Here is the fact that surprises every first-time British visitor: the Red Sea is warm enough to swim in every single month of the year. This coast sits between desert and sea, rain is a genuine rarity, and winter here means what late May means at home. Below is the honest month-by-month picture, from people who live in it.
Figures are typical daytime air and sea temperatures for Hurghada; Sharm runs similar, Marsa Alam a touch warmer. Treat them as reliable averages, not promises for a specific week.
December to February: the winter sun season
Days around 21 to 24°C, sea around 21 to 23°C, sunshine almost every day. This is why British visitors fill this coast in winter: beach weather while the UK does January. Evenings are genuinely cool, so bring a jumper for the marina. Sea days run all winter, though wind can occasionally reshuffle a boat trip by a day; we always tell you honestly rather than sail a rough day.
March to May: many locals’ favourite
Days climb from 25 to 32°C, the sea warms toward 25°C, and the light is beautiful. April and May are superb all-rounders: warm enough for everything, before peak heat. This is also the sweet spot for combining the coast with Luxor, where spring temperatures make temple mornings comfortable. [See our Luxor day trip guide.]
June to August: full summer
Days of 33 to 37°C, sea a bath-like 27 to 29°C. It is hot, dry heat, and the sea and pools make it entirely enjoyable; this is high season for European families. Two honest notes: book desert safaris for late afternoon rather than midday, and think twice about the Luxor day trip with young children in these months; inland runs hotter than the coast. The reefs, meanwhile, are at their calmest and clearest.
September to November: the insiders’ season
Days ease from 33 back to 27°C, and the sea stays warm, around 26 to 28°C, well into November. Water this warm with softening air temperatures makes autumn arguably the best snorkelling season of the year, and September to November is exactly when winter-sun bookings from the UK begin. If you are reading this in autumn, you are shopping at the right time.
So when should YOU come?
- Beach and pool families: any month truly works; October and April are the gentlest all-rounders.
- Snorkellers: September to November for warm, clear, calm water. [What will you actually see down there? Read our marine life guide.]
- Combining beach with Luxor or Cairo: October to April.
- Escaping a British January: that is literally what this coast is for.
Tell us your dates and your group on WhatsApp (+20 110 016 3333) and we will tell you honestly what will be brilliant that month and what we would reshuffle. Planning ahead or deciding by the pool, both are fine: no deposit, pay on arrival. Trusted since 1998.
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