HURGHADA Area (Egypt)
Back to Egypt
- If seas are calm, dive the next reef in line: Sha'ab Umm Qamar.
-
- This very vital little reef boasts a small wreck at depths of 25m (82 feet). If conditions are unfavorable for diving, proceed to the island of Umm Qamar itself, which lies just 2km (1.2 miles) away.
- The best spot to anchor for the night in this region, or to seek shelter from the strong northerly winds, lies off the southern side of Little Giftun Island. Moor along the co-ordinates listed above in the spacious lagoon formed here. The reef wall just east of the mooring point is a highly attractive dive spot.
-
Just to the north is a flat rocky island with a length of 1km (0.6 miles). A lone pinnacle called Erg Camel lies off its eastern side. Its isolation in the stream of the current produces very favorable conditions for coral growth, and many fish species are attracted to it as if to a magnet.
- One of the most attractive of these is the Sha'ab Abu Ramada reef.
- It is located about 11km (6.8 miles) southeast of Hurghada, and 3km (1.8 miles) southwest of its larger countepart: Abu Ramada.
- This reef has earned the nickname "The Aquarium" thanks to its enormous schools of fish. Even reef fish typically found in pairs tend to cluster in large groups here.
-
-
The reef is fairly flat, and is surrounded by clean level sand at depths of 12-15m (40-49 feet). The moray eels inhabiting the many caves on its western side make up for the relative scarceness of other marine life. But fish populations increase dramatically along the northern wall.
- The enormous schools of bannerfish are particularly impressive, although many other reef fish are well represented here.
- The eastern section of the reef has a very different character. Soft corals and rocky outcrops predominate. It is a short way back to the mooring which lies to the center of the southern side of the reef.
- Careless Reef lies 5km (3.1 miles) north of Giftun, and rivals The Aquarium in its popularity. But the splendid isolation of Careless Reef may only be broken if weather conditions are very mild, as it offers virtually no protection against high seas. The extended community of moray eels which populate this reef is largely responsible for its fame.
- Qamar or "moon" in Arabic is the name of a solitary little island bearing a lighthouse which lies about halfway to Shadwan, 9km (5.6 miles) north of Giftun and 16km (9.9 miles) from Hurghada.
- The island, approximately 400m (437 yards) in length, is positioned at the southern tip of a very long reef stretching for a distance of 2km (1.2 miles).
- Typically, lone reefs or islets tend to attract pelagic fish, and this is clearly the case here. Pause to look out to sea every now and then while diving, and you might be rewarded with the sight of sharks, mantas, and eagle rays cruising past the reef wall.
- The most popular diving area lies to the southeast, where the island itself forms a protective barrier against wind and waves.
Back to top
