El Ikhwa Islands Explained

El Ikhwa Islands
Location:Red Sea
Map:Egypt
Coordinates:26.3069°N 34.8556°W
Total Islands:2
Big Brother
Location:Red Sea,
Red Sea Governorate,
Egypt
Area Km2:0.78
Area Footnotes:[1]
Population:0
Little Brother
Location:Red Sea
Area Km2:0.26
Area Footnotes:[2]
Country: Egypt, Red Sea

El Ikhwa Islands (Arabic: جزر الإخوة lit. islands of brotherhood), commonly known as Brothers Islands, are two small Red Sea islands in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt.

Geography

They are situated from El Qoseir on the mainland.[3] [4]

The most prominent feature of the islands is the Brothers Islands Lighthouse built by the British in 1883.[5] Small Brother lies 1km (01miles) south from the Big Brother.

Underwater diving

The islands are a dive site featuring corals and two wrecks: Numidia and Aida. The islands are also famed for encounters with oceanic whitetip and hammerhead sharks. However, they are only suitable for very experienced divers due to the islands' isolated position, the challenging dive conditions, and very strong currents.During high season there are many dive safari boats around both islands.

In 2012, Jade Bremner ranked Big Brother ninth in a list of the world's 50 best dive sites, and second in the Red Sea.[6]

Notes and References

  1. http://en.egypt.travel/attraction/index/brothers-islands Brothers Islands | Egypt Tourism Authority
  2. http://en.egypt.travel/attraction/index/brothers-islands Brothers Islands | Egypt Tourism Authority
  3. Web site: Southern Red Sea Diving - Egypt - Brother Islands - The Brothers . Dive-the-world.com . 2013-03-15.
  4. Web site: Brothers Islands | Red Sea Dive Holiday . Scubatravel.com . 2013-03-15.
  5. Web site: www.emdb.gov.eg - Lighthouses . 2012-11-22 . 2013-04-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121122070334/http://www.emdb.gov.eg/eafms/lighthouses.aspx . November 22, 2012 .
  6. Web site: Into the deep: World's 50 best dive sites . Jade . Bremner . . 6 April 2012 . 18 March 2013 . 28 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181228190917/http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/escape/outdoor-adventures/worlds-50-best-dive-sites-895793/ . dead .