Dolphins Red Sea Egypt | Mating, pregnancy and Nursing, How do communicate, Threats and Challenges

Can you Swim with dolphins in Hurghada and Best Places to swimming with Dolphin in Marsa Alam.

Dolphins Red Sea is not fish but mammals such as whales, seals, and manatees because they have warm blood, breathe through lungs, give birth to young dolphins, and produce milk for them. There are 36 species of dolphins living in nearly all aquatic environments, including oceans, coastal, estuarine, and freshwater like The Amazon River. Dolphins living in temperatures ranging from less than 0°C to more than 30°C relate to their warm blood. This means, they are able to regulate their own temperature, so they can stay warm even when the water temperatures around them are cold.

Dolphins Red Sea Egypt

Of those 36 species of dolphins around the world, 8 of them are in the Red Sea. Because of this, the Red Sea is the second largest colony of dolphins in the world. Putting that in mind, we can say that Egypt is a second-world notion that has dolphins. Those 8 species of dolphins are as follows:

• Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
• Indopacific Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)
• Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
• Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuate)
• Long-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus capensis)
• Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
• Humpback Dolphin (Sousa Chinensis)
• Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni)

Each of those species of dolphins has its own unique habitat, appearance, and behaviors. Dolphins are very social mammals and they live in groups. Each group of them has a special voice or “whistling”, taken as a name since born, all groups of them feature intelligence, flexibility, and ability to live and different situations.

Dolphins Mating

Mating time for dolphins depends on the location. Few times yearly in each location when hormone levels increase and that is when mating will take place. During this time dolphins will be very playful and touching with one they plan to mate with. For males, they will be ready when they are average from 7-10 years old. Females will be ready to mate younger when they are between 4-7 years old.

Dolphins’ pregnancy and Nursing – Dolphins Red Sea Egypt

Pregnancy time for females is 10 months before the young dolphin is born. Newly born dolphins will drink milk from their mothers for about two years. When young dolphins are about 6 months, moms will give them solid food. Dolphin calves tend to stay close to their mothers for a few years before venturing off on their own. Dolphins’ mothers are carefully protecting their young ones and a spinner dolphin mother doesn’t lose sight of her child, gently keeping her safe under her fins.

How do Dolphins Red Sea Egypt communicate?

Dolphins are not humans but they are very smart creatures. They communicate in different ways like whistles, clicks, squawks, squeaks, moans, barks, groans, and yelps.

Dolphins have three different ways of communications

• whistles
• echolocation
• social communication

Dolphins most popular species

Dolphins come in all shapes and sizes, and each species has its own unique features. Here’s how to recognize a few of the most striking and unusual dolphin species

Spinner dolphins

The spinner dolphin is one of the most common species not only in the Red Sea but also in the Gulf of Aden and Oman.

Spinner dolphins Appearance

Spinner dolphins have long, slender beaks and color patterns, consisting of a dark grey cape, light grey lateral field, and white ventral field. Adults range from 129 – 235 cm and reach a body mass of 23 – 78 kg (Perrin 2002). Spinner dolphins have a pantropical distribution, occurring in all tropical and subtropical waters around the world.

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin

The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins live in the waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and Africa’s eastern coast.

The Indo-Pacific bottlenose appearance

The Indo-Pacific bottlenose is a species of dolphin with a length of 2.6 m and a weight of up to 230 kg, marked with a dark grey back and a lighter grey or almost white belly with grey spots.  Until 1998, all bottlenose dolphins were considered members of a single species. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin was recognized as a separate species during that year.

The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin

is generally smaller than the common bottlenose dolphin, with a proportionately longer rostrum, and spots on its belly and lower sides. Moreover, it has more teeth than the common bottlenose dolphin, which ranges from 23 to 29 teeth on each jaw side compared to 21 to 24 in the common bottlenose dolphin.

Sighting of dolphins became the most attractive ecotourism in the Red Sea; it attracts thousands of tourists to watch dolphins at Satayeh in Wadi El-Gemal national parks and Samadai reef in the Marsa Alam city.

Humpback Dolphins Red Sea Egypt

One of those kids lives nearby of the beaches, considered the most popular one, which appears so much for people on the Red Sea, especially, in gulfs, and around the islands.

