8,583 reviewsLunch on board
8 hoursHurghada: 3 Islands, Dolphins & Snorkel Yacht Trip w/ Lunch
★ 4.7 · 8,583 reviews
- Eight hours, for dolphin watching
- Snorkeling in the Red Sea
- Most booked
- Free cancellation
$46$5.75 / hour
Check availability→ Snorkelling
Hurghada snorkeling trips: which boats stop at reefs, and which just cross to a beach
Not all of the Hurghada snorkeling trips sold along this coast actually put you over coral. Some are reef days with two or three stops in open water; others are crossings to an island beach where the swimming is lovely and the reef is a long way off. Both are good days out and they are priced within a few dollars of each other, which is exactly why the distinction is worth ten minutes of reading. Eight listings on this site go out over the water, from $22 to $245.
The Hurghada snorkeling trips picture, at a glance
- Listings that go afloat
- 8 trips32,803 reviews between them, read off the live GetYourGuide pages
- Most reviewed
- $468,583 reviews at 4.7 — three islands, snorkelling stops and lunch on board
- Full day from
- $53the cruise to Orange Bay with lunch on board, 4.9 from 6,815 reviews
- Most stops
- $46six islands by speedboat with snorkelling and dolphin watching, rated 4.8
- Without swimming
- $22the Royal Seascope, a boat with a glass hull, plus one snorkelling stop
- Half day
- $38two islands, snorkelling and dolphin watching in four hours, 4,181 reviews
- Lunch
- On board on most listingsnamed in the fare on the full-day boats gathered here
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationshown across the listings gathered here
Quick answer
The short answer. Book $46. Three islands by yacht, snorkelling stops on the reefs between them, dolphin watching along the way and lunch on board — and 8,583 reviews at 4.7, more than any other listing on this site. If you want more stops and a faster boat, $46 does six islands and is rated 4.8. If you would rather not get in the water at all, $22 shows you the reef through a glass hull in two hours.
The basics
What Hurghada snorkeling trips are really offering
The Red Sea reef starts a few hundred metres from the shore and runs the length of this coast, which is the first thing to understand about the Hurghada snorkeling trips sold here. The water is warm all year, the visibility is famously good, and the fish are there whether or not anyone booked a boat. That is the reason snorkeling in Hurghada is sold in so many shapes: the raw material is easy to reach, so what you are actually buying is the boat, the route and the number of stops.
Reef days stop in open water. $46, $46 and $38 all name snorkelling stops in their listings, which means the boat anchors over coral and you go in from the deck. These are the Hurghada snorkeling trips people mean when they talk about Hurghada red sea snorkeling.
Beach days cross to an island. $53 and $245 are built around time on the sand at Orange Bay and Magawish. The swimming is in shallow, clear water off a beach rather than over a reef wall. Nobody is hiding this — it is in the listing titles — but the fares sit close enough together that people book one expecting the other.
And one listing is neither. $22 is the Royal Seascope: a boat with a glass observation hull that sits below the waterline, plus one stop where you can get in if you want to. It is two hours, it carries 5,499 reviews, and it exists for people who want to see the reef without swimming over it.
Every trip, current fare
Every boat listing behind the Hurghada snorkeling trips on this site
Cost per hour divides the fare by the listed length. On the water that number is unusually meaningful, because a four-hour speedboat and an eight-hour yacht are genuinely different products rather than the same day at two speeds.
| Tour | Length | Price | What is included | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurghada: 3 Islands, Dolphins & Snorkel Yacht Trip w/ LunchMost reviewed on the site — 8,583 | 8 hours | $46 | Three islands by yacht, snorkelling stops, dolphin watching and lunch | $5.75 | 4.7 · 8,583 |
| Hurghada: 6-Island Speedboat, Dolphin watching & SnorkelingSix islands, rated 4.8 | 8 hours | $46 | Six islands by speedboat with snorkelling stops and dolphin watching | $5.75 | 4.8 · 2,571 |
| Hurghada: Speedboat, Dolphins, Snorkeling & 2 IslandsTwo islands in four hours | 4 hours | $38 | Two islands by speedboat, snorkelling and dolphin watching in four hours | $9.50 | 4.6 · 4,181 |
| Hurghada: Hula Hula Cruise with Lunch, Massage, & SnorkelingLunch, massage and snorkelling | 8 hours | $31 | A full-day cruise with lunch, a massage and snorkelling stops | $3.88 | 4.5 · 2,065 |
| Hurghada: Hula Hula Speedboat w/ Optional Snorkeling & LunchSpeedboat half-day | 4 hours | $44 | A speedboat half-day with optional snorkelling and lunch | $11.00 | 4.5 · 1,579 |
| Hurghada: Royal Seascope Submarine Cruise with Snorkel StopSee the reef without swimming | 2 hours | $22 | A glass-hulled Seascope cruise over the reef with a snorkelling stop | $11.00 | 4.4 · 5,499 |
| Hurghada: Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with LunchOur fare from — a full day afloat | 8.5 hours | $53 | A full day cruising to Orange Bay with lunch on board | $6.24 | 4.9 · 6,815 |
| Hurghada: Orange Bay & Magawish Island Speedboat with FruitsPrivate speedboat to Orange Bay | 4 hours | $245 | A private speedboat to Orange Bay and Magawish Island with fruit on board | $61.25 | 4.7 · 1,610 |
Reef, beach or window
Three kinds of day on the same sea
Decide which of these three you want and the eight listings sort themselves in about a minute.
