The Red Sea – Day 3: Sharks, Wrecks & Sunsets
THE RED SEA
Day 3: Sharks, Wrecks & Sunsets
June 24, 2024
Overnight, the Sea Story sailed for over ten hours to reach the Brothers Islands, where we’d be spending the day diving.
The Brother Islands, often referred to simply as the Brothers, are two small offshore islands: Big Brother and Little Brother. They are part of a protected marine area and are widely regarded as one of Egypt’s most thrilling and advanced dive destinations, famous for strong currents, pristine coral walls and big pelagic encounters. Needless to say, I couldn’t friggin’ wait.Â
Little Brother
Our first two dives would be at Little Brother. Despite its name, Little Brother packs a huge underwater punch. The island is surrounded by steep walls dropping into the deep blue, covered in vibrant soft corals, sea fans and sponges. Cool though that might be, it’s the pelagic life that makes this site one of the best in the entire Red Sea.
The current here was a bit stronger – nothing we couldn’t handle, though. The first dive offered everything we had already seen on the previous dives, plus one major highlight that was right at the top of our bucket list: a friggin’ hammerhead shark.
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Aptly named, hammerhead sharks are easily recognised by their distinctive flattened, T-shaped heads, which enhance their vision and sensory perception. They are strong, schooling predators often seen cruising along deep drop-offs and seamounts, especially at sites like these. Hammerheads feed mainly on fish, squid and rays, using their wide heads to help detect and pin down prey. Despite their size and power, hammerheads are generally shy around humans and many species are threatened due to overfishing and finning.
With these fantastic beasts on my radar ever since I was a kid, let’s just say seeing one live for the first time was practically a dream come true!Â
Little Brother (Again)
As incredible as it was to see a hammerhead, our next sighting on the second dive at Little Brother left us in complete and total awe.
It was here that we spotted the legendary oceanic whitetip shark – AKA the longimanus shark. The longimanus is a large, slow-cruising pelagic predator often found in open waters far from shore. It’s easily identified by its long, rounded pectoral fins tipped in white and its confident, almost lazy swimming style. Once abundant across tropical and subtropical oceans, it is now considered critically endangered due to overfishing and the shark-fin trade.
Oceanic whitetips are opportunistic hunters, feeding on bony fish, squid and sometimes carrion. They are known for their boldness and curiosity, often approaching divers and boats closely – traits that make encounters equally thrilling and terrifying, especially when they start circling with their pectoral fins angled down.
You can imagine my reaction the second it came as close as a metre from me in what Aladin had described as an attacking pose. It was a mixture of anxiety and elation all in one – not knowing if it was gonna rip me to shreds or just move on, giving me the chance to admire it in all its glory. Luckily, it was the latter.
Coming back onto the Sea Story, everyone was simply ecstatic. We were still at the beginning of our expedition and we had already managed to see two of the most spectacular beings the ocean has to offer.
Big Brother and the Numidia
If the hammerhead and the longimanus shark sightings weren’t enough, there was more to come. Our third and last dive for the day would be at Big Brother.
Being the larger of the two Brothers, this island features a small Egyptian Navy outpost and a 19th-century lighthouse built by the British in 1883 to guide ships through the Red Sea’s treacherous routes. Underwater, its steep walls are covered in vibrant soft corals, gorgonians and sponges, with visibility often exceeding 30 metres.
As wonderful as the sea life over here was, it was something else that took most of our attention: the Numidia – a British cargo ship that sank in 1901 after striking the reef at Big Brother Island on her second voyage from Liverpool towards Calcutta. She now rests dramatically along the island’s northern wall, her upper sections lying within recreational diving depths while the wreck drops steeply down into the blue, encrusted with colourful soft corals and surrounded by abundant marine life.
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Once carrying railway materials, the wreck has become a living reef. With it lying upright, I have to admit that I felt somewhat disoriented looking at the ship. I could only wonder how it would feel to be inside the wreck! Luckily, my curiosity was quenched just by circling around the whole thing a couple of times.Â
Also, the sealife surrounding the ship was entertaining enough – with schools of barracuda to a huge Napoleon wrasse and thousands of anthias keeping us in awe throughout.
Sunset Stories
Once back on the boat, we had our sunbathing session along with a few beers. As Aladin was busy shamelessly flirting with Amelia, I found myself chatting with the rest of the gang.
First up were Karl and Kurt – whose intense sibling dynamic made me briefly question whether I was witnessing brotherly love or something a bit more suspicious. Turns out, they were just super close. Though they lived in different cities, they went on a yearly diving cruise with their father. How wholesome is that?
Then, with Amelia finally free from the clutches of her new pursuer, we could all enjoy the sunset together. There’s nothing better than chilling on a beanbag as the sun sets, enjoying a beer and listening to everyone recount their diving stories – with a few equestrian tales thrown in from Antida, who was also an international Grand Prix rider. Talk about an impressive bunch!
