Hurghada boat captain says he filmed the Umm Qamar whale while snorkelling
Mahmoud Shazly says the animal surfaced near Umm Qamar Island at about 2pm with four German tourists aboard. Red Sea protected areas say they still have no documented record of the sighting.
8 November 2026
A Hurghada boat captain says he filmed one of the circulating videos of a large whale near Umm Qamar Island, north of Hurghada, while running a snorkelling trip.
Mahmoud Shazly said the animal surfaced beside the boat in the al-Erq area at about 2pm, when he had four German tourists aboard, and that the group photographed and filmed the encounter.
The General Administration of Red Sea Protected Areas says it still has no official, documented record of the sighting and has received no formal report of a blue or fin whale in the area. It said attempts to reach the person who filmed the video did not establish where or when the footage was taken, and it advised against naming the species before the recordings are checked scientifically.
Divers and boat crews who have seen the material suggest a fin whale, known locally as al-Battan, or a blue whale, based on the animal's size and appearance. A firm identification would require expert analysis of the images. Humpback whales have previously been recorded in Red Sea waters off Marsa Alam and El Quseir.