reef divesites in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

SS Thistlegorm Wreck

SS Thistlegorm is a World War 2 shipwreck located in the North of the Red Sea in the Strait of […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Jackson Reef

Superb wall diving around its entire perimeter. The locally named “Aquarium” is Tiran’s most popular. ‘Jackson Drift’ is Sharm’s’ fastest and most exhilarating drift dive past a stunning wall bursting with prolific coral growth. In August, September and early October, divers dive off the back of Jackson hoping to glimpse the school of scalloped hammerheads which are often sighted there.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Tiran / Straits of Tiran

Gordon Reef

Gordon Reef is known and easily identified by the wreck of the Panamanian cargo ship Loullia (3461 tonnes) which ran aground in September 1981.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Tiran / Straits of Tiran

Temple

At the center of the Ras Umm Sid bay, a huge coral pillar extends skywards, the reef wall drops to 15m. There are lots of pinnacles which are well worth exploring, this is a good spot to see the octopus. The rest of the site is featureless and it is easy to get lost so don’t forget your compass. Look out for Spanish Dancers, free swimming Moray Eels and other incredible life on a night dive here.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Middle Garden

Really three “gardens” near, middle and far.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Thomas Reef

Tiran’s smallest reef with plunging walls covered with soft coral, gorgonians and colourful fish life. The west wall is darker with overhangs and caves full of glassfish and sweepers. Residents include a school of large barracuda, and in summer months, some of the largest tuna we have ever seen!

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Tiran / Straits of Tiran

Woodhouse Reef

Located between Thomas reef and Jackson Reef, Woodhouse Reef is narrow and long and thus offers no shelter at all to boats. This dive is done only as a drift dive.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Tiran / Straits of Tiran

S.S. Dunraven Wreck

This historic wreck was a 79 meters long, British steam sail ship that was built in Newcastle and struck the […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Ras Nasrani

This site can be accessed by a four-wheel-drive vehicle as well as boats. The reef drops from the shallow bays […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Ras Bob

Site was named as a tribute to an underwater cameraman Bob Johnson who worked in the area for many years. […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Near Garden

Really three “gardens” near, middle and far. “Near” garden is just a few minutes from Naama Bay and is a great spot for a night dive with a sandy ledge sloping away to 25m. Look out for flashlight fish at night and napoleons, blue spotted stingrays and the odd grey reef shark in daylight hours.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Ras Caty

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Shark Bay

Contrary to what you might expect, Sharks Bay is not frequented by sharks. This is a shore entry dive which […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Ras Katy

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Naama Bay

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Far Garden

Really three “gardens” near, middle and far. The most seaward of the gardens (far), is a colorful fringing reef with a slope to 25m and dotted with small “ergs” At the top of the drop off there is a few pinnacles frequently visited by pelagics. Glass fish caves are in the reef wall at 12m.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Small Crack / Small passage

Small split in the middle of Shaab Mahmoud’s barrier

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Ras Ghamila

Ras Gamila (“Delightful Cape” in Arabic) separates a vast and rather shallow sandy lagoon from the sea. It is an […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Carnatic Wreck

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Sha’ab Abu Nuhas

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Paradise

Northern side of Ras Umm Sidd wall, fully decorated ergs rise from a gentle slope, home to schools of glass fish against a colourful background of soft corals.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

The Alternatives

Stingray Station is the most western Erg on the Alternatives. The Alternatives is a sheltered reef just west of Raas […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Tower

Tower is a spectacular dive site characterised by a deep canyon whose walls descend vertically for over 120m. It is a lovely drift dive with a strikingly beautiful underwater landscape. It is rich in reef fauna with many Parrotfish, Moray Eels, marauding Trevallies and look carefully for the Cube boxfish.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

The Barge Bluff Point

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Siyul Kebira

Turtles, giant puffer fish, lion fish and moray eels can often be seen here

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Bluff Point Wreck

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

White Knight

The reef wall drops away to a sandy plateau at about 13m, at the center is a gully with swim throughs at 10m and 35m. There is an eel garden to the north. This sheltered site is home to trigger fish, groupers and the occasional manta.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

El Gilwa

There are 3 separate mooring points here allowing 4 different dives depending on the direction of the current, or a drift along the whole area.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Naama Bay House Reef

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Ras Peter – Tank Reef

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Tiran Strait – Lagoon Reef

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Tiran / Straits of Tiran

Laguna Reef

Rich in coral and reef fauna it is possible to observe Leopard Sharks and White Tip Reef Sharks.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Tiran / Straits of Tiran

Beacon Rock

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Kormoran Wreck

On the north of Tiran Island, this can only be dived in extremely good sea conditions but is an absolute gem. The twisted wreckage of this large container ship is in only 6 – 8 metres of water and surrounded by prolific hard coral.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Tiran / Straits of Tiran

Poseidon Reef @ Shaab El Erg

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Sheraton House Reef

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Small Gubal

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Ras Ghazlani

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Kingston Wreck / Sarah H wreck

The wreck of the Kingston lies on the eastern side of the southern of two large pieces of the reef […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Ras Bob & Ras Nasrani

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Shaab El Erg reef (Poisedon Reef)

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

S.S. Ulysses Wreck

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Siyul Soraya / Siyul Saghira / Small Siyul

Although, as its name suggests, this is the smaller of the two Siyul islands, it has a much larger reef […]

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Erg Abu Nugar

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh, Gubal Straits

Amphoras

The name of this site derives from 17th century shipwreck of a Turkish vessel with a cargo of amphoras containing mercury. Amphoras lies southwest of Tower and is generally dived in the afternoon as a drift. The topography is quite simple, a sandy slope that begins at 12m that has many coral pinnacles to explore for small pipefish, nudibranch and scorpionfish hiding amongst the nooks and crannies. Although there are not many, the remains of the Turkish vessel cargo are always fascinating. The most interesting part lies between 18m and 25m.

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Tiger Bay

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Stingray City / Stingray Station

Stingray Station is the most western Erg on the Alternatives. There are plenty of small ergs which are covered in […]

Egypt, Ras Muhammad National Park, Gubal Straits

Temple Reef

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

College Reef

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh

Stella Beach Reef

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh