Dive Sites

The Red Sea is widely renowned for its excellent diving destinations and dive sites, such as Ras Mohammed, the famous SS Thistlegorm shipwreck site in Sharm El Sheikh, the Brothers Islands, Daedalus Reef, St.John's Reef and the Fury Shoals. As well as some well known sites in Sudan such as Sanganeb, Abington, Angarosh and Shaab Rumi. Many of the shore and offshore dive sites of the Red Sea are also suitable for snorkelers and intro divers. Here's a selective and unique bucket list of dive sites, including impressive underwater hidden gems. Every day you have the possibility to discover them with Blue Ocean's daily boats or speedboats. We also included some dazzling dive sites reachable from shore, located along the Hurghada-Marsa Alam coastline and alongside the western coast of the Red Sea in Egypt:

Most Popular

Shaab Samadai | Dolphin House

Shaab Samadai | Dolphin House

Brothers Islands

Brothers Islands

Abu Galawa Soghayar

Abu Galawa Soghayar

Numidia

Numidia

Abu Galawa Kebir

Abu Galawa Kebir

Daedalus Reef

Daedalus Reef

Shaab Maksur

Shaab Maksur

Marsa Abu Dabbab

Marsa Abu Dabbab

Om Halhalla

Om Halhalla

Elphinstone

Elphinstone

Shaab Abu Galawa

Shaab Abu Galawa

Shaab Ishtaa

Shaab Ishtaa

Shaab Sataya (DOLPHIN REEF)

Shaab Sataya (DOLPHIN REEF)

St. John’s Cave (Umm El Khararim)

St. John’s Cave (Umm El Khararim)

place Shaab Samadai | Dolphin House

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and 25 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 18 km south of Marsa Alam.
Description: Shaab Samadai, also known as Dolphin House, is one of the most popular attractions in the Red Sea, as it offers a great opportunity to swim with the bottlenose dolphins in their natural habitat. The horseshoe-shaped reef has a protected lagoon, which is their favorite place to play and rest. These extraordinary marine mammals are often happy to swim with divers and snorkelers. Divers will sometimes have the chance to meet face to face with the dolphins and also to hear them communicate with each other underwater.
In addition to the dolphins, you can also explore superb dive sites with magnificent corals, caves and underwater life typical of the Red Sea.

place Shaab El Erg | Dolphin House

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 3 and 18 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 90 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: You will love Shaab el Erg. You can admire the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops) residing at Dolphin House, a part of Shaab El Erg, playing all together.
Shaab El Erg is located north of Giftun, parallel to El Gouna. Expect a magnificent reef, pinnacles and a very large coral garden with huge coral tables, brain corals, but also masked puffer fishes, butterfly fishes, angelfishes, banner fishes, surgeon fishes, unicorn fishes, giant moray eels and turtles.

place Brothers Islands

The Islands – Big Brother and Little Brother – are two small exposed promontories that just come out of the water in the middle of the sea at around 60 km from the Egyptian coastline. Little Brother has a very high concentration of life in a much reduced area. The walls are covered literally with sponges, anemones and all sorts of hard and soft corals in an astonishing variety of colors and shapes.

place Abu Galawa Soghayar

Abu Galawa Soghayar has a fantastic coral garden and a wreck of a private sailing boat that sank in the 80ies and it´s full of soft corals and it's populated with glass fishes.

place Zabargad Island

Zabargad Island is one of the biggest islands in the red sea, where turtles used to nest. It offers dives in the blue or along the reef with an amazing underwater landscape, incredibly rich in fauna and above all it is well preserved.

place Shaab Claude

Shaab Claude is famous for its swim-throughs and huge stony corals, also called Porites. White tip reef sharks, anemones and clownfish settlements can be seen a little to the south of the reef.

place Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and +40 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers.
Location: 90 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar is an oval-shaped reef surrounded by a plateau at a depth from of 15 meters going to 30 meters deep and which on the west side widens into a sandy flat.
The southern plateau is a coral garden with small pinnacles descending slightly.
This fairly exposed reef has at least three shipwrecks.
The east side is a naturally drifting dive, along the drop-off where the wrecks are and you will have a panoramic view.
You will encounter gray reef sharks, giant moray eels, giant groupers, Napoleons, but also tunas and jackfishes often hunting here.

