Brothers Islands

The Brothers are two small islands sixty kilometres off the coast in open water, Big Brother carrying a stone lighthouse built by the British in 1883 and still working, and Little Brother a bare rock a short distance away. Both rise steeply from very deep water, so the reef walls are vertical and covered in soft coral, and the isolation concentrates fish: grey reef, thresher and hammerhead sharks are regular, along with big schools of trevally and barracuda, and oceanic whitetips in the autumn. Two wrecks lie on Big Brother, the Numidia and the Aida, draped down the reef slope. Access is restricted to liveaboards with permits, the crossing is long and exposed, and the sites are strong-current dives for experienced divers only.

What you actually see

• The 1883 lighthouse - a working stone tower on Big Brother.
• Vertical soft coral walls - reef dropping into very deep water.
• The Numidia and Aida wrecks - two ships down the reef slope.
• Shark traffic - threshers, hammerheads and grey reef sharks.

When to go

May to September for the calmest crossings and the best shark activity; the islands are closed or unreachable in rough winter weather. A liveaboard leg of several days. Permits are seasonal and capped.

Honest expectations

This is expert diving: depth, current, no shelter, and long surface intervals in open sea. Access is liveaboard only and permits are limited. The crossing is notoriously rough and seasickness is common. Conditions can force cancellation even mid-trip.

Nearby

El Quseir is the nearest mainland; Daedalus Reef lies further south offshore.