Watersports Beaches
in Sharm El Sheikh

Sharm El Sheikh is built around the water, so watersports are not an afterthought here, they are the point. The catch for anyone watching the budget is that the sports range from nearly free to seriously pricey, and they do not all sit on the same beach. The motorised fun, the jet skis, the parasailing and the banana rides, lives on the sheltered town sand at Naama, while the world class diving and the best snorkelling sit out on the headlands and the boat reefs. Knowing which beach does which, and what each really costs, is how you spend your money where it counts.

We have ranked the Sharm beaches that work best for watersports, weighing how much there is to do, how good the water is for it, and how the value stacks up once you add the hire and the fees. The standouts either put a spread of activity right off the sand or front the kind of reef that makes a dive or a snorkel the highlight of the trip. The honest theme runs through the lot. The free reef is the bargain, the dive package is the smart spend, and the motorised rides are the treat you agree a price for first, because in Sharm the best of the water can cost as little as a mask.

For watersports the split is clear. Naama Bay is the hub for the easy motorised fun off the sand, the place to find a jet ski, a parasail or a banana ride without planning ahead. Ras Mohammed is the day that justifies real spending, world class diving and snorkelling by boat, and Ras Um Sid is the bargain, a free shore reef that gives snorkellers the best of the water for the price of a mask. Nabq is the breezier open shore for anyone chasing wind, and Sharks Bay is the quiet reef base for divers who want the water on the doorstep. Match the beach to the sport and you get the best of each.

The honest steer is about value, and it runs the opposite way to the marketing. The cheapest watersport here is the best one, since the reef is free to swim and a mask and reef shoes unlock a coral wall at Ras Um Sid and the public points. The smart spend is a dive package, which spreads the cost across several dives and beats paying one at a time, or a boat day to Ras Mohammed where the water earns the fare. The motorised rides are a treat rather than a bargain, fun but priced as add ons that mount quickly, so agree the price before you climb on. Whatever you do, go with reputable licensed operators, never stand on the coral, watch the afternoon breeze and the currents at the points, note that lifeguard cover is seasonal, and treat conditions as typical and never guaranteed.

A watersports day in Sharm usually means choosing a bay like Naama for the rides off the sand or a reef base like Sharks Bay for diving, then hiring loungers and shade for the gaps between sessions. The value alternative is the free shore snorkel at Ras Um Sid, where your own mask, reef shoes and shade keep the day cheap and the reef costs nothing. Either way the water is the activity and the lounger is the rest stop, so spend on the sport and save on the sand where you can.

Activity prices, dive packages and any day pass change by beach, operator and season, so tell us your dates, party size and the kind of day you want and we will pass your enquiry to a venue that suits an active day on the water, then they can confirm availability and any charge. See our Sharm El Sheikh beach clubs guide for the full picture of who runs which front.