place Numidia

Numidia is a 150 m long ship that sunk in 1901 and lies upon a reef on the northern side of the island between 5m and 80 m. Now it is completely covered with both hard and soft corals and gorgonians.

place Abu Galawa Kebir

Abu Galawa Kebir is also home to a wreck. The Chinese barge named Tien Hsing sank in 1943 and lays between 5 m and 18 m depth directly at the reef and through the years even became a part of this reef.

place Rocky Island

Rocky Island, truly a fantastic place, is home to an array of incredible shark species, majestic manta rays, massive groupers, curious jacks, schools of barracudas and much more.

place Shaab Umm Gamar

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 to 40 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers with an experience.
Location: 90 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: Umm Gamar means "mother of the moon" thanks to the shape of its reef. The underwater life is remarkably intense.
The southern plateau on a sandy bottom between 14 and 25 meters is partially covered with coral blocks, that is often visited by morays swimming in the open water.
The east side is a drop-off sublimated by coral formations covered with soft corals which stand out into the blue and taking the form of cracks or caves, very appreciated by photographers. The most frequent visitors are wrasses, sweetlips, Napoleons, moray eels, batfishes, red mouth groupers and schools of banner fishes and angelfishes. This reef also attracts many pelagics such as golden trevallies, tunas, barracudas and from time to time you can meet sharks.

place Shaab Claudio

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and 25 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 121 km south of Marsa Alam
Description: Shaab Claudio is a part of the Fury Shoals and is a popular cruising destination. It is a reef that is relatively protected from the wind, which offers several styles of diving in one. The landscapes are consisting of fantastic coral gardens, mountains of hard corals and a canyon with a crystalline visibility and where the play of light is fascinating.
Very rich, Shaab Claudio, is home to nudibranches, yellowfin goatfishes, trigger fishes of all kinds, parrot fishes, a multitude of schools of banner fishes, angelfishes, snappers and nasons but also Napoleons and turtles.

place Daedalus Reef

Daedalus Reef is surrounded by a sheer wall all around, featuring a plateau on its southern side that goes from 28 m beside the reef to 40 m on the edge of the drop-off. Reef and hammerhead sharks are often spotted here. Underwater marine life is here more abundant than anywhere else, with schools of surgeons, fusiliers, carangids.

place Habili Ali

Habili Ali offers giant gorgonians and black corals whilst grey reef, silvertip and schools of hammerhead sharks might be found on the west side.

place Carless Reef

Access: by boat
Depth: between 5 to 40 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers with an experience.
Location: 60 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description:Carless Reef is a beautiful reef, which is close to Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar. The peculiarity of Carless Reef is to have a multitude of moray eels roaming in the open water, which has made its reputation especially with photographers and videographers.
Marine life is extremely rich there, due to the currents which transporting nutrients in order to nourish all the organisms of the food chain.
You will see giant turtles, angelfishes, tunas, giant trevallies, huge red-mouthed groupers, nudibranches, giant moray eels and sometimes you can even find white tip reef sharks.

place Shaab Maksur

Shaab Maksur is a narrow but long reef formed with two plateaus in the northern and southern edges, east and west walls offering a mild current as you can drift all over the walls consisting of magnificent reef formations.
At the north terraced plateau, you can see often dolphins, barracudas or reef sharks passing by. The south plateau with its bigger coral blocks is home to many species such as turtles, eagle rays, snappers and many more.

place Habili Gafaar

Habili Gafaar is a mass of soft corals teaming with shoals of snappers, butterflyfish, and barracudas. Mantas, grey reef and silvertip sharks can often be seen in the blue.

place St. John’s

St. John’s is a cluster of small reefs offering some of the most spectacular underwater wildlife vistas in the Red Sea. Due to their isolation and a quasi permanent current, it seems that all the marine life of the Red Sea is concentrated here.

place Gota Kebir

Gota Kebir is a massive reef, famous for its tunnels and south plateau, where jacks and barracudas can be seen even as the occasional mantas.

