The Brothers, or El Akhawein, are two small islands in the middle (width-wise) of the Red Sea. Big Brother and Little Brother are a 10 minute boat ride apart. The larger Brother is home to a lighthouse manned by the military. Often surrounded by wild currents, here you can make some wonderful dives. Add to this the high likelihood of seeing sharks, and you're guaranteed fantastic experiences. We prefer the Little Brother for sheer decorativeness, but it's a biased choice.

The Brothers are steep-sided cones. They were probably formed by volcanic action, caused by the spreading of the Red Sea rift.

The Egyptian authorities have acted to protect the Brothers: the islands are periodically closed to divers, and even when open, a $5 (US) fee per diver and per day is charged (the money going towards protecting the marine environment). At the moment, diving is allowed, so go whilst you've got the opportunity.

A superb place to see sharks; especially on the Little Brother you can often encounter: white-tips, grey reef sharks, hammerheads, silky sharks, threshers and every so often a very (sometimes too) curious oceanic white-tip! There's also the possibility of seeing the rare sunfish (Mola Mola).

You need good weather to dive the Brothers. It's an exposed spot with no shelter for boats to moor up. Anchoring is forbidden, so mooring is at permanently fixed buoys. In very bad weather these may be swept away. The winds are usually weakest during full moon, and if you can stand the heat, the months of June, July and August are the calmest. Sharks increase in number starting from May.

On the Big Brother reef you can find two wrecks: the Aida II and the Numidia. The first is broken into pieces, but with a lush population of corals, while the second sunk 100 years ago and makes a sensational dive.