The Red Sea in November
Warm sea, mild air, thinning crowds. The connoisseur’s month, and better than May despite the calendar suggesting otherwise.
Air, daytime
26–28°C
Air, night
16–18°C
Sea
around 25–26°C
November is the mirror image of May and beats it: the sea is warmer, because water cools slowly, while the air is similarly mild. Anyone comparing the two months on an air-temperature table will pick May and be wrong.
Days are comfortable, evenings need a light layer, and the coast is emptying out. For diving it is excellent — warm water, good visibility, and the whitetip season at Elphinstone continues.
The El Gouna Half Marathon falls in late November, which is exactly why it does: warm without being punishing.
Wind, crowds and prices
- Wind
- Variable; the winter northerlies begin to appear late in the month.
- Crowds
- Falling away after half term.
- Prices
- Good value, particularly in the second half.
Good for
- Diving
- Running and outdoor sport
- Value with genuinely good conditions
- Excursions
In the water
This is the fact the climate tables hide: the sea in November is around 25–26°C, warmer than it is in May, because the water spends the autumn giving back the heat it took all summer. A 3mm suit is comfortable for diving, and snorkelling needs nothing. Visibility is excellent.
How long the days are
About ten and three-quarter hours. Short enough that a Luxor day starts and finishes in the dark, and warm enough that you will not mind.
The catch
The wind can turn. Late November starts producing the first proper northerly blows of winter, and a bad week can put the offshore sites out of reach. It is a small risk for what the month otherwise offers.
Or the month either side
December is four degrees cooler in the air with a sea two degrees down and a real risk of wind cancelling boats. October is warmer, busier and windier. November is the month that people who have been here several times quietly recommend, and the warmer-than-May sea is why.
Typical Hurghada figures, rounded. Marsa Alam runs a couple of degrees warmer. Last reviewed 26 July 2026. Something off?