Hurghada was designed for diving. Its myriad of small islands, reefs and
ergs provide diving at all levels. Close to shore, ergs, such as
Small
wonder then that it attracts thousands of divers annually. However, this popularity does not come without a price. Nobody will
deny that some reefs already show signs of pressure from over-diving. But now
things are changing. HEPCA has taken the initiative not only by installing
mooring buoys to help reduce anchor damage but also by
providing education for boat skippers. The rest is up to you, the diver, to
take responsibility for your own actions. Whatever level you dive at, you can
make a difference simply by watching where you put your fins and by keeping
your hands to yourself. With your help, Hurghada will still offer some superb
diving for many years to come.
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UMM GAMMAR (Shaab Ruhr)
·
UMM DOM (Stoney beach)
·
BEN EL GEBEL
Large
lagoon at Hurghadas northern most point, shallow dive on outer coral gardens
and gathering point for manta rays in Spring. Renowned
for sightings of resident dolphin community by divers.This place looks like a
large horseshoe with many dive sites on all sides. The dives are shallow and
the whole area is full of life, groupers, rays, unicorns... There is a
possibility of seeing manta’s on the North point around February/March and a
group of dolphins all year around in the lagoon.
Location - 90 minutes to 2 hours north of Hurghada depending on the weather and
where you leave from. It is a vast horseshoe shaped reef with its open side
facing south. At the centre of the horseshoe is a shallow lagoon dotted with
ergs (hence the name). It is dived in a number of places: on the north point,
on the east wall, or on the south west point (illustrated known as Gota Shaab
el Erg. The latter is the most popular. A shallow channel separates a large erg
from the main reef On the south and west sides is a
wide sandy plateau and numerous towers and coral blocks.
Sea
Conditions - It can be rough getting there, but on
arrival, you couldn’t find a better anchorage. Current on the Gota is mostly
weak.
Dive
Plan - Forget the main reef, there is easily an
hour’s good diving on the Gota and its surrounding towers and pinnacles alone.
Four very photogenic blocks lie in 16m water to the south (they are cut off
from the illustration).
Marine
Life - Most local guides have two things to say
about Shaab el Erg - Dolphins and Mantas! Dolphins can be seen frequently all
year round in the lagoon, manta hang out on the north point and are seasonal
(February, March are the best months). On the plateau surrounding the Gota are
scorpionfish, leopard groupers, snowflake morays, blue-spotted rays and painted
triggerfish. Underneath the table corals look for whitetips. In the sand you
can find coneshells, spireshells and flatfish. On the shallow reef reside
unicorns, emperorflsh, bream and snapper
Location - About 60-90 minutes north of Hurghada, Abu Nugar is composed of a long t-shaped reef to the west and a shallow plateau dotted with ergs to the east. Diving takes place on the most south-easterly ergs (Shaab Iris), two large central ergs (Gota Abu Nugar), or on the north side of the tongue pointing west from the main reef The name Abu Nugar literally means ”Father of the Pools” and refers to several clear blue lagoons in the reef top.
Sea
Conditions - It can get a little choppy on the way over
but once you get there you’re well sheltered. Current is usually mild.
Dive
Plan - Some parts of this reef system are utterly dull, whilst others
offer superb shallow diving with an almost virginal quality to the reefs. If
you can, dive the three ergs north of the tongue - they are magical.
Marine
Life - The reef is composed of a wide variety of
hard corals: tables, braincorals, etc. The fish life is nothing spectacular but
lots of broomtails, parrotfish and unicornfish.
UMM GAMMAR (Shaab
Ruhr)
27°21.155'N, 33°54.550'E)
Big
groupers and lots of sweepers in the multiple caves found along the eastern
wall and dropoffs of this tiny islands fringing reef.
This
island is surrounded by good dive sites. To the south there is a plateau with 3
small ergs on the corner, covered in glass fish. On the plateau itself, you
will encounter napoleons, morays, batfishes and an occasional turtle. Towards
the east and the west there are amazing drift dives to do, where white tips
pass by from time to time and with a lot of caves along the wall. On the
northern tip there is a wonderful coral garden, but this place is only
accessible in very good weather.
SHAAB
RUHR UMM GAMMAR
(27°11.550’N,
33°54.550’E)
This reef lies 1km south of Umm Gammar and offers 2 good dives. Make a drift on
the east side where the slope is steep and drops to great depths, with
possibilities of encountering reef sharks and big sized groupers. Or you make a
dive on the south plateau with the wreck and drop off beyond it.
