traverse the central region between the northern and southern dive sites. Its significance lies as part of the “Simply the Best” routes, which often include other iconic locations like Daedalus, Elphinstone, and the Brothers Islands, offering a comprehensive Red Sea experience. These routes are designed to cover a broad spectrum of diving, appealing to those seeking diverse underwater encounters. As a wreck, the Aida provides a unique structural topography for divers to explore, although specific details of its layout, depth bands, and penetration opportunities are not detailed in the provided sources. Wrecks in the Red Sea often create artificial reefs, attracting a variety of marine life. While the sources do not specify particular species found on the Aida, the Red Sea generally boasts a rich diversity of coral and marine life, with over 1000 fish species, 20% of which are endemic. Encounters with larger pelagics, including hammerhead, thresher, and oceanic whitetip sharks, are common on the liveaboard routes that include the Aida, particularly in areas like Daedalus and the Brothers. These trips are designed to maximize chances of seeing such creatures. Diving the Aida is typically undertaken as part of a liveaboard trip, allowing for multiple dives at this and other remote sites. Liveaboards often utilize RIBs for entry and exit, enhancing accessibility. The broader Red Sea region offers varying current conditions; however, specific current details for the Aida itself are not provided.
Highlights
Red Sea wreck divePart of 'Simply the Best' itineraryLiveaboard accessible onlyWreck explorationPotential for pelagic encounters
Dive site facts: Aida
- Depth
- 25–65 m
- Current
- Strong
- Entry
- Liveaboard only
- Level
- Advanced
- Dive type
- Wreck, Wreck, Drift
- Region / port
- Egypt
- Coordinates
- 26.3312° N, 34.8966° E
Conditions & Currents
Strong currents are common; drift-diving experience and an SMB or reef hook are recommended. Dive profiles here run between roughly 25 and 65 metres, so plan your gas and no-decompression limits around the deeper part of the site. It is usually briefed as a dive for advanced divers. The site is reached by liveaboard, so entries are run from the tender or straight off the back deck. Because the flow can pick up quickly, drift profiles, a surface marker buoy and a tight group are standard practice here, and the crew's briefing always overrides any general description.
Why dive Aida from a liveaboard?
Aida is one of Egypt's signature dive sites. A liveaboard sleeps you on the water and puts you in the water for three to four guided dives per day, including dawn and night dives that day-boat operators rarely offer. You skip the daily commute back to port and reach quieter, less-crowded sites in the same region on a single trip.
Below are the liveaboards that include Aida on their Egypt itineraries.
Liveaboards diving Aida
These liveaboards may visit Aida on selected itineraries — the exact dive sites depend on departure, weather and conditions.
DUNE Longara
Egypt
30 guests
$150/day
JP Marine
Egypt
28 guests
$109/day
Snefro Pearl
Egypt
12 guests
$150/day
Snefro Love
Egypt
20 guests
$154/day
Sindalahs
Egypt
26 guests38 m
$155/day
Hammerhead II
Egypt
20 guests
$172/day
Blue Liveaboard
Egypt
24 guests43 m
$172/day
Odyssey
Egypt
26 guests40 m
$185/day
Discovery I
Egypt
20 guests
$104/day
Star Jet
Egypt
28 guests35 m
$145/day
SS Serena Dreams
Egypt
18 guests33 m
$159/day
Amelie
Egypt
12 guests23 m
$115/day
Dive sites similar to Aida
Same character, same waters — six more sites divers love for the exact same reasons.Compare seasons, access and liveaboard routes — then pick the site that fits your trip best.
© Esri — Maxar, Earthstar, GIS
Carless Reef
Egypt
Carless Reef is a renowned advanced dive site near Hurghada, notable for its two prominent coral pinnacles that rise from a sandy bottom at 30 meters.
- Suitable for
- Advanced
- Current
- Strong
- Access
- Dayboat
- Depth
- 15–40 m
- Theme
- Reef / Drift
The Lara is the remnant of a 137-meter cargo vessel that became stranded on the northern edge of Jackson Reef in 1982. Initially, the ship rested intact on the reef, but it was…
- Suitable for
- Advanced
- Current
- Strong
- Access
- Liveaboard only
- Depth
- 45–55 m
- Theme
- Wreck
© Esri — Maxar, Earthstar, GIS
Far Garden
Egypt
Far Garden is a prominent dive site located in Sharm El Sheikh, serving as the northern headland of the adjacent Middle Garden site.
- Suitable for
- Beginner
- Current
- Moderate
- Access
- Shore / dayboat
- Depth
- 1–45 m
- Theme
- Reef / Drift
© Esri — Maxar, Earthstar, GIS
Big Brother
Egypt
Big Brother Island, a prominent pinnacle in the southern Red Sea, rises from significant depths approximately 60 miles off the Egyptian coast near El-Quseir.
- Suitable for
- Advanced
- Current
- Strong
- Access
- Liveaboard only
- Depth
- 8–85 m
- Theme
- Drift / Wreck
© Esri — Maxar, Earthstar, GIS
El Fanadir North
Egypt
El Fanadir North is a prominent reef system in the Red Sea, situated roughly 4 kilometers offshore from Hurghada.
- Suitable for
- Advanced
- Current
- Moderate
- Access
- Liveaboard or dayboat
- Depth
- 12–70 m
- Theme
- Drift / Reef
© Esri — Maxar, Earthstar, GIS
SS Thistlegorm
Egypt
The SS Thistlegorm is one of the world's most renowned shipwrecks, a British cargo vessel sunk during World War II. It lies in the Strait of Gubal, a narrow passage connecting the…
- Suitable for
- Advanced
- Current
- Strong
- Access
- Liveaboard or dayboat
- Depth
- 18–30 m
- Theme
- Wreck