Red Sea
Region: Egypt (primarily), Israel (Eilat), Saudi Arabia Type: Tropical sea; coral reefs, wrecks, pelagics Significance: Alex Mustard’s primary camera review location; most accessible warm-water destination for European photographers First Wetpixel coverage: 2003
Overview
The Red Sea is one of the most frequently referenced destinations in the entire Wetpixel archive, appearing in 165+ articles and 1,000+ forum threads. Its importance for underwater photography stems from exceptional water clarity, warm year-round temperatures, diverse subjects (coral reefs, large pelagics, world-class wrecks), and accessibility from Europe — a 5-hour flight from the UK. As Adam Hanlon noted: “We are lucky in the UK that the Red Sea is so close” ([1]).
Red Sea corals live in hyper-warm, saline waters that may provide insights for global coral survival. An OceanX documentary shown at the 2020 G20 Summit in Riyadh highlighted this resilience ([2]).
Key Sites
- Sharm el-Sheikh / Ras Mohammed — Major resort hub; Ras Mohammed famous for schooling fish aggregations (May/June); site of Alex Mustard workshops
- Hurghada / Port Ghalib / Marsa Alam — Southern Red Sea; Emperor Divers base; shore diving with dugongs in seagrass meadows
- SS Thistlegorm — WWII wreck, “probably the most dived and photographed wreck in the Red Sea, if not the world” — BSA motorbikes, Bedford trucks; Mustard published a guidebook with 3D/photogrammetry imagery ([3])
- Elphinstone Reef / Brothers Islands / Daedalus — Deep south liveaboard destinations; oceanic whitetip encounters
- Fury Shoal — Resident spinner dolphin population
- Eilat, Israel — Northernmost Gulf of Aqaba; annual photo competition (2005+); Red Sea Diving Festival
- Gubal Island — Where Mustard independently found the rhinoceros blenny (Cerogobius petrophilus), a new genus described in 2019
Camera & Gear Reviews Shot in the Red Sea
Alex Mustard established a pattern of using the Red Sea as his primary camera review location. In his D750 review: “There was a definite sense of deja-vu as I plunged into the warm November waters of the Red Sea for this camera review” ([4]).
| Year | Review | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Nikon D2X + Subal ND2 | [5] |
| 2008 | Nikon D700 + Subal ND700 — FX vs DX comparison | [6] |
| 2010 | Nikon D7000 + Nauticam NA-D7000 — world’s first UW test | [7] |
| 2012 | Nikon D4 field review | [8] |
| 2014 | Nikon D750 + Nauticam NA-D750 — marquee review | [9] |
| 2017 | Retra Flash — pre-production units | [10] |
| 2017 | Nauticam WACP — tested with Nikon D5 | [11] |
| 2018 | Strobe comparison: Inon Z-330 / Retra Flash / Symbiosis SS2 (Adam Hanlon) | [12] |
| 2019 | ONEUW 160X strobe — 40+ dives | [13] |
Competitions
The SanDisk/Epson/HP Red Sea Shoot-Out in Eilat ran for 10+ years under various sponsors, with $10,000+ prize pools. It evolved into the Red Sea Diving Festival by 2020 — one of the last pre-COVID in-person dive events ([14], [15], [16]).
Wetpixel Expeditions
Wetpixel organized its own Red Sea photography trips on the VIP ONE liveaboard, timed for May–June Ras Mohammed fish aggregations:
- 2022: Two trips (May 22–29, May 29–Jun 5) ([17])
- 2023: Planned September trips on VIP ONE — effectively cancelled when Adam Hanlon failed to make payments to the operator; participants left stranded. This became part of the broader Wetpixel financial controversy ([18]).
Political & Safety Events
- 2009: First underwater Canon 5D Mark II video shot in Egyptian Red Sea by Fergus Kennedy ([19])
- 2010: Dry dock fire in Suez destroyed/damaged several dive boats including VIP-One ([20])
- 2010: Three oceanic whitetip shark attacks near Sharm el-Sheikh; CDWS imposed 2-day diving ban ([21])
- 2011: Egyptian revolution protests reached Red Sea resorts; most dive operations unaffected ([22])
- 2013: Egypt travel warnings issued; FCO exempted Red Sea resort areas ([23])
- 2017: UK electronics cabin baggage ban on Egypt flights (lifted Dec 2017) ([24])
Conservation
- 2015: First Silence of the Sharks protest dive in Eilat — 87 divers on the Satil wreck protesting shark finning ([25])
- 2019: Joe Daniels documented an oceanic whitetip being strangled by a plastic regulator holder ([26])
- 2023: Anemone bleaching documented at Mangrove Bay (29–30°C water) — every anemone bleached while corals remained intact; first such observation by long-term researchers ([27] — forum)
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Feb 8, 2018: Behind The Scenes Strobe Testing In The Red Sea ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 25, 2020: Video Red Sea Reefs From 2020 G20 Summit ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 9, 2020: Wetpixel Live Guide To The Thistlegorm ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 18, 2014: Field Review Nikon D750 And Nauticam Na D750 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2005: Nikon D2x And Subal Nd2 Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 17, 2008: Review Nikon D700 In Subal Nd700 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 2, 2010: Field Review Nikon D7000 And Nauticam Na D7000 ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 3, 2012: Nikon D4 Field Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 18, 2014: Field Review Nikon D750 And Nauticam Na D750 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 20, 2017: Field Review Retra Flash By Alex Mustard And Friends ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 28, 2017: Review Nauticam Wide Angle Corrector Port ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 8, 2018: Behind The Scenes Strobe Testing In The Red Sea ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 10, 2019: Field Review Oneuw 160x Strobe By Alex Mustard ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 7, 2006: Sandisk Red Sea 2006 Underwater Photo Competition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2012: Final Call Hp Red Sea Shoot Out ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 11, 2020: Live Reports Red Sea Diving Festival ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 5, 2022: Last Spaces Wetpixel Red Sea 2022 ↩
- Forum thread: Wetpixel Red Sea Imaging Safari 2023 Has Been Cancelled From My Vip One Sailing Departures List ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 13, 2009: Underwater Video Taken With The Canon 5d Mk Ii ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 2, 2010: Dry Dock Fire Destroys Several Red Sea Dive Boats ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 1, 2010: Diving Ban For Sharm El Sheikh ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 31, 2011: Egpyt Unrest Reaches Red Sea Resorts ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 2, 2013: Egypt Travel Warnings Issued ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 21, 2017: Uk Government Relaxes Cabin Baggage Restrictions For Egypt Flights ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 21, 2015: Report Silence Of The Sharks ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 12, 2019: Joe Daniels Egypts Red Sea ↩
- Forum thread: Anemone Bleaching In The Red Sea Ecological Disaster Or Seasonal Cycle Of Life ↩
- Digideep’s Red Sea Digital Shoot-Out (2003) (article) ↩
- Nikon D2X review — Alex Mustard (2005) (article) ↩
- Nikon D700 review — Alex Mustard (2008) (article) ↩
- Diving ban for Sharm el-Sheikh (2010) (article) ↩
- Nikon D750 review — Alex Mustard (2014) (article) ↩
- Strobe testing — Adam Hanlon (2018) (article) ↩
- Joe Daniels — Egypt’s Red Sea (2019) (article) ↩
- Red Sea Diving Festival (2020) (article) ↩
- G20 Red Sea reef documentary (2020) (article) ↩
- Wetpixel Live — Thistlegorm guide (2020) (article) ↩