place El Fanadir

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and 40 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 45 minutes sailing north of Hurghada.
Description: El Fanadir is a popular destination, thanks to its orientation it is accessible in all weather conditions and ideal for night dives.
The main attraction is the wall with its cavities sheltering an abundant underwater life as well as a wide plateau going from 12 to 26 meters with magnificent blocks of corals ending in a drop-off.
The shallow parts are the richest. You will find a cleaning station on an exceptional pinnacle of coral 12 meters away which offers the possibility of making superb photos.
El Fanadir is an aquarium where you can see a wide variety of species such as yellow-edged moray eels, yellow-mouth moray eels, giant moray eels, scorpion fishes, yellowfin goat fishes, sweetlips, stone fishes, and frogfishes.

place Gota Soraya

Gota Soraya is rated as possibly one of the best wall dives in the Red Sea, with overhangs and cracks in the reef wall full of glass fishes and sweepers and an abundance of corals, grey reef, silver tip, and hammerhead sharks.

place El Fanous

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 8 and 27 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 30 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: The east of El Fanous where the shallow part of the wall is richer with these schools of fishes, blocks of flowering corals offering many hiding places for its inhabitants. About 20 meters northwest of the reef, two spectacular pinnacles covered with soft corals can be found as well as cracks giving way to sublime plays of light, and ending in a drop-off.
On the west side you can drift along the wall until you reach the pinnacles and the coral garden between 5 and 12 meters.
You will find several kind of trigger fishes that you may have the chance to observe from a distance during the nesting period when the females vigorously guard their nest! But you also may be able to meet turtles, dolphins and an abundant underwater life.

place El Mina Wreck

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 17 and 32 meters.
Minimum level: advanced divers with an experience
Location: 10 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: El Mina was an Egyptian minesweeper, shot down by Israeli fighter jets in 1970. It lies on its side between 25 and 30 meters and extends over 70 meters in length.
The top of the wreckage is 17 meters away from the bomb impact that caused it to sink. The anchor is still in place, the hull is perforated with bullet holes from the machine guns of the fighter planes. At the back, the rudder and propeller are intact. The bridge still includes winches, rolls of cables and torpedoes. If you look through the portholes and hatches, you can explore the deck and the radio room without getting into it. There is even still ammunition scattered around.
El Mina is inhabited by gigantic moray eels, littered with sea urchins and sumptuous flora and fauna, as well as schools of glass fishes and trevallies.

place Giftun Islands

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and +40 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers with an experience.
Location: 80 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: Giftun has two islands, "Kebir" the largest one and "sorayar" the smallest island, which are perfect for a drift dive thanks to its strong currents.
To the northeast of this site you will see a plateau between 15 and 25 meters deep where a superb coral garden will lead you to a drop-off on the north side, extremely popular to Tec divers.
You will find huge gorgonians, soft corals, but also crocodile fishes, stone fishes, scorpion fishes, wrasses, fusiliers, long-nosed falcon fishes, Napoleons, moray eels of all kinds and turtles. This site is also inhabited by pelagic species such as barracudas, trevallies and tunas.

place Shaab Sabina

Acces: by boat.
Depth: between 8 and 14 meters.
Minimum levels: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 90 minutes sailing from hurghada.
Description:
Shaab Sabina is a coral garden as far as the eye can see. Its underwater landscape is simply phenomenal as if one were lost in a labyrinth.
Going down, you will feel surrounded by this multitude of soft and hard corals, to 15 meters. Shaab Sabina is about 90 minutes sailing from Hurghada. Do not be surprised if you see yellow butterfly fishes and fan tail crowds come to "flirt" with you.

place Erg Somaya

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and - 60 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 75 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description:Erg Somaya starts at 5 meters going down to 15 meters, continuing on a sandy plateau down to 24 meters and ending on a drop-off to the North, where you can admire a cave carpeted with gorgonians and colorful soft corals. It has a chimney at the north east corner where you can enter at 30 meters and come out at 22 meters.
"Profusion" is the term that represents the abundance of the underwater life of Erg Somaya between platax, barracudas, tunas, trevallies, mackerels, wrasses, Napoleons, moray eels, groupers, butterfly fishes, harlequin lime fishes, snappers, Spanish dancers and schools of glass fishes and anthias.
Erg Somaya is slightly exposed to the weather conditions, the currents can be strong, in this case it requires more experience but it remains accessible to all divers if the conditions are good.

place Turft El Shahed ( Ben el Gebel)

