Aïda & Numidia // BROTHERS ISLANDS THE LEGENDARY BROTHERS ISLANDS—or Al Akhawein in Arabic—are the northernmost of Egypt’s off-shore reefs. The two brothers are found about 200 km/125 mi south of Ras Mohammad or 150 km/90 mi southeast of Hurghada, which translates to an eight to ninehour cruise in good weather. The two brothers are situated just fifteen minutes apart and were formed by steep volcanic cones that rise up from the depths. Their position in otherwise-deep waters poses a danger to the shipping traffic through the Red Sea, as it has throughout the ages. Consequently, Big Brother features a 32 m/105 ft tall lighthouse. The British built the lighthouse in 1883 and renovated it in 1993. Today it is operated by the Egyptian Navy and, in the surface interval between dives, you can visit the lighthouse to enjoy the view or buy a Brothers Islands T-shirt. The islands’ isolated location makes them an absolute delicacy, and many divers consider Brothers to be among the best dive sites in the Egyptian Red Sea. The remote position of the two islands, however, is also a disadvantage.
The British-built lighthouse, now operated by the Egyptian Navy, offers a scenic view and Brothers Islands T-shirts during the surface interval between dives. 16
Quest · August 2023
Conservative diving is advised, as help is far away; night diving is not permitted, and diving conditions can be challenging. Experience with diving in currents and competence in shooting an SMB is an absolute necessity.
Brothers today
Fast-forward to 2022: We make the cruise during the night in relatively rough weather (again, it is a bit of a rocky trip). I’m on the deck before the sun rises, curious about where we are and how the wind affects the conditions. If the wind is too strong, it may be too risky to visit the wrecks at the northern tip of Big Brother. In bad weather, it will become too dicey to get back in the zodiacs if something goes wrong. The weather looks alright, however. Most divers—limited by nitrox’s operating depth of around 30 m/100 ft and the gas volume in a single cylinder—rarely explore anything other than the very topmost parts of the two wrecks located on the northern tip of Big Brother. But we are equipped with rebreathers, scooters, and trimix, so we can go deeper and stay longer.