Sharks and Safety at Orange Bay

No listing for an Orange Bay trip and no official page says anything about sharks at Orange Bay itself. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says that shark attacks are rare, but that there have been attacks on tourists in the Red Sea region, and advises following updates from local authorities or your tour operator (FCDO Egypt travel advice, checked 11 November 2026). That is the whole of what an issuer says, and this page does not add to it.

The short answer

Sharks do not come up in the passengers’ reviews either: in the 350 most recent reviews of each of the six trips carded on this site, read in November 2026, none in English, German, French or Spanish mentions a shark. The risks that do come up are the ordinary ones of a day at sea: the boat, the swell, the snorkelling and the road transfer. Ask for the safety briefing, wear the life jacket you are given, and check your listing’s health limits before you book.

What the UK travel advice says about Red Sea boats

The FCDO’s Egypt advice, still current on 11 November 2026 and last updated on 27 October 2026, does not name Hurghada or the Red Sea coast in any of the areas it advises against travelling to. On boats it says that safety standards of Red Sea resort diving operators and boats vary considerably, that there have been recent incidents involving British nationals on diving boats and tours in the Red Sea, some of them fatal, and that some operators may not provide adequate safety and insurance standards. It advises booking excursions through approved agents or tour operators, and making sure travel insurance, or the tour or dive company, covers the cost of any air or sea rescue. Passing on the guidance of the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch for liveaboard dive boats, it says customers should ask the crew for a thorough safety briefing before departure; that is sound practice on a day boat too.

What the trips provide

• Royal Cruise Hurghada's cruise: life jackets and snorkelling equipment are in the price. A reviewer on 15 October 2026 filled in a health questionnaire on board, and reviewers describe snorkelling in a group behind a guide.
• Zanetta Tours' beach day: a 25-minute safety briefing on the itinerary, 2 to 4 guides on each boat, a special guide for non-swimmers, and two toilets and a shower on board. Alcohol and drugs are not allowed.
• Miniature Egypt Hurghada's Orange Island cruise: life vests, a snorkelling instructor, and a child who swims well may snorkel only with an adult at all times. In bad weather the date can be changed or the trip refunded in full.
• Go Shalabi's sea taxi: life jackets and a shaded area on the speedboat; the ride is fast, and the trip is not suitable for people with back problems.
• Go Luxury's yacht: professional guides on each boat and a special guide for non-swimmers.

Who the trips do not suit

Each listing sets its own limits. Royal Cruise Hurghada's cruise is not suitable for people with mobility impairments or wheelchair users. Zanetta Tours’ beach day is not suitable for people with heart problems or people prone to seasickness. Go Shalabi’s sea taxi is not suitable for people with back problems, Go Luxury’s yacht not for people with motion sickness, and Go Shalabi’s three-island day not for people with mobility impairments. If one of these applies to you, pick a listing whose limits do not.

All of it happens on open water between the mainland and the islands: the Orange Bay beach is about 8 km in a straight line from Hurghada Marina.

The road transfer

Most of the day’s driving is the van to and from the boat, 25 to 30 minutes from a Hurghada hotel and longer from the outer resorts. One reviewer on the Orange Island cruise, on 10 September 2026, reports a transfer driver watching videos on his phone, and a parent and a 12-year-old made to sit in the front without seat belts; the same reviewer praises the boat crew. If something about the vehicle worries you, say so before it leaves.

Swell and the weather

The sea between Hurghada and the islands is open water. A reviewer on Royal Cruise Hurghada's cruise on 13 October 2026 noted a bigger swell at the snorkelling stop, and one on the sea taxi on 10 September was helped across to the smaller boat in the waves. If you are prone to seasickness, Zanetta Tours’ beach day is not suitable for you. For the FCDO’s advice on the region as a whole, read its Egypt page before you travel: it changes, and this page gives it as it stood on 11 November 2026.

Orange Bay with kids and non-swimmers covers life jackets and the snorkelling help in more detail.