TORFA FANUS (EAST)
This narrow reef creates a huge calm lagoon, a great place to stop for lunch
and catch the sun before the second dive of the day. The lagoon itself
and the enclosing reef wall is relatively uninteresting and naturally lifeless
but on the seaward side the area bursts with all manner of sea creatures. Swim
through the gap between the first erg and the reef wall and head across the
coral garden to the second erg, home to hordes of glass fish and the very
occasional frog fish. Continue with the reef wall on your left to see the
gorgonians on the corner of the reef where it turns west, if you have enough
air continue along the north face where the corals are pristine, if not return
with the reef on your right and explore the first erg before returning to the
boat. Dolphins are often encountered anywhere around this reef so keep an
eye out.
FANUS WEST
The other end (west) of the Fanus reef has two main ergs and several smaller
pinnacles off its west end. You can follow the reef wall round and explore the
reef face and coral gardens which is full of marauding jacks or if you feel
energetic you can swim the 50m to the furthest erg which is well worth a visit,
explore the remaining erg and pinnacles on the way back. Again watch out
for dolphins at anytime during the dive as they are frequent visitors.
The
fringing reef which surrounds this cape offers a good shallow dive on the hard
coral garden found north of the lighthouse with schooling barracuda, napoleon
fish and groupers. Garden eels.
UMM DOM (STONEY BEACH)
Here the steep cliff of the north east side of Giftun
Kebira island plunges into the depths and continues into the abyss, the reef
wall drops to about 12m and then there is a steep, tumbling slope to the top of
the drop off at about 27m. Most of the life here is above 15m as the lower
slope and top the drop off are sometimes swept by strong currents coming
through the straits, stunting the growth of the coral and giving a lunar
appearance. Half way down the slope you will find a lettuce leaf coral, in the
blue you will find fusiliers, and triggers, maybe sharks and turtles. At the
top of the slope you will find morays, scorpion fish, barracuda and clouds of
antheas. Whale sharks have been spotted at this site on occasions.
(27°11.030'N, 33°58.530'E)
Several good dives are found on the reefs around this island, the most famous the drift dive on the giant fan coral forest at the eastern fringing reefs wall. Napolean fish.
This spectacular wall dive lies on the eastern/southern side of the smaller of the two Giftun islands. Boat moorings on the southern side of the island offer some of the best shelter in the area for overnighting or just a lunch break.
The eastern wall drops sheer to great depths. It is very contoured, and its craggy profile features some interesting caves. Some of these lie fairly deep. One arched swimthrough at over 45m (150ft) is particularly impressive, but lies too deep for many divers. The reef shallows along the southern coast are less challenging, with depths from 18m (60ft) upward.
The reef is well covered with both hard and soft corals. The steep wall section boasts a phenomenal congregation of gorgonians, as well as dense growth of sea whips and antipatharian black corals. The reef shallows are particularly rich in friendly smaller reef fish while big impressive pelagics buzz past in the blue waters off the wall.
(27°09.784'N, 33°59.046'E)
Rising from a flat, sand
seabed around 15m (50ft) deep, this site is even more isolated than Erg Abu
Ramada. About 2km (
Fish life here is
phenomenal, possibly the richest in the area. The smaller reef fishes are well
represented and the sand floor hosts stingrays and even nurse or leopard
sharks. Jacks, barracuda and small tuna can often be seen in big schools off
the reef, and there is always a chance that a gray or whitetip reef shark may
cruise by.
Location Just east of Hurghada harbour, El Mina is an Egyptian minesweeper, sunk
around 1969, by Israeli fighter planes. She rests on a rocky sea bed, sloping
from
Sea Conditions It is always calm here, in fact, the wreck is a bad weather alternative
for those turning back from a blown-out trip to the wrecks at Abu Nuhas.
Current can scream through here from the north but there is always shelter
behind the decks of the ship. Visibility is usually somewhere between poor and
disastrous.
Dive Plan The wreck is only 60-
Marine Life The wreck is generally fish-free and surprisingly unencrusted with
coral except for a few notable exceptions. The blast-hole allows vast hoards of
glassfish to shelter from groups of marauding jackfish. In this area is also a
lone anemone. Leave the clownfish alone, it is already exhausted from defending
its turf against dozens of divers every day. Instead, go and have a look under
the flukes of the anchor (not the paid out one). It harbours a thicket of black
urchins amongst whose spines lurk several cleaner shrimps.
(27°18.700'N, 33°56.200'E)
Two
pinnacles rising from a shallow plateau surrounded by deep water. Magnificent
coral gardens famous for the numerous giant morays encountered there, as well
as the whitetip reef sharks and schooling reef fish.
