Not sharks. Fire coral, stonefish, sea urchins and your own hands, roughly in that order.
Almost nothing in the Red Sea is interested in you. Every injury on this coast comes from contact, and almost every contact is avoidable by not touching anything and not standing on the bottom.
Fire coral is the most common. It is a mustard-coloured coral that looks smooth and burns on contact, leaving an itchy welt for days. Rinse with vinegar or seawater — never fresh water — and do not rub.
Sea urchins are second: black spines, in crevices, and the injury happens when someone stands up in shallow water. The spines break off in the skin. Hot water as hot as you can stand relieves the pain; deep spines need a doctor.
Every injury on this coast comes from contact, and almost every contact is avoidable by not touching anything and not standing on the bottom.
Stonefish are genuinely dangerous and genuinely invisible, sitting on sand and rubble looking like a rock. The sting is severe and needs medical attention. The prevention is absolute and simple: never put your foot down where you cannot see. Lionfish and scorpionfish sting only if handled or cornered. Sharks in Hurghada waters are almost never a factor — the reef species here are small and shy.
