Large whale filmed near Umm Qamar island off Hurghada, species unconfirmed
Divers quoted by Al-Masry Al-Youm suggest a blue or fin whale, but say the species cannot be confirmed until marine scientists and Red Sea reserves staff review the photographs and video.
3 November 2026
A worker in Hurghada's marine activities sector filmed a large whale near Umm Qamar island, north of the city, during a boat trip, in footage reported on 3 November. Tourists on board watched the animal surface close to the island.
Divers who saw the material suggested it was a blue whale or a fin whale, known in Arabic as al-batan, both among the largest of the baleen whales, which filter their food through baleen plates instead of teeth. Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that the identification remains open while specialists in marine science and staff at the Red Sea reserves examine the photographs and video.
Baleen whales come to the surface at intervals to breathe and may show themselves while feeding or moving between areas. They live mainly in open oceans and sometimes enter the seas connected to them.
Earlier sightings on this coast
Marine workers recorded a humpback whale in Marsa Alam waters in 2021 and earlier off El Quseir. Sightings are generally tied to deep water and the open stretches of the Red Sea, particularly the area between the Samadai reefs and Marsa Tondoba, and at Elphinstone.