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and 15 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 90 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: Sheltered from the winds, Turft El Shahed is located between Big and Small Giftun and is actually an extension of the northern tip of Small Giftun. This is why it is more commonly called Ben el Gebel, which means "between the mountains".
You will explore pinnacles entirely covered with soft corals and gorgonians, where many species made it their home such as glass fishes, anthias but also crocodile fishes hiding under a coral table, gobies and shrimps, eagle rays, jackfishes and turtles feeding on the soft corals that literally line the bottom.

place Shaab Alam

Experience the diverse wonders of Shaab Marsa Alam, a vibrant reef just 25 minutes from Marsa Alam. Explore a sunken wreck, mysterious cavern systems and one of the region’s most stunning coral gardens. This popular dive site is a must for liveaboard safaris and offers excellent night diving opportunities.

place Gota Abu Ramada | The Aquarium

Acces: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and 15 meters.
Minimum levels: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 60 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: Gota Abu Ramada is a protected area, located at the south of Big Giftun, It’s a small oval shaped reef on a sandy bottom at a depth of 12-15m and is also called the aquarium. In the west you can find two large pinnacles, in the east two coral blocks and a beautiful coral garden.
Gota Abu Ramada is highly appreciated by photographers because it is renowned for its abundance of fish. You can see schools of angelfishes, yellow butterfly fishes, yellow snappers, Titan triggerfishes, groupers, surgeonfishes, sweetlips, as well as giant moray eels, barracudas, trevallies, turtles and crocodile fishes.
You may even have the chance to see small white tip reef sharks, and eagle rays.

place Abu Ramada Island

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and 35 meters
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 90 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: Abu Ramada Island is a real aquarium consisting of two plateaus, north and south.
The northern plateau, perfect for a drift, slowly descends from 20 to 35 meters to finish on a drop-off where you have the opportunity to see gorgonians, moray eels, trigger fishes, jacks, barracudas, tunas and sharks. Going up on the plateau to admire the turtles eating soft corals and glass fishes in the cavities at the top of the reef.
The southern plateau, descends slightly to the west on a drop-off but most of it is between 10 and 15 meters.
Halfway, you will find eel gardens and fusiliers, sweetlips, angelfishes, butterfly fishes, banner fishes, crocodile fishes but also soft and hard corals in the form of a brain, a mushroom or a star.

place Ras Disha

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 3 and 20 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 90 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: Ras Disha is also known as Torfa Ras Disha or Disha Malagk and is sheltered from the winds in a natural bay.
Ras Disha is synonymous with "fringing reef".
It is a shallow plateau on a sandy bottom littered by pinnacles and a block of corals to the south where you will have the impression of being in a real aquarium. In the northwest, the plateau is transformed and becomes narrower which gives way to a drop-off.
You will see schools of glass fishes, banner fishes, butterfly fishes, parrot fishes, surgeon fishes, giant groupers, trigger fishes, jackfishes, tunas, barracudas but also crocodile fishes, scorpion fishes, torpedo rays and turtles.

place Abu Hashish

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 6 and +40 meters.
Minimum level: all level of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 90 minutes sailing from Hurghada.
Description: Abu Hashish is an island in the center of a vast bay, and it means "seaweed".
It is surrounded by a large reef where you will discover a sandy plateau between 5 to 22 meters, leading to a drop-off. At the southern end, you will find a shallow lagoon where there are numerous pinnacles and coral blocks that provide a protected environment and houses for the big red octopus but also big fin squids, barracudas, stingrays with feathers, turtles, moray eels, groupers of all kinds and sumptuous coral tables. If your level allows you, you can visit beautiful caves at about 30 meters.

place Marsa Mubarak

Access: by shore.
Depth: between 0 and 25 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 61 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: Marsa Mubarak is a well-known dive site in the south and was once a large national park. Its bay consists of two reefs, north and south on a sandy bottom that reach 25 meters maximum. The two reefs are separated by a large field of sea grass, home to turtles and the famous Dugong. Outside the bay, you can explore a beautiful coral garden during a drift dive and admire the abundant underwater life, such as banner fishes, parrot fishes, damselfishes, clown fishes, octopus, scorpion fishes , barracudas, nudibranches, turtles and dugongs.

