The reef

Dive sites of the Egyptian Red Sea.

Sixteen sites we visit week-in week-out. Walls and wrecks south of Hurghada, sun-bright reefs around the Giftun islands, and the famous offshore pinnacles where the big fish patrol the blue.

The map

Where we dive

Every reef, wreck and wall along the Hurghada–Safaga coast. Tap a pin or a site to read its briefing.

Dive Sites · Red Sea Satellite

Where we'll take you.

Real coastline, real coordinates. Select a site to scout it, then click through for the full briefing.

All levels Advanced

30 sites

Hurghada

Hurghada drift

Abu Ramada South

A spectacular drift along a vibrant fringing reef south of Giftun Island. Schooling barracuda, batfish, and the occasional eagle ray patrol the deeper edges while the shallow reef explodes with anthias.

↓ 30m 👁 25m intermediate

Hurghada reef

Abu Ramada North

The gentler twin of Abu Ramada South — calmer current, shallower reef, ideal for newly-certified Open Water divers and underwater photographers.

↓ 18m 👁 25m beginner

Hurghada pinnacle

Erg Abu Ramada

An iconic offshore pinnacle rising from 30 m to within 4 m of the surface. Three towers connected by saddles, festooned in soft coral and patrolled by big fish.

↓ 30m 👁 30m intermediate

Hurghada reef

Gota Abu Ramada

Nicknamed 'The Aquarium' for good reason — the densest, most riotous fish life of any easy reef in the Hurghada area. The first dive every visiting photographer asks for.

↓ 14m 👁 25m beginner

Hurghada reef

Abu Hashish

A sprawling reef system south of Hurghada with multiple dive profiles in one location — wall, sandy slope, lagoon, and seagrass beds where turtles graze and dugongs occasionally appear.

↓ 25m 👁 20m beginner

Hurghada lagoon

Abu Hashish Lagoon

A protected sandy lagoon inside the Abu Hashish reef system — flat, calm, and packed with critters. Our favourite spot for buoyancy training and macro photography.

↓ 12m 👁 15m beginner

Hurghada wall

Abu Hashish South

The southern wall of the Abu Hashish system. A vibrant drop-off that descends past 30 m, with reef sharks patrolling the blue and dramatic soft-coral overhangs.

↓ 35m 👁 25m intermediate

Hurghada wreck

El Mina Wreck

A 70 m Egyptian minesweeper sunk during the 1967 war, lying on her port side at 32 m. The most dramatic and accessible wreck in the Hurghada area — and a highlight of any Advanced Open Water course.

↓ 32m 👁 15m intermediate

Hurghada wreck

Excalibur Wreck

A steel cargo vessel resting upright on a sandy bottom at 18–22 m — ideal for Open Water and Advanced divers alike. Minutes from the Hurghada shore, with dense fish life colonising every surface.

↓ 22m 👁 12m beginner

Hurghada wreck

El Malek

A wreck-and-reef combo south of Hurghada Marina. The remains of the El Malek tug rest on a sandy slope at 28 m beside a vibrant coral garden — two dives in one site.

↓ 28m 👁 20m intermediate

Hurghada reef

Shaab El Erg

A big horseshoe reef north of Hurghada with a shallow sandy lagoon that a resident pod of spinner dolphins uses to rest — the best shot at wild dolphins anywhere on our day-trip map.

↓ 28m 👁 20m beginner

Hurghada reef

Abu Nugar

A cluster of shallow coral heads and small reefs north of Hurghada — easy, bright, fish-filled diving that works equally well as a check dive or a relaxed second dive of the day.

↓ 20m 👁 20m beginner

Hurghada reef

Abu Galawa

A sheltered reef group north of Hurghada with a sandy eel garden and gently sloping coral — relaxed, photogenic diving that rarely sees current.

↓ 28m 👁 22m beginner

Hurghada wall

Umm Gamar

A crescent-shaped island reef north of Hurghada with a sheer eastern wall, three coral towers off the south tip and a glassfish-packed plateau — one of the area's classic deeper reef dives.

↓ 30m 👁 25m intermediate

Hurghada pinnacle

Shabruhr Umm Gamar

A line of submerged ergs and a coral ridge just south of Umm Gamar island, scattered with small wreckage — a quieter, deeper alternative to its famous neighbour.

↓ 30m 👁 25m intermediate

Hurghada pinnacle

Careless Reef

Two coral pinnacles rising from a plateau between Giftun and Umm Gamar, famous for big morays, turtles and shark sightings in the blue — an advanced site that lives and dies by the current.

↓ 40m 👁 30m advanced

Hurghada drift

El Fanadir

A long reef wall running parallel to the coast just off Hurghada — the area's go-to drift dive, with a sloping garden on the inside and a sheer drop on the outside.

↓ 30m 👁 22m intermediate

Hurghada reef

El Fanous

A shallow reef and lagoon close to Hurghada with table corals, resident turtles and a Napoleon wrasse or two — an easy, sociable site that often gets a dolphin fly-by.

