Marsa Alam House Reef Snorkeling: How to Snorkel from Your Hotel Safely

Along most of the Marsa Alam coast, a coral reef runs right in front of the beach. Many hotels sit on one, which means you can step off a jetty after breakfast and float over coral and reef fish within minutes. That reef is called the house reef, and it is one of the best things about a holiday here. It is also open sea, with its own entry points, currents and rules. This guide explains how a Marsa Alam house reef works and how to snorkel it safely, from your first swim to a quiet float at the end of the day.

What a house reef is

The Red Sea coast is lined with fringing reefs: coral that grows out from the shore itself. In front of most hotels you will find three zones:

• The shallows or lagoon: sand, rock or seagrass close to the beach, often only knee or waist deep.
• The reef flat: the very shallow top of the reef, where coral grows close to the surface. At low water it can be too shallow to swim over, and it should never be walked on.
• The reef edge: where the reef slopes or drops into deeper blue water. This is where most of the coral and fish are, and where you will spend most of your time.

Because the reef flat is in the way, many hotels have a jetty or a pontoon that carries you over it to the reef edge, with a ladder into deeper water. Others sit on a sandy bay with reef on one or both sides, where you can walk in from the sand. Our guide to the best beaches in Marsa Alam explains the difference along the coast.

Before you get in

• Ask the beach or dive team where to get in and out, whether there are currents today, and what the flag means. Every reef is different, and they know theirs.
• Never snorkel alone. Go with a buddy, and tell someone on shore when you go in and when you expect to be back.
• Check your mask fits and your fins are comfortable before you leave the jetty, not in deep water.
• If you are not a confident swimmer, wear a snorkel vest or a life jacket. Floating easily is safer and more relaxing.
• Protect yourself from the sun: a long-sleeved rash guard covers your back, which faces the sun the whole time, and means you need less sunscreen.
• Skip the swim after alcohol, and when you are very tired.

Getting in and out safely

Always use the jetty ladder, the pontoon or a marked sandy channel. Walking across the reef flat damages coral that takes years to grow back, and it is where sea urchins and well-camouflaged stonefish live. If there is no marked way in, ask before you try to find one.

Before you swim away, look back and pick a landmark next to your exit, such as the end of the jetty or a building on the beach, so you can find it again easily. Climbing out is the trickiest part: hold the ladder firmly, take your fins off one at a time and pass them up or hook them over your wrist, and wait your turn if someone is coming down.

Currents, waves and flags

Currents often run along the reef edge, parallel to the shore. A good habit is to start your swim against the current, so the way back is the easy part. If you find yourself being carried along, stay calm, don’t try to fight it head-on, and swim across it towards the reef and your exit. If you are tired or worried, raise one arm and wave so the staff on the jetty can see you.

• Follow the flag on the beach or jetty. Systems vary between hotels, so ask what each colour means; a red flag usually means no swimming.
• On windy days the surface gets choppy and breathing through a snorkel is harder. Stay closer to the exit, or choose a sheltered bay instead.
• Stay inside the marked swimming area and away from boat lanes and moorings.
• The sea is often calmest in the morning, which is also when the light under water is clear. Avoid snorkeling at dusk or after dark.

What you might see

Even a small house reef can be busy with life: shoals of orange anthias over the coral, parrotfish crunching on it, butterflyfish in pairs, anemonefish in their anemones and moray eels peering out from the cracks. On the sand below, look for rays resting half buried. Turtles visit some reefs too, but they are wild animals and never guaranteed.

Swim slowly and float still from time to time: fish come back out when you stop moving. Early morning and late afternoon are lovely times to go, when the light is softer and the water is quieter. Never feed the fish; it changes their behaviour and harms the reef.

Look, but don’t touch

Coral is a living animal, and a light touch or a kick from a fin can break years of growth. A few residents can also hurt you, so the simplest rule is to touch nothing at all:

• Fire coral, often mustard-yellow, stings painfully if you brush against it.
• Sea urchins have long black spines and sit on rocks and the reef flat.
• Stonefish look exactly like a rock, which is why you should never stand or kneel on the reef.
• Lionfish are beautiful and slow, with venomous spines: admire them from a distance.

Keep your fins up and away from the coral, use a reef-safe sunscreen, and never take coral or shells home: collecting them is banned in Egypt’s protected areas and customs can confiscate them at the airport.

Families and first-timers

Children should always snorkel with an adult beside them and wear a life jacket, and the best place to start is the sandy shallows rather than the reef edge. Practise first while standing: put your face in the water and breathe slowly through the snorkel, then lie forward and float. Once that feels easy, move on to deeper water together.

If your hotel reef starts with a deep ladder or has a strong current, a sandy bay is a gentler place to learn. Our Abu Dabbab snorkeling trip is a half day of about 4 to 5 hours with hotel pickup at around 8:30 AM: you walk into calm, shallow water from the beach with a snorkeling guide, equipment is included, and children aged three and over are welcome with a parent and a life jacket. Our guide to Marsa Alam with kids has more ideas for every age.

When a guided trip is better

A house reef is perfect for easy swims between trips, but some of the coast’s best snorkeling is beyond it. The bay at Abu Dabbab is known for the green turtles that feed on its seagrass; our guide to swimming with turtles in Abu Dabbab explains how to watch them responsibly. Farther south, the Sataya dolphin reef trip is a full day at sea on the reef where wild spinner dolphins rest, though sightings are never guaranteed.

If you would like to go below the surface, a first dive is often done on a calm house reef too: our guide to diving in Marsa Alam for beginners explains how it works, and the diving trip welcomes beginners from age 10. For every reef and bay on the coast, see our complete guide to snorkeling in Marsa Alam.

The water is warmest from summer into autumn, at around 29°C, and cools to about 22°C in winter, when a wetsuit or a long-sleeved rash guard keeps you comfortable for longer. Our Marsa Alam packing list covers everything else to bring.