Big Brother

The dive

Big Brother is the larger of the two Brother Islands (El Akhawein), a pair of isolated rock pinnacles rising out of deep open water and declared natural protectorates in 1983. It is a small island with a Victorian stone lighthouse standing about 32 m above it, and walls that fall away on every side into blue. There is no shore diving, no day-boat option and nothing on the island: the site is reached by liveaboard on an overnight sail, roughly 150 km south-east of Hurghada (about 8 h) or 125 km north of Marsa Alam (about 6.5 h). Little Brother lies a few minutes away by boat.

Two wrecks lie on the island's northern end and both belong to this site rather than to some separate reef. The Numidia, a 130 m British cargo steamer lost in 1901, stands on the steep northern slope with her bow in about 8 m and her hull running down past 45 m to a stern and propeller reported at 80 to 90 m — far beyond recreational limits. The Aida, a 75 m transport lost in 1957, lies nearby off the same end; published depths for her disagree (a bow at 30 m and a stern past 60 m in one guide, shallow structure to 60 m in another, 15-45 m in a third), so treat any single figure with suspicion. Both are coral-covered, and current on both can be severe.

Recreational diving here runs from about 5 m to a little over 40 m against the walls, with visibility quoted at 20-30 m and water between 23 and 30 C. This is one of Egypt's genuine shark sites: oceanic whitetips, grey reef sharks, silvertips and hammerheads are regular, and threshers are reported particularly in autumn and winter. The occurrence record for the island reflects the reef side of the same story — oceanic whitetip appears in it directly, alongside Napoleon wrasse, coral grouper, black-and-white snapper, bluefin trevally, barracuda and dense anthias.

• Isolated open-ocean pinnacle with walls on every side and a Victorian stone lighthouse on top
• The Numidia (1901) on the north point, bow at about 8 m and hull running past recreational limits
• The Aida (1957) on the same end, coral-covered, with severe current possible on both wrecks
• Oceanic whitetips, grey reef sharks, silvertips and hammerheads; threshers particularly in autumn and winter

Conditions

Open ocean around an isolated rock. Walls run north to south and current runs with them, strong to very strong and severe at times on the wrecks. Visibility is quoted at 20-30 m and above; we record 20 m. Water is 23-30 C with reported thermoclines. Recreational profiles run from about 5 m to a little over 40 m. Surface conditions are exposed and the crossing is an overnight sail.

On current: Current is the defining condition and it is described as strong to very strong, running along walls that lie north to south, and as capable of being severe on both wrecks. Visibility is quoted at 20-30 m by one guide and 30 m plus by another; we record the conservative 20 m. Water runs 23-30 C, and serious thermoclines are reported, so bring more exposure protection than the surface temperature suggests.