SeaLog
Certification required
AOW
Little Brother
Egypt · wall · advanced
5–40 madvancedAOWliveaboard entry
Little Brother
A 170 m rock in open ocean with walls falling past 700 m, a 40 m plateau off its northern tip, and current that routinely runs 3 to 4 knots.
Max depth5–40 m
Required leveladvanced
Entry typeliveaboard
Visibility20 m
The dive
Little Brother is the smaller of the two Brothers Islands, a pair of exposed rocks roughly 180 km southeast of Hurghada in the middle of the Egyptian offshore. The island is 170 m long, uninhabited, rises about 4 m above the sea and is shaped like a raindrop lying northwest to southeast. Everything about the diving follows from that: it is a solitary hard object in deep, moving water, and the seabed around it is over 700 m down.
Deep walls surround the island on every side except the northern point, where the reef slopes away more gently before dropping onto a rocky plateau at about 40 m. That plateau is the reason people come. Grey reef sharks work it year round, silvertips and hammerheads come up onto it, and thresher sharks are seen at first light on the north wall. Oceanic whitetips are the most frequently recorded large animal on this pin, and barracuda schools, dogtooth tuna, humphead wrasse and large grouper are standing features rather than lucky ones. The walls themselves carry black coral and large gorgonian fans, with fish schools thick enough to darken the water against them.
The current is the defining condition and it is not gentle. Little Brother runs the stronger and less predictable of the two islands' currents, generally between 1 and 4 knots, with 3 to 4 knots common on the north wall along with upwellings; the south wall is usually lighter at 15 to 35 m. Flow typically sets north to south on both sides and pushes divers toward the southern end. Downwellings have been reported here. A guide who finds more than about 3 knots on arrival moves the entry point, changes the site or postpones the dive, and that is normal practice rather than caution.
Access is by liveaboard only. The islands are too far offshore for day boats, they have been protectorates since 1983, and Egyptian law sets a minimum of 50 logged dives for the offshore marine parks. Night diving is prohibited, which caps the day at three dives, one guide is required per eight divers, and every diver carries a surface marker buoy. Since 2018 boats may not stay overnight and vessel numbers are capped during the day. Note that the Numidia and the Aida, the wrecks people associate with the Brothers, are on Big Brother about 2 km north, not here.
- The northern plateau at about 40 m: grey reef sharks year round, silvertips and hammerheads coming up from the blue
- Thresher sharks on the north wall at first light, before 07:00
- Oceanic whitetips, the most-recorded large animal at this island
- Walls of black coral and large gorgonian fans dropping past recreational depth
- Barracuda schools, dogtooth tuna, humphead wrasse and large grouper as standing features
- One 170 m rock in open ocean, 180 km from Hurghada, reachable only by liveaboard
Please note before you go
- Current of 1 to 4 knots, commonly 3 to 4 knots on the north wall, changing in strength during a dive
- Downwellings and upwellings on the walls; a downwelling here takes you over a seabed more than 700 m deep
- Being swept off the reef into open ocean is the classic failure mode; an SMB is mandatory and the pickup is by zodiac
- No bottom reference on the walls and a plateau at 40 m, which pushes an inattentive diver past recreational depth fast
- Oceanic whitetip sharks are common here and can be persistently inquisitive; operators expect composure, not retreat
- Remote offshore island with no shore facility, no day boats and a long way to any chamber
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Liveaboard only. The Brothers sit roughly 180 km southeast of Hurghada, too far offshore for any day boat, and the island is a stop on Brothers and Brothers-Daedalus-Elphinstone itineraries. Dives are run from the boat or by zodiac and the pickup is by zodiac after an SMB deployment. Since 2018 vessels may not remain at the islands overnight, so the boat arrives and leaves the same day, and the number of vessels allowed in during the day is capped.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Restrictions
Egyptian law requires a minimum of 50 logged dives to dive the offshore marine parks, which includes the Brothers; operators additionally ask for Advanced Open Water and drift experience. Night diving is prohibited, capping the day at three dives. One guide is required per eight divers and every diver must carry a surface marker buoy. Liveaboards may not stay overnight and daily vessel numbers are restricted.