place Coral Garden

Acces: by speedboat.
Depth: between 0 and 20 meters.
Minimum levels: all levels of divers.
Location: 58 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description:Coral Garden takes its name from the beautiful colorful coral gardens in all kinds of shapes that adorn the reef. It is the territory of the "organ coral" with its orange and pink colors. The north and south reefs of the bay gradually descend to 20 meters, separated by a large area of seagrass, allowing to make fantastic dives.
If you are lucky, you may come across a seahorse hidden in the sea grass, but also banner fishes, angelfishes, parrot fishes, crocodile fishes, trigger fishes, lion fishes and turtles.

place Marsa Shuni

Access: by shore.
Depth: between 0 and 30 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 49 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: Marsa Shuni is a beautiful and large bay sheltered from the winds. North and South, it is possible to easily reach the reefs, separated by an area of sea grass. After crossing a coral garden and a number of pinnacles covered with hard and soft corals, you will finally arrive on the outside reef, which goes down to 30 meters deep. Among these corals, you can find a variety of reef fishes such as parrot fishes, wrasses, big groupers, cuttlefishes, spotted moray eels, crocodile fishes and scorpion fishes.

place Abu Sail

Access: by shore.
Depth: between 0 and +40 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 44 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: Accessible from the beach, the entrance is through a small hole above the reef. You will hover a few minutes through a small cave, exit it and you will have access to both sides of the reef. South, you will find a huge block covered with soft corals in the shape of a mushroom and underwater life is to find from 20 to more than 40 meters deep. At the northern side, you can admire one of the most beautiful coral gardens in the region.
You will find a large concentration of soft and hard corals but also scorpion fishes, stone fishes, banner fishes, pufferfishes, red-mouthed groupers, angelfishes, crocodile fishes, blue spotted stingrays and a multitude of schools of various fishes and cleaning stations. Hopefully you may spot a reef shark.

place Marsa Murain

Access: by shore.
Depth: between 0 and 30 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 41 km north from Marsa Alam.
Description: Marsa Murain is a beautiful bay with a north and south reef. In the middle of the bay there is a small seagrass area sloping down.
You can find a wide variety of hard and soft corals, scorpion fishes, angelfishes, banner fishes, trigger fishes, groupers, wrasses, rays, moray eels, nudibranches and turtles.

place Marsa Abu Dabbab

Acces: by shore.
Depth: between 0 and 20 meters.
Minimum levels: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 36 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: Marsa Abu Dabbab is made up of two beautifully colored reefs, each of them fascinating and separated by an area of sea grass.
It is known as one of the most famous dive sites in the Red Sea and of all Egypt. This is one of the very few places in the world where you can have the chance to dive with a dugong and many giant green sea turtles. In the shallower part, it is not uncommon to see the strange but harmless guitar ray fish.
In addition to all of this, there is also the possibility of observing ghost pipefish, hippocampus hystrix and frogfish.
All this rare and exceptional marine diversity is what makes Abu Dabbab a very special dive site not to be missed by divers staying in Marsa Alam.

place Shalaniat

Part of a reef group near Wadi Gemal Island, Shalaniat enjoys natural protection from wind and waves. This 250 meters long reef attracts overnight mooring, creating crowded dive experience compared to nearby Dahara.
While currents can be unpredictable, they’re generally mild, making Shalaniat suitable for beginners. Expect some reduced visibility due to sandy seabeds.
The reef walls descend to 10 meters, leading to a seafloor dotted with coral rocks. Watch for sea slugs, stonefish and other fascinating creatures.
The true highlight lies 70 meters north: a vibrant ‘habili’ formed by large, coral encrusted rocks rising to within 4 meters of the surface. Explore this miniature labyrinth, teeming with life, but keep your compass handy. You can return to the main reef across the seabed, but the ‘habili’ alone offers a full dive worth of wonders.

place Shaab Abu Dabbab 1

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 3 and 18 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 30 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: The reefs of Abu Dabbab are numerous and form a varied diving area such as caves, canyons, wrecks, pinnacles and coral gardens.
Abu Dabbab 1 is a coral reef surrounded by a huge coral garden on a sandy bottom between 9 and 18 meters deep, but also by a few pinnacles and a cave can be explored. You can admire an abundance of reef fishes as well as butterfly fishes, glass fishes, scorpion fishes, but also turtles, barracudas and white tip sharks. Abu Dabbab is also ideal for macro organisms.

