Shedwan — the island you go to when you want to disappear for a day
Most people who spend time on the Red Sea have heard of Shedwan but never made the trip. It takes longer than Bayoud, requires more planning, and rewards you in proportion. This is not a sandbank you float around for a few hours. This is a full day — you land, you stay, and you leave when the sun tells you to.
The island sits further out than the spots most boats reach on a casual morning. Depending on your vessel, you're looking at thirty minutes to an hour and a half from the marina. The ride out is part of the experience — open water, the mountains of Shedwan appearing slowly on the horizon, the mainland disappearing behind you.
We've been back more times than we can count. It's the island Bihar keeps returning to — something about the light, the quiet, the way the water looks against the rocks. It's where some of our best work has happened, and it still surprises us every time.
What Shedwan actually looks like
The water is the same extraordinary light blue you find across the Red Sea — clear enough to see the bottom, still enough in the right spots to look like glass. But Shedwan has something most of the sandbanks around Gouna don't: land. Real land. Behind the beach, mountains rise sharply — dry, rocky, and completely empty. The contrast between the pale blue water and the dark stone behind it is unlike anything else in the area.
The beach itself is quiet. No facilities, no vendors, no crowd. Just rocks, sand, clear water, and the mountains behind you. The kind of place that makes you understand why people buy boats.
How to get there and what to expect
How to do it properly
What to wear
Shedwan is a full day in and out of the water — swimming, landing on the beach, climbing rocks, sitting on the sand with a drink. You need a swim short that handles all of it without looking like it gave up by noon. Quick-dry, comfortable inner mesh, mid-length so it works as well on the beach as it does in the water.
The bolder Bihar prints — the animal motifs, the geometric colourways — look exactly right against Shedwan's backdrop. Bold colour against pale water and dark mountain. That's the combination.
Shedwan is accessible from the marina. Travel time depends on your boat — plan for a full day regardless. Overnight stays on the boat require a permit. Bring everything. Leave nothing behind.