Location About one hour north-east of Hurghada, a mid-sea reef plateau pushes up
from the abyss. It is mostly in the 12-25-metre range, gently sloping to 22-
Sea Conditions The ergs offer no protection from the sea and this lack of decent
anchorage has saved Carless from its own popularity (divers cannot get here
every day). The current is unpredictable. On the surface, it always comes from
the north but deeper down, it has been known to run any which way.
Dive Plan There are two good dives here. First, drop in to the north of the ergs
and head south along the eastern drop-off, finishing on the southern erg.
Alternatively, dive from the moorings, taking time to explore both sides of the
plateau and circling the ergs in a figure eight.
Marine Life This place is crawling with just about everything. On the plateau keep
an eye out for free-swimming morays, whitetip sharks, turtles and to the north,
a school of bannerfish. On the drop-off look for tuna, giant trevallies, huge
groupers and in the early morning, hammerhead sharks.
Location About
Sea Conditions
Perfectly calm but often a steaming current.
Dive Plan There
is only one dive plan for a small erg like this. Go around it. Do not waste your time on the south side which is dull but make sure you
get to the small northern erg. On the west side is a white sand patch, home to
a large school of goatfish.
Marine Life Turtles,
big puffers, goatfish, Arabian angelfish, emperor angelfish, nudibranch,
lobster and a lot of small reef fish.
South
of the Island, this reef offers superb wall diving with possibilities of
encountering reef sharks and sized groupers. Small wreckage.
Location About 75 minutes
outside Hurghada, on the east side of Giftun Soraya, is Erg Somaya. To the
south is the tower of the Giftun police station, to the north is a prominent
ridge of mountain. The reef slopes steeply to a sandy ledge between 15 and
Sea Conditions The moorings are
very close to the reef, so in rough weather it can be difficult to put a boat
there. The area is ravaged by a strong current much of the time, in which case
it is easier to drift dive.
Dive Plan If you choose to
drift, then jump in to the north and surface at the
boat, which waits on the moorings. Alternatively, the site connects with Small
Giftun Drift. So, drop in at the moorings and follow the wall southward until
you reach the south plateau of Small Giftun. Leave the drop-off and head to the
shallow reef. Shortly after you round the corner, you will start to see the
moorings and your boat should be waiting there. Whichever way you dive it, make
sure you visit the cave to be hypnotised by the billowing curtain of glassfish.
Go through only if you are experienced enough and take your time along the
drop-off to admire the deep rich colours of soft corals and gorgonians.
Marine Life Batfish, barracuda,
tuna, jackfish, Spanish mackerel, napoleonfish, morays, turtles, groupers and
if you are lucky, whitetip sharks. Feeding on glassfish in the cave are
lionfish and redmouth groupers. You can also find Spanish dancers here by
daylight.
(27°08.340'N, 33°57.196'E)
South of the island, a little reef features a shallow plateau also named the "Aquarium" because of the abundant schools of butterflies, banners and snappers here foung swimming around the mountains of coral gardens.
Location On the south-east side of Abu Ramada (60-90 minutes out of Hurghada) is
a wide, sandy shelf, stretching eastward. Just before it drops off, three large
ergs rise up from the seabed (
Sea Conditions Much of the time, the site is too rough to dive, as it is very exposed.
Spared the ravages of divers, it has retained its untouched beauty. All
previous adjectives to describe the current fail here. To say it rips is an
understatement most of the time. And yet, occasionally, it is as calm and
placid a place as you could ever want to dive.
Dive Plan Do not waste your time going to the drop-off (
Marine Life It would be easier to list what you do not see than what you do see but
most obvious are morays, napoleonfish, tuna, barracuda, unicornfish, groupers
and a cloud of millions of tiny anthias.
Location North of Gota Abu Ramada (between 45 and 75 minutes from Hurghada) a wide
swathe of ergs stands on a 12-metre seabed like a field of mushrooms. They
stretch from south-west to north-east and fall into three main zones; Aruk
Diana (south-west), Aruk Giftun (central), Aruk Gigi (north-east).
"Aruk" is simply the Arabic plural for "erg". They also go
by three other names - Aruk Tweil, Shaab Kweiss or the Magic Mushrooms. The
illustration shows Aruk Diana.
Sea Conditions In the lee of Giftun Kebir, they are well protected but they do catch a
strong current from time to time.
Dive Plan Any which way you like but take care not to get lost. If you have a poor sense of direction, choose an
erg central to the area (ie. the split erg in the illustration) and use it as a
reference, passing by it each time you leave one erg and head to the next. Most
people tend to dive around the base of the ergs (the least interesting part).
Do not be afraid to go shallow where the life and colour are most vivid.
