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- Shark ways: Russians haven't given up their vacation in Egypt because of marine predators
Shark ways: Russians haven't given up their vacation in Egypt because of marine predators
Despite information about the appearance of sharks on Egyptian beaches, Russians are not going to abandon trips to the country or postpone their dates, participants in the tourist market told Izvestia. Moreover, in 2025, this area is experiencing explosive growth - the popularity of resorts in Egypt has increased by 45% compared to the same period last year. Swimming on the beaches of ten hotels is currently restricted, the Alliance of Travel Agencies reported. About how the situation with the appearance of sharks off the coast of Egypt is being solved by local authorities and what tourists think is in the Izvestia article.
What is happening in the resorts of Egypt
In Egypt, swimming at depth from a pontoon is prohibited on the beaches of ten hotels due to the appearance of sharks, Aleksan Mkrtchyan, vice president of the Alliance of Travel Agencies of Russia, told Izvestia.
— Now it is allowed to swim near the shore — sharks do not come to a depth of less than one and a half meters, — he noted. — In general, if there are no cases of shark attacks on people in the next few days, swimming from pontoons will be allowed.
In the village of Makadi, the beach was closed due to sharks approaching the shores, the local Stella Beach Makadi hotel confirmed on September 16.
"[We have been closed] for four or five days now because we have sharks," they clarified.
They also write about the appearance of sharks in Makadi in chat rooms for travelers. However, they note that tourists are promptly informed of the danger.
"The shark was discovered in Makadi even before the encounter with the floating tourists. People were immediately kicked out of the water," they wrote in one of the chats.
In Egypt, several cases of shark attacks on humans have been recorded over the past two years. So, in June 2023, a Russian tourist died in Hurghada as a result of a collision with a predator. This was reported by the Russian Consulate General in Hurghada. According to the victim's father, the attack happened very quickly — literally within 30 seconds.
At the end of December 2024, a tourist from Italy died in a shark attack at the Marsa Alam resort in Egypt.
As Sergey Leontiev, head of the VNIRO laboratory of marine and semi—marine fish, explained to Izvestia, there are a very large number of different shark species in the Red Sea, as these are the tropics, but the most dangerous are tiger and white sharks, as well as bull sharks. They have been seen attacking people. For other types of cases, if there are any, then there are few.
— The behavior of sharks in the tropics is always uniform and does not depend on the season. Predators roam in search of prey. And where they find it, they gather there. There are no means of protection against them, except for physical barriers. But the danger from them is very serious, and if the authorities have announced a ban, then it must be enforced. There are appropriate services in Egypt, and even if individual representatives of dangerous species are registered, this is a sufficient reason. After all, the price of risk is life. Even a couple of sharks can do a lot of damage," said Sergey Leontiev.
The danger is particularly high because there is such a thing as "shark frenzy": when one shark attack is successful, the others begin to repeat it. If the authorities forbid swimming, then the risk is really high, the specialist emphasized.
How did the situation affect the tourist flow
The temporary closure of some beaches in Egypt is not a concern for tourists, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry, told Izvestia.
— Information about the closure of beaches due to the appearance of sharks off the coast of Egypt does not affect the tourist flow in any way. Egypt still ranks first in the ranking in terms of popularity among many tour operators. And we plan that a total of at least 2 million Russians will visit Egypt this year," he explained.
Restrictions on certain beaches in Egypt do not cause significant concern among tourists, the head of the international projects "Fly.<url>" and Lyubov Voronina, Managing Director of the Let's Fly tour operator.
"Temporary restrictions have affected the beach areas of popular hotels with high occupancy," she stressed. — Nevertheless, we receive only isolated requests from tourists about this situation.
In addition, according to the "Fly.<url>", the level of demand for tours to Egypt during the autumn season (from the beginning of September to the end of November) is almost 45% higher than in the previous year, she noted.
The flow of Russians to Egypt is only growing every year, Aleksan Mkrtchyan confirmed.
At the same time, according to him, every tourist who buys a ticket to Egypt is warned about the possible appearance of sharks and other sea creatures.
"We have been selling tours from Russia to Egypt for more than 30 years, and there has not been a single year in which it has not been mentioned that sharks appeared off one coast or another," he added. — Here you need to understand that shark attacks are rare.
To date, tourists have not reported shark attacks in Egypt, said Alexander Osaulenko, director of the Turpomosh Association.
— Periodically there are situations with the arrival of sharks, but almost all our tourists visit places where the algorithm of actions in such situations is quite clearly defined, — he emphasized.
According to him, most shark attacks occur when safety regulations are violated, for example, when tourists swim outside designated areas.
"In general, when sharks appear, local authorities respond promptly to the situation," he stressed.
How to deal with shark infestation in Egypt
The Egyptian Ministry of the Environment, together with the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) and the Diving and Water Sports Chamber, are developing a national shark satellite monitoring program, the first of its kind in the Red Sea region. They started, however, two years after the tragedy on the beach of the Elysees Hotel Hurghada. In June 2023, a shark mauled a Russian tourist a few meters from the shore.
The purpose of the project is to warn in advance about shark movements. Tourists, for example, will be notified by the hotel administration. To do this, they decided to chip the sharks.
As part of one of the stages, in June 2025, scientists caught several of the most dangerous species, including mako, tiger shark and longfin (oceanic) shark, in their main habitats. These include the Brothers Islands near Hurghada, the Elphinstone Reef in Marsa Alam and the Shaab el Shir Reef in Safaga. Nine satellite tags have been attached to the backs of the predators, which will transmit data for at least a year. All the sharks were released after chipping. The group also collected 14 biological samples for genetic analysis and documented the distinctive dorsal fins to create an identification catalog.
However, recent reports from the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF) suggest that the latest attack on tourists — in the resort area of Marsa Alam in December 2024 - was not unexpected, because we are talking about shallow coastal areas. At the same time, they emphasize that further comprehensive studies of shark behavior are needed in cooperation with government agencies and the tourism sector.
By the beginning of the new season, the Ministry of the Environment has also issued a number of instructions and warnings in connection with the growing number of tourists at the resorts of the Red Sea. They are available in all hotels and diving centers.
Vacationers are not allowed to swim in fishing spots, during dawn and dusk, while wearing shiny accessories and swimming if there is a wound, and in general in adverse weather conditions. It is forbidden to snorkel in places for drift diving (diving in strong currents). It is also not necessary to feed the fish or even attract it by any means. And during a boat trip, guides are required to explain in detail all the potential risks.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
