On September 16, 2026, France Diplomatie updated its entry sheet for Saudi Arabia. With a French passport, the tourist visa can be applied for online and medical insurance is mandatory.
The rest requires more work. The Saudi coast of the Red Sea stretches from the Gulf of Aqaba to the border with Yemen, and conditions vary greatly between the north and the south.
We took our old page, removed the figures we could not verify, and added a simple grid. It is used to ask the right questions before paying a deposit.
Where to dive in Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea side?
Three areas appear in cruise and dive center programs. The north revolves around Yanbu, the center around Jeddah, and the south includes the Farasan Banks and then the Farasan archipelago, near Jizan. Departures are mainly from Yanbu, Jeddah, or Al Lith, depending on the operator.
Our old version placed the Farasan Banks between 40 and 90 km from Jeddah, which is incorrect, as these banks extend much further south, over the southern half of the Saudi coast.
In the north, Yanbu serves as a port for offshore reefs like Seven Sisters, a name often included in itineraries. Jeddah mainly offers day trips. It is the easiest access. Further south, the Farasan Banks form a maze of reefs and shoals that are practically reached by cruise boat, far from any port. Operators sell little-visited sites there, and this is true for a simple reason: it takes hours of navigation to get there.
Yet, none of these names tell you what current you will find that day. The current decides more than the photo.
Which season to choose for diving in the Saudi Red Sea?
No season applies to the entire coast. A study published in Scientific Reports in 2017, based on satellite data from 1982 to 2015, shows that the maximum surface temperature increases from north to south and reaches about 33 °C in the southern Red Sea between late July and mid-August.
Our old page announced water temperatures between 24 and 30 °C, without date or zone, a figure that does not hold for the south in mid-summer. In the north, the peak arrives earlier, in July. The same authors measure a warming of 0.40 to 0.45 °C per decade in the north, compared to 0.17 °C on average for the entire basin. They also recall the widespread bleaching observed in 2015 in the southern half. Their series stop in 2015.
Thus, most programs we see place the south outside the heat peak, but check your operator’s schedule rather than a rule copied from one guide to another.
For winter in the north, no temperature is given: impossible to decide from here without dated measurements. Ask for the one measured the week before your departure. Visibility follows the same logic. It varies with wind, plankton, and site, and clear water says nothing about the current or the dive.
If you are interested in the subject, we detailed what research says about the resistance of Red Sea corals to warming, with its limits.
For what level? The grid to fill before booking
No page can say remotely if a site suits you. The grid below lists what we know, what remains to be asked, and what cannot be decided from here. It is used to compare two offers on the same criteria: required level, current, season, supervision, and fallback plan.
| Area | Level | Current | Season | Supervision | Fallback Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North (Yanbu) | offshore reefs, required level to be asked site by site | impossible to decide from here, to be asked at briefing | temperature peak in July (Chaidez et al., 2017) | guide/diver ratio to be requested in writing | nearby sheltered reef, day without dive planned or not |
| Center (Jeddah) | day trips, level variable depending on site | impossible to decide from here | to be checked with the center | center on land, briefing before each trip | return to port the same day |
| South (Farasan Banks) | cruise, offshore sites, autonomy expected to be verified | variable depending on reef, impossible to decide from here | maximum around 33 °C late July to mid-August (Chaidez et al., 2017) | guide on board, buddy teams to be defined | sheltered site in the banks, evacuation delay to be asked |
But the grid is useless if the answer remains vague.
Ask the tough questions. How is the water entry done, from the main boat or a tender? Who stays on board? Is there oxygen on board and someone trained to administer it? Where is the nearest hyperbaric chamber, and how long does it take to reach it from the farthest site on the itinerary? A serious operator answers in writing.
Your level card states what you have learned. It does not say how you handle a current on an exposed wall after a week without diving, and only the professional on site can judge your ease on the day.
If someone in the group does not dive, also check out our best snorkeling destinations. The Red Sea is suitable for this, provided you choose a sheltered reef.