| The day | What the boat does | What the water is like | Example fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reef stopsopen water | Anchors over coral, two or three times | Deeper water, a wall or a garden below you, fins needed | $46 — three islands, lunch on board |
| Island beacha crossing | Crosses to the sand and stays there | Shallow, calm, easy for children, reef further out | $53 — a full day cruising to Orange Bay |
| Glass hullno swimming | Cruises slowly over the reef | You stay dry and look down through the window | $22 — two hours, 5,499 reviews |
| Private boatyour own route | Goes where you ask, within reason | Same sea, far fewer people on the deck | $245 — a private speedboat, four hours |
The verdict
Which of the Hurghada snorkeling trips to book
Eight listings on the water, four honest answers.
Take $46 if you want the reef day most people take. A yacht rather than a speedboat, three islands, snorkelling stops between them, dolphin watching on the route and lunch on board. With 8,583 reviews at 4.7 it is the single most reviewed listing on this entire site, and that is the whole of the argument for it.
Take $46 if you want to keep moving. Six islands in eight hours by speedboat, rated 4.8, with snorkelling and dolphin watching built into the route. More stops, faster boat, less time lying on a deck.
Take $53 for a full day afloat at the lowest fare here. Eight and a half hours, lunch on board, 6,815 reviews at 4.9 — the highest rating of any sea day on this site. Understand what it is: a cruise to a beautiful island beach, not a morning spent hanging over a reef wall.
Take $22 if someone in the party will not swim. Two hours, a glass hull below the waterline and one optional stop in the water. It is a boat with a window rather than a submarine, the listing says so, and 5,499 reviews say it does the job it claims.
Book direct
Six ways onto the Red Sea
The most reviewed reef day, the six-island speedboat, the four-hour version, the cruise with lunch and a massage, the glass-hulled boat for non-swimmers and the lowest full-day fare on the site.
Rated 4.8Six islands
8 hoursHurghada: 6-Island Speedboat, Dolphin watching & Snorkeling
★ 4.8 · 2,571 reviews
- Eight hours, on a speedboat cruise
- Spot dolphins
- Snorkel in Giftun National Park
- Free cancellation
$46$5.75 / hour
Check availability→ 
Four hours4,181 reviews
4 hoursHurghada: Speedboat, Dolphins, Snorkeling & 2 Islands
★ 4.6 · 4,181 reviews
- Four hours, in their natural habitat
- See dolphins
- Snorkeling and sunbathing
- Free cancellation
$38$9.50 / hour
Check availability→ 
Lunch included8 hours
8 hoursHurghada: Hula Hula Cruise with Lunch, Massage, & Snorkeling
★ 4.5 · 2,065 reviews
- Eight hours, to Hula Hula Island
- Hotel pickup included
- Snorkel coral reefs
- Free cancellation
$31$3.88 / hour
Check availability→ 
No swimming needed5,499 reviews
2 hoursHurghada: Royal Seascope Submarine Cruise with Snorkel Stop
★ 4.4 · 5,499 reviews
- Two hours, aboard a semi-submarine
- Underwater observation deck
- Departs from Hurghada
- Free cancellation
$22$11.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
Our fare from6,815 reviews
8.5 hoursHurghada: Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch
★ 4.9 · 6,815 reviews
- 8.5 hours, to Orange Bay Island
- Massage on board
- Buffet lunch
- Free cancellation
$53$6.24 / hour
Check availability→ The variables
Four things that decide which boat you want
The fare is the last of them. These four settle it long before the price does.
Reef or beach
The distinction that matters
A listing that names snorkelling stops anchors over coral. A listing that names an island names a beach. Both are true; they are not the same day, and readers who search Hurghada coral reef snorkeling clear water want the first kind.
The boat
Yacht, speedboat or glass hull
$46 is a yacht with deck space; $38 is fast and wet; $22 keeps you dry. The hull decides the day as much as the route does.
Wind
The one thing nobody controls
Choppy water makes snorkelling harder and the crossing colder. Our page on the best time to travel goes through the windy months; free cancellation covers the rest.
Who is swimming
Children and confident adults differ
Shallow island water suits small children; reef stops in open water suit people who are happy in fins. Anyone booking a Hurghada snorkeling family day should read that line in the listing twice.
The ground
Islands, reefs, dolphins and the things people get wrong
The islands off this coast fall into a few groups. Giftun is the big one, and it is a national park — entry is paid separately from the boat fare, and the listings say so. Magawish sits closer in and appears on $245. Orange Bay is the beach that fills the photographs, and $53 is built around it.
Dolphins are wild. $46 and $38 both build dolphin watching into their routes, and the boats do often find them in the shallows. But no listing promises a sighting and nor will this page. If you are searching for a dolphin house Hurghada snorkeling day, book it for the reef and treat the dolphins as the day going well rather than as the reason for it.
Lunch on board is the quiet difference between a good day and a long one. $46, $53 and $31 all name a meal in the fare — the last of those adds a massage on deck as well. Four-hour listings such as $44 name lunch as optional.
You can swim from the town beaches too. Hurghada snorkeling from beach entry is possible in places along the shore, and plenty of hotels have a house reef. It costs nothing and it is genuinely worth doing. What it will not give you is the open-water coral that the boats reach, which is the reason the boats exist.
What the reviews keep saying. Across 32,803 reviews the same notes recur: the water was clearer than expected, the crossing was colder than expected, the equipment fitted or it did not, and the boats were busier in the middle of the day than first thing. People who ask about snorkeling with dolphins Hurghada september generally get the same answer as in any other month: sometimes, and never on schedule.
Mistakes
Six mistakes people make booking a day on the water
Five of the six are settled on the listing page, before anyone reaches the jetty.
- 1. Booking a beach day expecting a reef
An island crossing and a reef day are priced within a few dollars of each other and described quite differently. Read the listing title: it names either stops or an island.
- 2. Forgetting the park fee
Giftun Island is a national park and entry is paid separately from the fare. It is in the listing; people still arrive surprised.
- 3. Treating dolphins as part of the purchase
Boats look, boats often find, nobody guarantees. A day built entirely on seeing one is a day that can go flat.
- 4. Skipping sun cover on the boat
Open decks, reflected light and hours of it. A rash vest solves more of this than any amount of cream, and it also protects you from brushing coral.
- 5. Standing on the reef
Coral is a living animal and a fin kick breaks years of growth. Float, do not stand, and keep off it entirely in shallow water.
- 6. Leaving it to the morning
The popular Hurghada snorkeling trips sell out in season, $46 among them. Free cancellation means holding a place costs nothing but the click.
Checklist
Five lines to check before you pay
One minute on the listing page decides what kind of water you end up in.
- Whether snorkelling stops are named
This is the line that separates a Hurghada snorkeling boat trip from a crossing to a beach. $46, $46 and $38 all name stops.
- How many hours
Eight on the yachts, four on the speedboats, two on $22. A Hurghada snorkeling tour of four hours is an outing; eight is a day.
- Whether lunch is on board
Named on the full-day listings, optional on some of the half-days. On the water it matters more than it does on land.
- Equipment and what you bring
Mask and fins are provided on the boats gathered here. A rash vest, reef-safe cream and a towel are yours. Anyone searching for the best Hurghada Egypt snorkeling day should check the equipment line rather than the photographs.
- Free cancellation
Shown across these listings, and worth having when the wind decides how the sea behaves. If you would rather wait and see, a paradise island Hurghada snorkeling style beach day can usually be booked the evening before.
Yacht, speedboat or glass hull — the full comparison of what each kind of boat gives you is on the boat trips page.
Compare the boats→Common questions
Common questions about Hurghada snorkeling trips
How much do Hurghada snorkeling trips cost?
From $22 for two hours over the reef in a glass-hulled boat, through $38 for a four-hour speedboat, up to $245 for a private boat to Orange Bay and Magawish.
Which trip has the best snorkelling?
Of the Hurghada snorkeling trips here, the ones that name stops rather than a beach: $46, $46 and $38. The first of those is the most reviewed listing on this site.
Is the coral really that good?
The Red Sea reef here is shallow, warm and unusually clear. The phrase Hurghada snorkeling coral reef turns up so often in searches for a reason, and the reviews across these boats back it up.
Can you snorkel without booking a boat?
Yes, in places along the shore and off many hotel reefs. What a boat adds is open water coral you cannot reach by walking in, plus lunch and a day on deck.
Will we see dolphins?
Often, but never certainly. Two listings build dolphin watching into the route and neither promises a sighting, which is the honest position.
Is it suitable for children?
Island beach days are, because the water is shallow and calm. Open-water reef stops suit confident swimmers; some boats carry floats and vests, so check the listing.
Is lunch included?
On the full-day boats, yes. The four-hour speedboats list it as optional, and the two-hour Seascope does not include a meal at all.
When is the water at its clearest?
It is good year-round; wind, not season, is what spoils a day. Anyone planning Hurghada snorkeling beach time as well as boat days will find calm mornings the best of both.
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