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Last updated on May 15, 2023
Located on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, the Utopia Beach Club boasts a nice house reef. Opposite the hotel’s beach stretches a preserved coral reef, interspersed with a pass, which can be snorkeled from the shore. On its drop-offs and reef flats, you will encounter angelfish, lionfish, stingrays, moray eels, tentacled flathead… among hundreds of other colorful species.
The Utopia Beach Club Hotel is located near El Quseir, a coastal town in eastern Egypt. It is less than an hour’s drive from Marsa Alam Airport and approximately 3 hours by bus / 2 hours by car from Hurghada Airport.
Access to this spot is reserved for guests of Utopia Beach Club and Pensee Royal Garden, the neighboring hotel, who share the same beach.
The reef flat (zone 1 on the map) is accessible directly from the hotel beach. This area is to be explored at high tide, when there’s enough depth on the reef.
To explore the drop-offs (zones 2 and 3 on the map) enter the water through the pass to the left of the jetty, where a few boats are moored. Then follow the reef edge to the right or left.
Two main areas are recommended for snorkeling at Utopia Beach Club:
1 / The reef flat found in front of the hotel beach.
This shallow area (↕2-3ft/0.5-1m), covered with coral, is interspersed with several pools “dug” into the reef. It is the ideal location for beginners, as the sea is generally very calm here. Many fish can be seen here including butterflyfish, pufferfish, and damselfish.
2 / The reef drop-offs extending to the north and south of the pass (zones 2 and 3 on the map)
After entering the water from the pass near the pontoon, follow the reef edge to the left or to the right. Take into account the current, predominantly north-south. The drop-offs, which form the outer part of the reef, are home to the most spectacular underwater life at this spot. They are covered with rather well-preserved corals, in which are hidden colorful maxima clams.
As you explore the drop-offs, you will come across many colorful fish, such as the Red Sea bannerfish, several species of butterflyfish, the emperor angelfish, and the regal angelfish. Broomtail wrasse, Arabian Picasso triggerfish, and Sohal surgeonfish are also common here, among dozens of other species.
In sandy areas, where lionfish are abundant, you may also be lucky enough to encounter a bluespotted stingray or a tentacled flathead.
The Utopia Beach Club and the Pensee Royal Garden are the only two hotels located in the bay, in front of the spot.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