↓ 20m 👁 20m beginner

Hurghada lagoon

Turtle Bay

A shallow, sheltered lagoon system near El Fanadir, named for the green turtles that graze its seagrass — calm, warm and shallow enough for snorkellers and first-timers.

↓ 14m 👁 18m beginner

Hurghada wall

Small Giftun

The dramatic eastern side of Small Giftun island — a steep wall and plateau swept by current, with gorgonian fans, big Napoleons and the chance of tuna and sharks in the blue.

↓ 30m 👁 28m advanced

Hurghada pinnacle

Erg Somaya

A soft-coral pinnacle near Small Giftun that erupts with colour and clouds of anthias — a compact, current-fed site that photographers love.

↓ 30m 👁 28m advanced

Hurghada reef

Grand Coral

An expansive offshore reef plateau with multiple coral heads, schooling fish, and reliable visibility. A favourite second dive on day-trips north.

↓ 22m 👁 25m beginner

Hurghada pinnacle

El Aruk Giftun

A shallow sandy plateau off Big Giftun studded with dozens of small coral pinnacles — a bright, easy 'coral garden' that's a joy to wander and a favourite for photos.

↓ 16m 👁 25m beginner

Hurghada reef

Magawish

A spread of shallow coral blocks and small reefs around Magawish island, close to shore — easy diving with anemone clownfish, stingrays and the occasional barracuda patrol.

↓ 14m 👁 18m beginner

Hurghada wall

Hamda

A coral wall and slope on the north side of Big Giftun, with overhangs and cracks hiding morays and groupers and tuna passing in the blue — a step up from the easy Giftun reefs.

↓ 25m 👁 25m intermediate

Hurghada reef

Banana Reef

A curved, banana-shaped reef between the two Giftun islands, dressed in soft corals with eagle rays over the sand — a pretty, easygoing mid-depth dive.

↓ 22m 👁 25m intermediate

Hurghada lagoon

Torfa El Shahed

A shallow lagoon and pinnacle field near Banana Reef, soft-coral pillars rising into easy water with turtles, rays and anemone gardens — gentle, colourful and forgiving.

↓ 14m 👁 22m beginner

Hurghada reef

Shaab Sabina

A maze-like coral garden between the Giftun islands, all swim-throughs and labyrinthine channels in shallow water — easy to dive, hard to leave, and an easy drift when the current is up.

↓ 14m 👁 25m beginner

Hurghada reef

Ras Abdalla

A quiet point dive south of Hurghada with excellent macro life — ghost pipefish, nudibranchs, and the occasional seahorse hide in the seagrass beds.

↓ 18m 👁 15m beginner

Hurghada wall

Sharm El Arab

A beautiful, lesser-visited reef in the northern Hurghada area. Quiet, photogenic, and packed with coral diversity on a gentle wall.

↓ 25m 👁 25m intermediate

3 sites

Other

Other wreck

SS Thistlegorm

The most famous wreck in the Red Sea — a British WWII armed merchant ship sunk in 1941, her holds still packed with motorcycles, trucks, rifles and railway locomotives. A bucket-list dive in the Strait of Gubal.

↓ 32m 👁 20m advanced

Other wreck

Giannis D

The most photogenic of the four Abu Nuhas wrecks — a Greek cargo ship that struck the reef in 1983 and broke into three. Her dramatically tilted stern, with engine room and mast, is one of the Red Sea's best wreck dives.

↓ 27m 👁 25m intermediate

Other wreck

Carnatic

The oldest and most beautiful of the Abu Nuhas wrecks — a P&O steam-and-sail ship wrecked in 1869. More than 150 years of coral has turned her elegant skeleton into a living reef draped in soft corals and glassfish.

↓ 27m 👁 25m advanced

1 sites

Safaga

Safaga wreck

Salem Express

A solemn, beautiful, and demanding dive on a 110 m passenger ferry that sank off Safaga in 1991. A grave site treated with respect — and one of the most evocative wreck dives in the Red Sea, run as a day trip from Hurghada.

↓ 32m 👁 20m advanced

2 sites

Makadi Bay

Makadi Bay reef

Fort Arabesque House Reef

A gem of a shore-accessible house reef in Makadi Bay. Walk in from the beach, descend over a sloping garden, and find a thriving coral wall ten metres from your towel.

↓ 18m 👁 18m beginner

Makadi Bay pinnacle

Gota Abu Makadi

An exposed offshore pinnacle south of Makadi Bay — current-fed, fish-rich, and a reliable spot for pelagics in the blue.

↓ 30m 👁 30m advanced

1 sites

Sahl Hasheesh

Sahl Hasheesh reef

Ras Disha

A shore-accessible point dive on the Sahl Hasheesh peninsula. Easy entry, gradual slope, and a small wreck on the sandy bottom for variety.

↓ 18m 👁 18m beginner

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