Shark Attacks in the Red Sea - Advice And Information For Travellers

Summary: Following a fatal shark attack on a German tourist in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh, the Foreign Office has warned travellers to check whether their travel insurance fully covers adventure activities such as diving and snorkelling.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice:

Travel advice to Egypt has been revised in the wake of recent shark attacks. The FCO now advises any British nationals visiting the area to:

• Ensure that your travel insurance covers you for any adventure activities that you undertake
• Be aware that safety standards of diving operators can vary considerably at the various Red Sea resorts
• Never dive or snorkel unaccompanied - where possible, rather make bookings through your tour representative
• Stay away from unusually cheap operators, as they may not provide adequate safety and insurance standards
• Make sure that you are fully covered before you dive - diving beyond the depth limit of your insurance policy will invalidate your cover
• Ensure that your travel insurance, or that of the tour or dive company, provides adequate cover for the costs involved in any air/ sea rescue if you are lost at sea (the current fee can exceed US$4000 per hour)

Please note: The Egyptian authorities will only undertake air/ sea rescue operations on receipt of a guarantee of payment. The British Embassy is unable to provide this initial guarantee, but does facilitate communication between insurance companies and the Egyptian authorities.

In case of an emergency:

If you do find yourself or your loved ones needing urgent assistance while on holiday don't hesitate to:

• Contact the British Embassy in Cairo or the British Honorary Consulate in Suez
• Get in touch with the emergency police by dialling 122, the ambulance on 123, and the fire brigade on 180

For more up-to-date information you can also:

• "Like" the UK in Egypt on Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter
• Register with the FCO's LOCATE service to help them find you in an emergency

Shark attacks in the Red Sea:

On 6 December, diving and water sports were again suspended in the Sharm El Sheikh resort area following reports of a further shark attack in Na'ama Bay on 5 December, in which a German tourist died. This was preceded by a ban a week earlier when three Russian tourists were attacked by what was believed to be a single adult oceanic white tip shark.

The FCO maintains that the ban will remain until the shark is caught. Shark attacks of any kind are reportedly uncommon in the Red Sea, while attacks by oceanic white tip sharks are extremely rare.