With funding from the European Union, Egypt's environmental agency has taken steps to protect the reef, such as installing permanent mooring buoys to prevent anchor damage by dive boats. Nor do you have to invest in scuba lessons to savor the experience. Especially around Sharm, the Red Sea reefs are readily accessible to snorkelers, including children. Some of the area's most vibrant coral reefs, in fact, are situated just a few paddle strokes from the beach. Hazards are few, and you won't need a wet suit, except perhaps in January.
Boat trips are also an option.
Sharm's relatively late arrival on the international tourist map is explained by the region's tortured political history. Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt in the 1967 Middle East War, returning it in 1982 under the terms of the Camp David peace accords. Until the last decade or so, recreational visitors consisted largely of hikers and hard-core divers. From the border with Israel to the southern tip of Sinai three hours' drive to the south, the tourist boom has transformed the Gulf of Aqaba coast. Reef access from Hurghada is generally by boat.