Humpback dolphin appearance

female length up to 2,5m, male length up to 3,2m, as its weight up to 284kg. The Humpback Dolphin is considered the funniest for humans, lived in groups of up to more than 30 dolphins, and it’s like the dolphin of the nose-flask. It’s depending on its feed on fishes, squids, and crustaceans as basically.

Popular dolphin and its appearance

The popular dolphin is one of the most seen dolphins in the Red Sea, it’s distinguished from others, with a dark head, extended until behind its back-flipper, with silver, which tends to white, on its sides, stomach, and extended until the tail, as there is a black zigzag line, on lower-jaw extended until front-flipper.

Popular dolphins live between a flock up to 30 dolphins, considered most dolphins, which riding boat waves, and fast ships, it’s length up to 2,6m, it’s weight 136kg, it’s a speed 65km in an hour, it also cans diving to 280m.

Tropical dotted Dolphins Red Sea Egypt

Tropical dotted dolphins are not more than 2m in length and have the most weight of 120kg. The tropical dotted dolphin lived till 45 years ago, it can also swim at speeds up to 40km per hour. Tropical dotted dolphins live in tropical areas, on seas and open oceans, but sometimes go to places such as closed, such as the Red Sea.

Tropical dotted dolphin lives between a flock of more than 100 dolphins, can also live between other kinds of dolphins, or tuna fish around the beach, fishes, and squids considered as its basic feed.

Tropical dotted dolphin featured with dark grey-back, and light grey stomach, there is also white around the front of the beak, and lower jaw, until front-flipper, in addition to the white dotted on its body.

Threats and Challenges

The wonderful biodiversity of the Red Sea marine life, however, makes it one of the best tourist destinations in the world for wild dolphin sightings by snorkeling and diving. This is one of many problems dolphins face.

Dolphins face an uncertain future as they face an unprecedented number of threats. Most of these threats are unfortunately because of human activities. Countries make efforts to limit non-organized touristic activities. Besides, dolphin studies try to reach the best way how to reduce the risk and save dolphins. They try to find a way to balance the advancement of humans with the need for the dolphins to make it work out. Here are some of the problems dolphins face.

• Threats From the Fishing Industry
• Noise Pollution
• Litter & Toxic Pollution
• Climate Changes
• Food Depletion
• Hydroelectricity
• offshore drilling
• Mining
• Marine debris
• Global climate change
• petroleum industry

All the previous reasons harm dolphins’ hearing, sleeping, eating, and mating.

How we can save dolphins?

It is for each one of us to learn to live responsibly. Each one of us can make a difference if we are willing to take an active role.

• practice recycling
• follow marine-friendly regulations when out on your boat
• reduce carbon emissions
• support private and governmental conservation programs
• reducing the pollution

Death of Dolphins Red Sea Egypt

The wonderful biodiversity of the Red Sea marine life makes it a home for almost At least 17 species are found in the region.

Putting in mind the above threats and challenges dolphins have in accidental death. between (2014-2021) in the whole Red Sea from deep south Halayeb to Zafarana reports show that approximately 15 cases comprising 25 individuals of dolphins belonging to four different dolphin species were dead.

These dead cases were because by fishing nets (4), shark attacks (4) boat accidents (3), and unknown deaths (4). Hurghada also recorded a high number of dolphin deaths.

The Red Sea of Egypt lost 15 dolphin individuals in 2020, four of them died as a result of human activity (boat accidents and fishing activity), and eleven of them were Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins of various ages and sexes stranded on the southern Red Sea shore.

Hurghada Dolphins

We can spot dolphins living in the world’s seas and oceans and in some rivers too. According to this, this is the reason why we spot dolphins in the Red Sea. Dolphin House Hurghada beside Sataya Dolphin Reef Marsa Alam is one of the places where we can see the dolphins. Dolphins in Hurghada are mostly in two places.

Shaab El Erg

Shaab El-Erg is a submerged reef that lies on the northern side of the Red Sea. It is located 11.5 km from Shedwan Island. Shaab El Erg is one of the most important diving sites on the northern side of the Red Sea. Shaab El Erg is daily visited by safari boats for diving and snorkeling activities, due to the continuous sighting of dolphins, which is known as a dolphin house for the diving center.

El-Gouna Reef (Shaab El-Deer)

This site locates inside the boundary of the north protected Islands, about 20 km north of Hurghada city. This site is very shallow, reaching about 5 m in depth.

