El Fanadir
Also known as: Gota 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.
Photo: Derek Keats (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
- Max depth
- 30 m
- Visibility
- 22 m
- Current
- variable
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Boat time
- 40 min
- Suitable for
- discover, open-water, advanced
Site map
Location
El Fanadir is a long reef that runs parallel to the shore, close enough to Hurghada that it is often our first dive of the day. The inside is a gentle coral slope that is easy and sheltered; the outside is a steeper wall that you can drift along when there is current. It rewards slow eyes — this is prime hunting ground for camouflaged scorpionfish, stonefish and octopus.
Site highlights
- Several kilometres of reef to drift along
- Sheltered inner slope for easy diving
- Critter hunting: scorpionfish, stonefish, octopus
- Short boat ride — perfect first dive of the day
Marine life on this site
Nearby dive sites
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.
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.