Rules and permits
The Brothers Islands were declared natural protectorates in 1983 and are managed as an Egyptian marine park. The park rules that bite in practice are the 50-logged-dive minimum, the ban on night diving, the guide-to-diver ratio, mandatory surface marker buoys, the post-2018 ban on overnight mooring and the cap on how many boats may be at the islands at once.
Season
Which months are best depends on which animal you want, and the sources do not agree. One guide recommends October or November, on the reasoning that sharks move shallower as the water cools through autumn and winter. Thresher encounters are tied to autumn and winter dawn dives. Another guide puts peak hammerhead activity in May and August and oceanic whitetips in July and August, while a third simply calls spring the hammerhead and silky season, summer the oceanic whitetip season and winter the thresher season. Grey reef sharks are on the plateau year round. We list October and November because that is the only specific recommendation any source makes, not because the other months are empty.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentstrong
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range5–40 m
Environmentwall
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsmoderate
Open-ocean conditions on an exposed island. Visibility 15 to 25 m. Current 1 to 4 knots, often north to south, strongest on the north wall. Water between roughly 18 and 30 C depending on the source and the season. Three dives a day maximum because night diving is banned, and the boat leaves before dark.
On current: This is the current dive of the pair. Reported range is 1 to 4 knots, with 3 to 4 knots common on the north wall together with frequent upwellings; the south wall, at roughly 15 to 35 m, is usually the lighter side. Flow normally sets north to south on both walls and carries divers toward the southern end of the island. Downwellings that push divers deeper have been reported at the Brothers walls. Operators cancel or move the dive above about 3 knots. Sources disagree on temperature: one liveaboard guide gives 18 to 28 C across the year, another gives 23 C in winter and 30 C in summer; take the wider, colder band when packing. Visibility is reported at 15 to 25 m, so we carry 20 m.
Best months: Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How do you dive Little Brother?
By liveaboard only. The Brothers are roughly 180 km southeast of Hurghada, too far offshore for any day boat, and the island appears on Brothers and Brothers-Daedalus-Elphinstone itineraries. They have been natural protectorates since 1983: since 2018 boats may not stay overnight, the number of vessels admitted during the day is capped, and one guide is required per eight divers. Pickup after a wall dive is normally by zodiac, which is why a surface marker buoy is mandatory.
What experience do you need to dive Little Brother?
Egyptian law sets a minimum of 50 logged dives for the offshore marine parks, which includes the Brothers, and operators add Advanced Open Water and demonstrable drift-diving experience on top of that, with no exceptions. The real requirement is buoyancy control on a vertical wall in current, because the wall starts near the surface and drops past recreational depth with no bottom to stop you. Open Water certification alone is not enough here.
How strong is the current at Little Brother?
Strong and variable. It is the stronger-flowing of the two islands, generally 1 to 4 knots, with 3 to 4 knots common on the north wall along with frequent upwellings; the south wall is usually lighter. Flow normally sets north to south and pushes divers toward the southern end of the island. Guides check it on arrival and will move the entry, change the site or postpone if it is running much above 3 knots.
How deep is Little Brother?
Effectively bottomless. Walls surround the island on all sides except the north, and the seafloor around it lies more than 700 m down. The dive is defined instead by the rocky plateau off the northern point at about 40 m, which is where the sharks are watched, and by the north wall at roughly 18 to 40 m and the south wall at 15 to 35 m. Forty metres is the working floor, not a suggestion.
What sharks will I see at Little Brother?
Grey reef sharks work the northern plateau year round, and silvertips and hammerheads come up onto it from the blue. Oceanic whitetips are the most frequently recorded large animal at this island. Thresher sharks are the dawn animal: they are seen on the north wall at first light, generally before 07:00, which is why guides brief the entry time the night before. None of these are guaranteed on a given dive.
When is the best time to dive Little Brother?
It depends which shark you are after and the sources disagree. One guide recommends October or November, since sharks come shallower as the water cools through autumn and winter, and thresher encounters are tied to autumn and winter dawn dives. Others put hammerhead peaks in May and August and oceanic whitetips in July and August, or call spring the hammerhead season and summer the oceanic whitetip season. Grey reef sharks are there all year.
Can you snorkel or night dive at Little Brother?