place Shaab Abu Dabbab 2

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 7 and 18 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 30 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: The reefs of Abu Dabbab are numerous and form a varied diving area such as caves, canyons, wrecks, pinnacles and coral gardens.
One of the best known is Shaab Abu Dabbab 2. The south side of the reef where you will cross a passage and come out on a bottom between 6 and 18 meters, is littered with pinnacles. You will continue towards the wreck of a cruise ship named Heaven One, which caught fire and sank in 2005 on 14 meters. The wreck is not impressive as most of the superstructures are destroyed, but you will take the opportunity to explore it. You will reach the north of the Abu Dabbab 3 reef where there is a splendid cave with crystal clear visibility and come out on the coral garden where you can admire the superb red anemones but also clown fishes, stingrays, moray eels, tunas, turtles and Napoleons.

place Habili Ghadir

Habili Ghadir boasts a unique underwater landscape: a narrow, 250 meters long plateau edged by dramatic boulders on its western side. Smaller coral formations, ranging in size from 4 to 15 meters, dot the eastern expanse. The reef slopes gently eastward, reaching depths of 37 to 43 meters before a dramatic drop-off. To the north, a plateau-like extension reveals a treasure trove of coral mounds, each a vibrant micro ecosystem.
Rarely visited due to its exposed nature, Habili Ghadir rewards those who venture here. Hard corals flourish near the surface, while the reef wall and plateau shimmer with colorful soft corals. Look for blue fan corals in the eastern depths.
Marine life thrives here! Expect encounters ranging from white tip reef sharks and majestic eagle rays to vibrant schools of fusiliers, mackerels and dazzling array of snails and snappers. Each boulder and cove hides its own unique surprises.

place Shaab Abu Dabbab 3

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 6 and 16 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 30 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: The reefs of Abu Dabbab are numerous and form a varied diving area such as caves, canyons, wrecks, pinnacles and coral gardens.
Shaab Abu Dabbab 3 is a splendid hard coral reef. On the south side, you will visit a superb cave which crosses the reef and then come out at a sumptuous coral garden, between 9 and 19 meters deep, that you can explore. You will also find some pinnacles rich in both flora and fauna such as butterfly fishes, angelfishes, banner fishes, lion fishes, stingrays, turtles and tunas.

place Om Halhalla

Access: by speedboat.
Depth: between 3 and 20 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers.
Location: 36 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: Om Halhalla is a dive site with a large reef and many coral pinnacles.
Divers will enjoy "drifting" along a magical landscape littered with impressive pinnacles from 3 to 20 meters. Om Halhalla has the reputation of being an aquarium with the presence of scorpion fishes, nudibranches, moray eels, wrasses of all kinds, lion fishes, Napoleons, turtles, trigger fishes and possibly white tip sharks.

place Shaab Abu Dabbab 4

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 3 and meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 30 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: The reefs of Abu Dabbab are numerous and form a varied diving area such as caves, canyons, wrecks, pinnacles and coral gardens.
Shaab Abu Dabbab 4 is much less crowded than the other reefs of Abu Dabbab. So it is even richer and it generally has a very good visibility. You will find a huge coral garden that stretches between 12 and 22 meters deep and that is littered with pinnacles and coral tables. Take the time to explore and discover an impressive fauna and flora of the Red Sea such as anthias, angelfishes, yellowbar angelfishes, surgeon fishes, unicorn fishes, moray eels, stingrays, crocodile fishes, lion fishes, trigger fishes, turtles, tunas and barracudas.

place Elphinstone

Access: by speedboat.
Depth: between 5 and +40 meters.
Minimum level: advanced diver with more than 50 dives.
Location: 29 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: Located offshore, Elphinstone is a 600 meters long reef, ranging from 5 meters to over 100 meters deep. A spectacular underwater life with a multitude of fishes and wonderful drop-offs.
Elphinstone is one of the best spots in the Red Sea to meet sharks such as hammerheads, oceanic sharks, grey and silky sharks but also occasionally whale sharks and manta rays.
You will also be able to observe the abundant life of its reef such as schools of snappers, anthias, fusiliers, tunas, trevallies but also Napoleons, turtles and giant barracudas. You can admire an impressive variety of soft corals of all shapes, sizes and colors.
Due to strong currents the conditions can sometimes be a bit difficult, so this dive site is mainly recommended for experienced divers.