El-Gouna reef is one of the most remote dolphin-sighting sites. At El Gouna reef, the results of dolphin sightings were higher than in Shaab El Fanous and Shaab E Erg.

Dolphins and Humans

Humans love dolphins so much as they are funny and playful and the relationship between humans and dolphins is somehow good. Dolphins are the subject of stories, myths, and legends as well as great works of art.

Dolphins helped people in many ways, and there is a large number of stories about dolphins helping people since ancient Greece. Sometimes, dolphins helped people in the ocean from shark attacks. Because of their great intelligence, dolphins have been used for military exercises and therapeutic support.

Dolphin Therapy

Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) is a type of swim-with dolphin encounter that is used for people suffering from mental or physical disorders or autism as a form of treatment. It is mentioned that touching and being close to a dolphin has unique motivational or healthful powers. although studies show that such claims are without scientific merit.

There is no evidence that DAT is any more therapeutic than other forms of animal-assisted therapy. Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) encourages people suffering from a range of medical problems to enter the water with dolphins or whales (often held captive) and swim with them as a way of improving their health.

Swim with Dolphins Hurghada

Tourism in Egypt is one of the main sources of national income as the number of tourists reached approximately 18 million in 2010. In recent years, swimming with dolphins has become a popular tourist attraction offered in Hurghada by a range of agencies. snorkeling with wild dolphins, especially spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Egypt, has become an important industry.

While you are in Hurghada, you have two options swim and snorkel with dolphins in the wild or in the pool.

Here are some of the recommended trips in Hurghada where you can swim with dolphins in the Sea or enjoy dolphin sights while diving.

• Dolphin House Hurghada snorkeling boat trip from Hurghada
• Dolphin Houseboat trip from El Gouna
• Shaab El Erg dive site from Hurghada
• Shaab El Gouna Scuba diving

Swimming with dolphins in a pool

While you are in Hurghada, you can Swim with Dolphins Hurghada in a pool under the expert supervision of their trainers and it takes 5 minutes in Dolphin World Show Hurghada. It is suitable for people of all ages and children as well as non-swimmers will enjoy the adventure.

Swim with Dolphins Marsa Alam

Marsa Alam is considered one of the biggest tourist centers in the Red Sea area. Marsa Alam Tours has two very important places of dolphin habitats in the Red Sea. Samadai reef knows as Dolphin House and Sataya reef.

Samadai reef | Dolphin house | Shaab Samadai

Samadai Reef is located 15km southeast of Marsa Alam, about 40 minutes of sailing with daily boats. Shaab Samadai dolphin house is one of the most famous and important places in Marsa Alam and Marsa Mubarak Snorkeling.

Daily trip to Samadai reef can see pods of Spinner dolphins settled the reef. Snorkeling with dolphins in Shaab Samadai is allowed only in Zone B with a mandatory floating vest with some more rules like

• All snorkelers are obliged to wear fins, masks, and a lifejacket.
• No jumping into the water or excessive splashes.
• Snorkelers should keep quiet and swim gently using their fins only
• It is forbidden to chase dolphins. Let them approach and decide how to interact
• No loud noises (in particular shouts and whistles).
• It is not allowed to touch dolphins
• NEVER throw trash in the water
• It is forbidden to feed or pursue wild dolphins
• NEVER try to entrap or circle around a group of dolphins

Sataya Reef snorkeling day from Marsa Alam

Sataya reef is a half-moon-shaped lagoon located 110 KM to the south of Marsa Alam city. Sataya reef is an amazing place where you will find huge numbers of dolphins swimming around.

You should know that the Sataya reef is the best place to swim with dolphins while you are in Marsa Alam. Here, you can have a unique experience to snorkel and swimming surrounded by tens of playful dolphins who consider the lagoon their own home.

Regulations for sustainable and animal-friendly dolphin-human encounters, Egypt

Last year, within the context of the GRD-supported project “Dolphin Conservation in the Red Sea“, regulations for sustainable and animal-friendly dolphin-human encounters were introduced in Egypt for the first time and can swim with dolphin when booking Dolphin House Hurghada Tour.

In addition to a “Code of Conduct” that is binding for all providers, protection and rest zones were set up and marked with buoys, while workshops and training for skippers and providers were organized, and regular monitoring was carried out by rangers from the National Park.