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
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.
Typical Hurghada figures, rounded. Marsa Alam runs a couple of degrees warmer. Last reviewed 25 July 2026. Something off?