place Shaab Abu Galawa

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and 30 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 120 km south of Marsa Alam.
Description: The reefs of Abu Galawa are part of the Fury Shoals, crescent-shaped sheltering a lagoon of "turquoise color" hence the name Galawa.
At Abu Galawa kebir "big", you will find the 34 meters of Tien Hsing that sank in 1943, on the north reef between 5 and 18 meters. With the soft and hard corals covering the tug, it is difficult to distinguish the wreck from the reef! You can see octopus, nudibranches, scorpion fishes, glass fishes, Napoleons, clown fishes and moray eels.
At Abu Galawa soraya "small", you will find the wreck of a small sailboat which resting at 15 meters deep. You cannot enter it but you can pass your bust to admire moray eels as well as schools of hatchet fishes and glass fishes. On the reef, soft and hard corals that extend to a depth of 24 meters is sheltering many species of reef fishes.

place Shaab Dahara

Dahara: a sheltered reef with vibrant night dives.
Discover Dahara, a massive 3500 meters long reef located 6 kilometers offshore, just north of Wadi Gemal Island. Its shallow reef flat and southern sandbar provide excellent shelter from the elements, making it a popular overnight mooring spot for liveaboards. This means you’ll often share the vibrant underwater world with fellow dive groups.
Dahara’s true magic unfolds at night. Most dives happen under the cloak of darkness, directly beneath the mooring sites. If you arrive before sunset, take the advantage of the daylight hours! Hop on a RIB, explore the outer reef and then enjoy a scenic dive back to your mooring point as the sun dips below the horizon.

place Marsa Egla

Access: by shore.
Depth: between 0 and 30 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 11 km north of Marsa Alam.
Description: Marsa Egla is a natural bay.
You can access it from the beach and the north and south reefs are separated by an area of sea grass that often hosts dugongs and green sea turtles.
Rich in soft and hard corals, the bay is home to many species of reef fishes such as octopus, giant moray eels, Malabar groupers, crocodile fishes, scorpion fishes, catfishes and stingrays.

place Shaab Ishtaa

Shaab Ishtaa is a captivating dive site in the Red Sea, known for its rich marine biodiversity and stunning underwater landscapes. Located near the Egyptian coastline, it features a series of coral reefs and pinnacles that are home to vibrant coral gardens teeming with marine life.
Divers can encounter colorful fish species, such as angelfish and butterfly fish, alongside larger pelagics like barracudas and reef sharks.
The site’s clear waters and relatively shallow depth make it accessible to divers of all experience levels, offering a serene and immersive experience in one of the Red Sea’s hidden gems.

place Abu Ghusun Wreck

Access: by shore.
Depth: between 0 and 17 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 70 km south from Marsa Alam.
Description: The wreck of Abu Ghusun is also known as "Hamada", a small freighter of 499 tons, which carried a cargo of polyethylene balls on the road from Jeddah to Suez. It sank in 1993 and ran aground on the Abu Ghusun reef.
You will find it 17 meters deep, accessible from the shore after about 15 minutes of swimming.
The wreck is in several parts, although relatively recent, the hull has been colonized by many species such as soft and hard corals, groupers, Napoleons, turtles and moray eels.

place Shaab Sataya (DOLPHIN REEF)

Access: by boat.
Depth: between 5 and +40 meters.
Minimum level: all levels of divers and snorkelers.
Location: 130 km south of Marsa Alam.
Description: Shaab Sataya in the south east of the Fury Shoals area, stretches for 5 km long, in a crescent shape and sheltering a large lagoon where it is easy to take shelter. It is the ideal place to come for scuba diving but it is also renowned for swimming freely with the long-billed dolphins, to listen to them underwater and to see them playing with each other. The reefs are fabulous, pinnacles adorned with corals and magnificent drop-offs. Species such as trevallies, barracudas, rays, lion fishes, angelfishes, scorpion fishes, crocodile fishes and turtles can be spotted. With a little bit of luck you may even see a whale shark at certain times of the year.

place St. John’s Cave (Umm El Khararim)

St. John’s is very famous by its unique cavern and canyon system. The reef is surrounded by a beautiful hard coral garden, on its southwest side full of holes like a Swiss cheese. In shallow water you can dive through the open passages to see the light show of the sun and the nice soft corals growing inside.

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