Whale Sharks Seen Repeatedly Off Hurghada and Marsa Alam, With Rangers Asking Tourists Not to Touch Them
On World Whale Shark Day, Youm7 reported repeated sightings of the Red Sea's gentle giant off Hurghada and Marsa Alam — and protected-area staff asked divers and snorkellers not to touch or chase the animals.
4 September 2026
The whale shark — known along the Egyptian Red Sea coast as bahlool — has been appearing repeatedly off Hurghada and Marsa Alam, according to Youm7, which published the report on World Whale Shark Day, marked on 30 August.
Youm7 described the species as the Red Sea's peaceful giant and linked the frequency of the appearances to two things: the rare biological diversity of these waters and the availability of food in them.
The report said protected-area authorities are tracking the animals' movements. It also carried a direct request to visitors — do not touch the sharks, and do not chase them.
That request is the practical core of the story. Whale sharks are filter feeders rather than predators, which is why the Arabic coverage calls the species peaceful; the risk in an encounter runs the other way, from people towards the animal, which is what the no-touch, no-pursuit guidance addresses.
Youm7 did not give a number of sightings, specific dates, or the dive sites where the animals were seen, and did not say whether the monitoring has led to any change in the rules for boats or dive operators. Nor did the report say how long the current run of sightings has lasted.
For anyone booking a dive or snorkelling day from Hurghada or Marsa Alam, a whale shark encounter remains a matter of luck rather than a listed excursion. What the report does settle is how the coast's protected-area staff want those encounters handled when they happen: look, keep your distance, and leave the animal to swim on.