Drift Diving Explained: How It Works in Hurghada's Currents
Drift diving lets the current do the work while you fly along the reef. Here's how it works, why the Red Sea is great for it, and how to do your first drift dive with confidence.
Imagine being carried effortlessly along a coral wall, barely kicking, watching the reef scroll past like a film while fish stream around you. That's drift diving — one of the most enjoyable ways to dive, and a Red Sea speciality. If the idea of "currents" sounds intimidating, it shouldn't: done right, drift diving is relaxing, efficient, and exhilarating. Here's how it works and how to do your first one with confidence.
The short answer: drift diving means using the water's current to carry you along a dive site rather than swimming against it. The boat follows your bubbles or marker and picks you up wherever you surface. It's easy, fun, and ideal for the Red Sea's reef walls.
What drift diving actually is
In a normal dive, you might descend, explore, and return to where you started. In a drift dive, you go with the current instead. You drop in, the current carries you along the reef, and you simply enjoy the ride, making small adjustments to stay at the right depth and position. There's no fighting the water and no need to swim back — the boat tracks your group (often via the divemaster's surface marker buoy) and collects you wherever you end up. It's a wonderfully low-effort, high-reward way to cover a reef.
Why the Red Sea — and Hurghada — suit it
The Red Sea's reefs, walls, and offshore sites often have currents running along them, which makes them natural drift dives. Around Hurghada and the wider coast, many wall and reef sites are dived as gentle drifts, letting you glide past coral gardens and drop-offs with minimal effort. The warm, clear water adds to the pleasure. Currents range from barely-there to brisk, so there's drift diving to suit everyone, from relaxed beginners to thrill-seeking advanced divers on the offshore reefs.
What it feels like
Most drift dives are gentle and serene — you float along, conserving energy and air, while the reef passes by. Stronger drifts feel more like flying, fast and exhilarating, and call for more experience and control. Either way, the key sensation is ease: you're working with the sea, not against it. Because you're not finning hard, you often use less air and see more, making drifts some of the most efficient and rewarding dives around.
How to do your first drift dive
The basics are simple. Stay with your group and guide — drifting means everyone moves together, so don't lag or surge ahead. Maintain good buoyancy to hold your depth and avoid bumping the reef. Go with the flow rather than fighting it; relax and let the current carry you. Keep the reef on the right side as briefed, and watch the guide's signals. The divemaster usually deploys a surface marker so the boat can follow, and you'll ascend together at the end. Listen closely to the briefing on current direction, depth, and the plan.
Safety essentials
Drift diving is safe and easy when done properly, but a few things matter. Don't separate from the group — staying together is the core safety rule. Carry (and know how to use) a surface marker buoy and ideally a whistle for surfacing in open water. Match the dive to your experience: gentle drifts for beginners, stronger currents only as you gain skill, and the demanding offshore drifts (like Elphinstone) only when truly ready. Watch your depth and air, and always dive with a reputable operator who reads the conditions.
Practical tips
Tell your guide if it's your first drift dive — they'll keep an eye on you and pick a gentle site. Streamline your gear so nothing dangles and snags. Relax your breathing and your kicking; the current does the work. And enjoy the novelty — once you've flown along a Red Sea wall on a drift, you'll understand why so many divers consider it the best kind of diving there is.
Drift diving turns the current from an obstacle into an asset, gifting you effortless, flying dives along some of the world's best reefs. Start gentle, stay with your group, and let the Red Sea carry you.
Want to try flying along a reef? Find operators running gentle drift dives around Hurghada on packnplan, and add one of diving's most blissful experiences to your trip.
