The Red Sea in October
The best month of the year, on most measures: warm sea, comfortable air, manageable crowds, and the coast at its most pleasant.
Air, daytime
30–32°C
Air, night
20–22°C
Sea
around 28°C
If someone asks when to come to the Red Sea, October is the answer. The sea is still summer-warm, the air has dropped into genuinely comfortable territory, and everything that is unbearable in August is simply nice.
It is also the start of the oceanic whitetip season at Elphinstone, which for divers is the single best reason to be in the far south now rather than at any other time.
The El Gouna Film Festival takes over that town for a week in October, which is either a reason to go or a reason to book elsewhere.
Wind, crowds and prices
- Wind
- Moderating. Boat days are more reliable than in high summer.
- Crowds
- Moderate, with a lift around half term and the El Gouna Film Festival.
- Prices
- Mid-season, and fair for what you get.
Good for
- Everything
- Diving, including the southern offshore sites
- Excursions in tolerable heat
- A first trip
In the water
28°C water into November, which surprises people who assume autumn means cooling. Visibility is back to excellent as the plankton clears. Conditions for boats are the most reliable of the year — the summer wind has moderated and the winter northerlies have not started, and that window is why October is the month experienced divers book.
How long the days are
Around eleven and a half hours and falling steadily. The light in the second half of the month is the softest of the year, which is worth knowing if you are carrying a camera.
The catch
Everyone else has worked this out too. October is not a quiet month, and the good hotels book early — this is one of the periods where leaving it late genuinely costs you.
Or the month either side
November is the same trip four degrees cooler in the air with the sea only two degrees down, and it is quieter. September is warmer and windier. If you want one month that does everything on this coast reasonably well, this is it.
Typical Hurghada figures, rounded. Marsa Alam runs a couple of degrees warmer. Last reviewed 26 July 2026. Something off?