Neither. Night diving is prohibited under Egyptian law inside the marine parks, which is why the Brothers cap out at three dives a day and the boats leave before dark. Snorkelling is not a realistic proposition either: this is an exposed island in open ocean with walls dropping past 700 m and current commonly at 3 to 4 knots, and it is reached only on a liveaboard scuba itinerary that legally requires 50 logged dives.
Is Little Brother the island with the Numidia wreck?
No. The Numidia and the Aida are on Big Brother, the larger island about 2 km to the north, and they are separate dives. Little Brother has no wreck: it is a wall and plateau dive built around sharks, gorgonian fans and black coral. Most itineraries cover both islands over the same days, which is how the two get confused.
Life recorded at Little Brother
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISCarcharhinus longimanusoccasional · 8 recordsCheilinus undulatusoccasional · 6 recordsGymnothorax javanicusrare · 4 recordsHexabranchus sanguineusrare · 2 recordsRhincodon typusrare · 1 records
Fistularia commersoniioccasional · 6 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Carcharhinus longimanus | occasional | 8 |
| Fistularia commersonii | occasional | 6 |
| Cheilinus undulatus | occasional | 6 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 5 |
| Sargocentron spiniferum | occasional | 5 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | occasional | 5 |
| Heniochus diphreutes | occasional | 5 |
| Macolor niger | occasional | 5 |
| Myripristis murdjan | rare | 4 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | rare | 4 |
| Caesio suevica | rare | 4 |
| Heniochus intermedius | rare | 4 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | rare | 4 |
| Cephalopholis miniata | rare | 4 |
| Genicanthus caudovittatus | rare | 4 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | rare | 4 |
| Sphyraena barracuda | rare | 4 |
| Plectropomus marisrubri | rare | 3 |
| Cetoscarus bicolor | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | rare | 3 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | rare | 3 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 3 |
| Pomacanthus imperator | rare | 3 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | rare | 2 |
| Caranx melampygus | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon lineolatus | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 2 |
| Lutjanus bohar | rare | 2 |
| Naso hexacanthus | rare | 2 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | rare | 2 |
| Pseudodax moluccanus | rare | 2 |
| Pterois miles | rare | 2 |
| Sargocentron caudimaculatum | rare | 2 |
| Scomberoides lysan | rare | 2 |
| Balistapus undulatus | rare | 2 |
| Hexabranchus sanguineus | rare | 2 |
| Naso elegans | rare | 2 |
| Pseudobalistes fuscus | rare | 2 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 2 |
| Acanthurus gahhm | rare | 2 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | rare | 2 |
| Echeneis naucrates | rare | 1 |
| Torpedo panthera | rare | 1 |
| Aluterus scriptus | rare | 1 |
| Papilloculiceps longiceps | rare | 1 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | rare | 1 |
| Aethaloperca rogaa | rare | 1 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | rare | 1 |
| Rhincodon typus | rare | 1 |
| Amblyeleotris steinitzi | rare | 1 |
| Myrichthys maculosus | rare | 1 |
| Cephalopholis sexmaculata | rare | 1 |
| Cheilodipterus macrodon | rare | 1 |
| Chromis pembae | rare | 1 |
| Corythoichthys flavofasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Dascyllus trimaculatus | rare | 1 |
| Diodon hystrix | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Brother Islands
Explore all sitesBig Brother East2.0 km
Brother IslandsThe eastern route around the one island called Big Brother: a sheer wall dropped from a zodiac and drifted south onto the plateau.
Big Brother South2.1 km
Brother IslandsThe southern route around the one island called Big Brother: the plateau off its south tip, dived at dawn for threshers.
Big Brother2.3 km
Brother IslandsThe larger of two isolated pinnacles in the open Red Sea, ringed by walls, topped by a Victorian lighthouse and carrying two wrecks on its northern end.
Big Brother - Numidia2.5 km
Brother IslandsThe 1901 steamer Numidia, standing on the north point of Big Brother with her bow at 8 m and her hull running down the slope past recreational limits.
Aquarium60.9 km
El QuseirA boat drift on the wall just north of El Quseir town: free descent, along the wall, out over the plateau to the drop-off.
Anemone Garden61.0 km
El QuseirA plateau at about 20 m off Ras El Quseir carrying one continuous field of anemones, which is why guides call it Nemo City.
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