Giftun Island

The larger of the two Giftun islands off Hurghada, and the centre of the marine protected area that covers this stretch of coast. Most snorkelling and diving day trips from the marina come here, and the reefs around it are the best that are reachable in a single day.

What the day looks like

• 45–60 minutes out from Hurghada marina by boat
• Two or three reef stops, usually on the sheltered western side
• Time ashore on a beach — Mahmya and Orange Bay are the developed ones
• Lunch aboard or on the island, back by late afternoon

The reefs

Hard coral gardens in shallow water, with the reef top only a couple of metres down in places — ideal for snorkelling. Expect anthias, butterflyfish, parrotfish, wrasse and moray eels, with the chance of turtles and rays. The drop-offs on the eastern side are for divers.

There is a separate marine park fee, generally not included in the boat price.

The Giftun islands were declared a protected area in 1995, at a point when Hurghada's growth was doing visible damage to the reefs: boats anchoring directly on coral, construction runoff, landfill and unregulated numbers of visitors.

The measures that followed — fixed mooring buoys instead of anchoring, a cap on landings, a per-person marine park fee and no-take rules — are the reason the reefs here are still worth the trip. Several sites closer to town never recovered from the same period.

Uninhabited, mostly

Nobody lives on the islands. Beyond the beach concessions there is no development, no fresh water and no permanent structure, and large parts of the coast are off limits entirely.

That is partly for the reefs and partly for the birds. The Giftun group is a significant seabird breeding site — including the white-eyed gull, a species found only in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and several terns. Nesting areas are closed seasonally, which is why some parts of a beach may be roped off when you arrive.

The pressure has not gone away

Enforcement varies, and the number of boats arriving on a peak winter day is very high. If you can choose, an early departure and a smaller boat gives you both a better morning and a lighter footprint — and operators who brief their guests properly on not touching or standing on coral are the ones worth booking.