Sharm el Sheikh has a desert climate, very arid with very little rainfall. Temperature ranges between day and night are quite dramatic for the desert in the uninhabited areas and away from the sea. The coldest months are December, January and February when it is occasionally cloudy, whereas the hottest months are July and August.
There is a variation in water temperature throughout the year ranging
from a minimum of 20 degrees in February to a maximum of 30 degrees in September.
The prevailing wind comes from the Golf of Suez, mainly from east, north-east. In the area of the Golf of Aqaba and Sharm el Sheikh, the wind blows almost continuously from north, north-east (30°north).
Clouds
can occur in autumn and spring and very occasionally brief showers in the winter when clouds are more frequent. However, also in the winter the number of hours of sunshine is much higher than the number of hours with clouds.
At the end of the winter sand storms might occur during the 'Khamsen' (from
Arabic: 'fifty'), an inconsistent, alternating wind that can blow for 50 days, sometimes
up to 50 knots, luckily this mainly concerns the open sea and the Gulf of Suez.
It only affects the coast for two to three days when it turns to undesired directions
and blocks the boats in the harbour.
With the water temperature never exceeding 30 degrees, we are fortunate that the
Red Sea has never suffered from coral bleaching and in fact it is the coldest
of all tropical seas.
During the winter, the water temperature never drops
below 20 degrees, but it is advisable to wear a 5 to 7 mm wetsuit or a semidry
suit to avoid any chance of becoming cold during dives (or if you want to make
multiple dives).
In the summer, a 3 mm wetsuit is sufficient.
You
do not need an umbrella…!
In the summer you do not need heavy garments
unless you wish to spend the night in the desert mountains or somewhere far away
from the sea. In the winter, we recommend that you bring along a jumper and/or
a light weight jacket to protect yourself from the wind on the boat. For all
the other seasons a light weight jumper for emergencies will be more than sufficient.
