Can You Swim with Dolphins in Hurghada?

Sometimes. Dolphins are seen off Hurghada, as the reviews below show, and several boat trips go looking for them, but none can promise you will see one, let alone swim with one. On Go Shalabi’s Hurghada: Speedboat, Dolphins, Snorkeling & 2 Islands, from US$36 a person (checked November 2026; the option list started at US$44.59 with Hurghada pickup on the dates we read), the search takes about 15 to 40 minutes, and swimming with dolphins depends on the weather and the number of boats in the area. Book it for the snorkelling with a chance of dolphins, not the other way round.

The trip lasts 4 hours, left at 8:30 AM on the dates we read and excludes a EUR 5 Nature Reserve Fee a person. You can cancel free until 24 hours before.

What each trip offers

The words matter here, so here they are, trip by trip:

• Go Shalabi's speedboat trip: the search for dolphins takes approximately 15 to 40 minutes; once they are found you watch them from close range and, if possible, swim beside them; “environmental rules and regulations and safety factors apply”. Swimming with dolphins depends on the weather and the number of boats in the area and is not guaranteed.
• Go Shalabi's three-island yacht day: if dolphins are spotted and sea conditions allow, you may have the chance to swim with them.
• Go Shalabi's dolphin yacht trip, from US$39: if sea conditions and dolphin presence allow, you may swim near the dolphins (not guaranteed).
• Aqua Red Reef's trip, from US$9 (checked November 2026): swimming and snorkelling with dolphins are for experienced swimmers only.
• Red Sea Vibes' trip, from US$19: a chance to swim near wild dolphins, depending on sea conditions and dolphin presence.

None of them promises a sighting.

Sha’ab El Erg, where the dolphin trips head

Go Shalabi’s dolphin yacht trip and the Viator trips from Aqua Red Reef, Red Sea Vibes and Ramashka Tours head for Sha’ab El Erg, the reef known as Dolphin House. It lies north of Hurghada, towards El Gouna, about 21 km from Hurghada Marina in a straight line. That is not a boat distance, and the sailing time is not given. Go Shalabi’s dolphin yacht trip spends an hour there, then 2 hours snorkelling at Umm Gamaar.

The speedboat trip and the three-island day look for dolphins off Giftun instead, nearer the town.

What 350 recent reviewers report

We read the 350 most recent reviews of Go Shalabi’s dolphin yacht trip, dated 10 September to 7 November 2026; it averages 4.4 over those 350, against 4.9 for the three-island day’s most recent 350.

• No dolphins. 34 say no dolphins were seen that day. Ten blame the wind or the waves for no swim or no sighting.
• Dolphins, but no swim. Several saw dolphins from the boat and were not let into the water, or could not keep up with them.
• The swim. Many others describe swimming with dolphins; one, on 28 October, for ten minutes with about ten of them.
• Boats around the dolphins. Four describe several boats closing on the dolphins at once; one, on 26 October, says they were chased and cornered. Three others write that their crew kept a respectful distance or that it was “no chase”.
• Children. Two say their children were not allowed in the water with the dolphins; one, on 18 October, gives the age as 16.
• Extras. One reviewer was asked EUR 40 for the videos of their snorkel, and one counted EUR 20 for the transfer and EUR 15 for the nature reserve on top of the price.

On the three-island day, 54 of its 350 most recent reviewers (26 October to 7 November 2026) mention dolphins; five say none were seen, and one, on 1 November, that their group left early because so many boats were crowding them.

The rules on the water

We found no rule from an Egyptian authority on swimming with dolphins at Sha’ab El Erg or off Giftun. The rules on these trips are the operators’ own. On Go Shalabi’s speedboat trip, “environmental rules and regulations and safety factors apply, and it is best to be near dolphins without disturbing their nature”; on Aqua Red Reef’s trip only experienced swimmers go in with them. Ask the crew what they allow before you get in.

Who should skip a dolphin trip

If seeing dolphins is the only reason you are going, a day built around them can disappoint: on the 350 recent reviews above, about one in ten saw none. If being on a boat among several others round a pod would spoil it for you, the reviews say that happens too. A snorkelling day with a dolphin search on the way, like the speedboat trip pinned above or the three-island day, still gives you the reef if the dolphins stay away. Is Hurghada good for snorkelling? covers what the reefs themselves are like.