Aruk Diana is composed of seven ergs
(six are illustrated), centred around a central split erg. Aruk Giftun is a
group of seven on a rocky seabed. One of the smaller ones has a cavern full of
glassfish, lionfish and scorpionfish. Aruk Gigi is an almost straight line of
eleven. They are close together and each one is easy to see from the next.
Marine Life There are the usual parrotfish, triggerfish and rabbitfish plus
bluespotted rays, morays, various yellowfish and an unusual amount of snowflake
morays
Shallow
labyryth on the south side of the island where lots of blue spotted stingrays,
puffer fishes and morays are found swimming through a pinnacle landscape. Also
drift dive along the eastern wall.
Location Abu Haschish is the island at the centre of a wide bay, 90 minutes
south of Hurghada. The island was once used as a drop-off point for smugglers
bringing hash into the country. A tongue of reef extends about one kilometre
south of the island. The dive site is at its southernmost tip. There is a shelf
between 15 and
Sea Conditions Rough seas often make this site inaccessible from Hurghada, although
the site itself is well protected. Current is mainly north to south and
strongest along the drop-off.
Dive Plan Leave the lagoon through an obvious channel, filled with table corals, cross the shelf to the drop-off and follow it
north. There are some beautiful caves in the 30-metre region. Return along the
inside of the shelf and finish the dive back on the lagoon amongst the ergs.
Marine Life Along the drop-off, pelagics, such as jackfish, barracuda, Spanish
mackerel, whitetip sharks and now and then, hammerhead sharks and feathertail
rays. On the shelf, turtles, bluespotted rays, Spanish dancers, morays,
lunartail and leopard groupers. In the lagoon, squid and baby barracuda
schools.
BANANA REEF
Location Just off the end of Ben el Gebel, in the middle of the Giftun Straits,
sits Banana Reef. It is also known as Gota Ben el Gebel, Gota Torfa el Shait or
more poetically, Shaab Farasha ("Dragonfly Reef"). It is a Y-shaped
reef, lying in shallow water (
Sea Conditions It is pretty well sheltered to the south of the reef where the moorings
are. Current can often be very strong. Being in shallow, sandy water, the
visibility drops dramatically in bad weather.
Dive Plan You can moor up and dive on either side of the reef. The north-east
point has a few shallow caves. The north-west point on the other hand, has a particularly stunning erg. Do not waste time on the lee side
(south) of the reef. It is naturally dead. Head toward the outer reef. At the
corner is a fan-shaped boulder that is home to a school of bannerfish. Here you
should turn away from the main reef and head west. Twenty metres away is a
4-metre high pinaccle, carpeted in purple soft coral, and another
Marine Life Mainly bannerfish but also unicornfish, emperor angelfish and puffers.
BEN EL GEBEL
Location
Between Giftun Soraya and Giftun Kebir
is a narrow strait. A long crescent of reef projects out into it from the north
end of Giftun Soraya - this is Ben el Gebel ("Between the
Mountains"). It also goes by the names of Shaab Torfa, Shaab Dorfa and
Torfa el Shait. At the end of this crescent of reef are five ergs. This is your
dive site. It is about 90 minutes from Hurghada.
Sea Conditions Though waves may be pounding on the outside reef and the wind may be
howling, the lagoon stays calm. You can venture out through the channel. This
whole area is washed by current, which runs through the strait much of the
time.
Dive Plan Exit through the channel at
Marine Life Painted triggerfish, puffers, yellowspine tang, napoleonfish and
onespot snappers populate the reef. Orangespot jackfish hunt the glassfish
beneath the overhangs. On the far north side barracuda and occasionally
whitetip sharks and eagle rays wander through. Close to the reef are clownfish
living in large groups in their anemones.
FANADIR
Location Fanadir is a long, narrow reef, just north of Hurghada. It can be dived
on the south end, on the east side or in good weather, on the north end. The
illustration shows the east side, which is the most popular, as it is protected
from the weather by a slight curve in the reef. It is marked by four low-lying
rocky islets. A shallow hard coral wall slopes (at about 60°) to a sandy ledge
at
Sea Conditions Current comes from the north and is usually mild. The south end and
east side are protected from northerly or north-westerly winds (most of the
time).
Dive Plan The drop-off is naturally sandy, devoid of coral and fairly depressing.
Do not waste your time here, you should be shallow, heading out at 12-
Marine Life This place is crawling with pipefish. They must provide food for the
stonefish, scorpionfish and humpback scorpionfish, which are abound. If you had
to choose any one site to look for stonefish, this should be it. Near the
surface is teeming with silversides and occasionally small packs of tuna and jackfish
cruise by hunting them. Other residents include snowflake morays, yellowmouth
morays, octopus and lots of lionfish. There have also been reports of frogfish,
guitar sharks, mantas and even a hammerhead shark at this site.