Deadly Marsa Alam shark attack casts pall over Egyptian Red Sea resort town

Beaches closed and water activities cancelled after an Italian tourist was killed and another injured

Yachts are moored at Egypt's Marsa Alam marina, where a deadly shark attack has dampened spirits ahead of New Year celebrations. Kamal Tabikha / The National.

Related: Tourist killed in shark attack at Egypt's Marsa Alam Red Sea resort

The government's order to close the beach and ban swimming at Marsa Alam after a deadly shark attack on Sunday has dampened the mood among visitors to the Egyptian Red Sea resort ahead of the New Year celebrations.

A 48-year-old Italian tourist died and a compatriot, 69, was injured after being attacked while swimming just offshore but outside the designated safe area. The Environment Ministry placed the town's shoreline off limits until Wednesday and formed a committee to investigate the incident.

The attack caused a panic along the shore, said Aya Gad, 29, an Egyptian tourist.

“As I made my way back to my hotel, you could see all the beaches emptying. It was really striking, everyone was running out of the water and taking their belongings,” Mr Gad said. “There was a great deal of panic. When I returned to the hotel, there was a crowd in the lobby enquiring about the incident. It was all anyone could talk about at dinner as well.”

Marsa Alam, one of Egypt's most remote beach destinations, typically sees an influx of tourists around New Year's Eve, with visitors seeking to escape the cold weather in other parts of the country. It is also a popular destination for diving enthusiasts from around the world, particularly during the Christmas break.

The attack prompted some tourists to leave, according to a tour operator in the town who asked not to be identified.

“You can't imagine the number of concerned calls I received from our tour groups. All these tourists had come down to spend the holidays in the water. After beach access was banned, some of them decided to stay and have been understanding. But some demanded refunds and made plans to go to resorts in Sinai instead.”

However, diving centres have not cancelled their scheduled trips, according to another tour operator who explained that “diving instructors feel sure enough that the spots they have chosen for trips are safe from sharks”.

He said the loss from refunding pre-booked diving trips, which would be significant and in much-coveted foreign currency, was the main motivation behind allowing diving trips to continue.

“We thought all boat trips were cancelled until we saw several groups of divers going out on various boats from our hotel marina this morning. The boats were small and were venturing deep into the sea,” said Nick Mehling, 33, an American tourist.

“When we asked at reception after seeing the divers, we were told that swimming was still banned but that diving was OK,” he said.

“Many, like my group, have opted out of going in the water altogether just to be safe.”

The waters around Marsa Alam are known for frequent sightings of sharks, with their size and number increasing as one moves further south towards the Egypt-Sudan border. Diving with sharks is a popular activity for visitors to the town, drawn by the thrill of encountering these powerful predators in their natural habitat.

The tour operator said that the water around Berenice Troglyditica, an ancient seaport 140km south of Marsa Alam, is typically avoided by tour operators due to the “ferocity and size of the sharks in that area”.

Shark attacks, though rare, continue to be a safety concern for Red Sea tourists.

The victim of Sunday's attack was identified as Rome native Gianluca di Gioia by Italian news outlets, quoting Italian foreign ministry sources.

In June last year, a Russian man was killed by a shark near Hurghada, in an attack that received widespread attention because it was filmed and the footage shared online. A few months later, an Egyptian woman was bitten on the arm.

In 2022, two women were killed in separate shark attacks near Hurghada, while in 2020, a Ukrainian boy lost an arm and an Egyptian tour guide lost a leg in a shark attack. In 2018, a Czech tourist was killed by a shark off a Red Sea beach.

Marsa Alam has been the site of several incidents in recent years, with five boat accidents and one oil spill off its coast this year alone.

The treacherous nature of the coast has been attributed to a combination of factors, including strong currents, hidden reefs, and inadequate safety measures.