Visa, passport, insurance: what formalities in 2026?
According to the France Diplomacy fact sheet updated on September 16, 2026, a French national can obtain an electronic tourist visa online via the official Visit Saudi website before departure. The passport must remain valid for at least six months after the end of the stay, and medical insurance is mandatory for short-stay visas.
Our previous page counted these six months from the date of entry, whereas it is the end of the stay that counts.
However, these rules change, and the fact sheet reminds you of this. Re-read it the week of departure. The same page specifies that the duration and number of entries granted must be strictly respected, with a penalty of 100 riyals per day of overstay. The Hajj pilgrimage falls under a specific visa procedure, distinct from the tourist visa. If your passport is not French, the conditions may differ, and the fact sheet from your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is authoritative.
Insurance remains, which requires careful reading.
Travel medical insurance does not always cover diving, nor treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, nor evacuation from a boat offshore. Check these three lines in your contract before leaving. This point counts double for a cruise to the Farasan Banks.
What equipment to bring for a cruise in the Saudi Red Sea?
Bring your dive computer, a safety sausage with its reel, and a surface signaling device. For the wetsuit, no single thickness fits all: between a summer in the south, where the surface temperature reaches 33 °C according to the 2017 study, and a winter in the north, the gap is wide.
Our previous page mentioned a “deflation parachute.” This is the safety sausage, the one you inflate to signal your position to the boat during ascent. On offshore reefs, with current, this is what allows the boat to find you if you surface far from the planned point. Ask at the briefing if the operator requires it. Some lend them, others do not. A flashlight is also useful during the day to look under overhangs.
And think about the rest of your bag.
A carefully chosen sunscreen limits your impact on the reef, and we have reviewed what sunscreen does to marine environments. Regarding behavior, the rule is simple: you look but do not touch, for reasons that go beyond stings. Sharks, rays, or turtles appear in brochures, but no encounter is guaranteed.
Cruise or day trips: what to book?
The day trip from Jeddah keeps the port within reach and allows you to cancel a dive without losing the entire stay. The cruise opens up the farthest reefs in the south, at the cost of a fixed itinerary and a distant coast if a problem occurs at sea.
If you hesitate, compare with the Egyptian offer, older and better documented, which we describe in our guide to diving holidays in Egypt.
However, on the Saudi side, much public information remains scarce. Operators’ pages show beautiful photos. They say little about currents, water entry, or the distance to the chamber. We removed from the old version the names of boats and the price of 2,388 euros, for lack of being able to verify them as of today. Request a dated quote, with what is included and what is not.
In short, a cruise to the Farasan Banks makes you pay for distance twice: in euros on the quote, and in safety margin, since each hour of navigation moves the nearest chamber further away. Would you book it like that?
FAQ
Is a visa required to dive in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. According to France Diplomatie (fact sheet updated on September 16, 2026), a French national can apply for an electronic tourist visa online via the official Visit Saudi website. Medical insurance is mandatory and the passport must remain valid for six months after the end of the stay.
What is the water temperature in the Saudi Red Sea?
It depends on the area and the month. A 2017 study (Scientific Reports) places the maximum surface temperature around 33 °C in the south, between late July and mid-August, with an earlier and lower peak in the north. For a specific date, request the recent reading from your operator.
Is the Saudi Red Sea suitable for beginners?
Impossible to say from a distance. Day trips from Jeddah keep the port nearby, while cruises to the south target more exposed offshore reefs. The local professional remains the sole judge of your comfort level.
Where are the Farasan Banks located?
In the southern part of the Saudi Red Sea coast, well south of Jeddah and north of the Farasan archipelago. They are practically reached by cruise, departing from Jeddah or Al Lith depending on the operator.
Sources
- Saudi Arabia, Entry / stay (France Diplomatie, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, updated September 16, 2026)
- Decadal trends in Red Sea maximum surface temperature (Chaidez, Dreano, Agusti, Duarte and Hoteit, Scientific Reports, 2017)
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