Oceanic whitetip sharks expected back at Brothers and Elphinstone as October season begins

Egyptian media report that October brings oceanic whitetip sharks back to the deep reefs of the Brothers Islands and Elphinstone in the Red Sea, the start of the autumn season that advanced divers wait for. The report, published on 18 October 2026, gives no counts or sighting dates, and a sighting is never guaranteed on a given dive.

Ahmed Ghallab, director general of the Red Sea protectorates, describes the species by its long pectoral fins with rounded white tips and says it ranges widely up and down the water column, following food and currents, so changes in sightings may reflect migration routes rather than a falling population. The IUCN lists the oceanic whitetip as Critically Endangered, with overfishing, bycatch, fin harvesting and climate change among the threats.

Guides quoted in the report urge divers to keep their distance, avoid sudden movements, never chase, touch or feed the animal and not crowd it, and they call for more monitoring at the sites. Both are demanding offshore dives that suit experienced divers.