Hurghada Underwater Museum

Hurghada Underwater Military Museum

The Underwater Military Museum is a pioneering idea to attract tourists to alternative sites in the Red Sea and help relieve the pressure being placed on natural reef sites which have seen an increase in visitors over recent years.

Hurghada Underwater Military Museum has been carried out by HEPCA (Hurghada Environmental Protection & Conservation Association), a non-governmental organisation of which Emperor Divers are a founder member and for whom our Red Sea general manager Luke Atkinson is a board member.

The museum, a joint project between the municipal government of the Red Sea province and Egypt’s Environment Ministry, extends over three new Hurghada diving spots off the resort city of Hurghada.

New dive sites are being created in the Hurghada and will relieve the pressure being placed on natural reef sites which have seen an increase in visitors over the past years.

The Underwater Military Museum is a project where 15 pieces of military equipment will be dropped across three different locations, providing a new underwater experience.

By alleviating pressure from natural coral reefs and diverting traffic to three alternative sites- Shaab al-Saqala, Uruq al-Tawil, and Arg Jama’ in Magawish - the project is set to create new coral habitats and protect the Red Sea’s marine ecosystem, making it the first museum of its kind in Africa.

Hurghada Underwater museum will feature a collection of 15 carefully submerged warships, each with its own unique history and significance.

Hurghada Underwater museum was announced in 2019 when the armed forces transported a number of disused military vehicles to Hurghada.

Though the use of military equipment will make for an exciting sight for tourists, Mr Hanafy told The National the original idea was to reduce strain on the coral in Hurghada, which offers some of the Red Sea’s most scenic dives .

“To sustain the reefs, an average of about 22,000 annual dives is optimal, however, the sites near Hurghada record over 200,000 dives each year, which puts tremendous strain on the reefs,” he said. “These alternate diving sites will attract at least some of those divers away from the worn-down corals.”