ScubaDahab
What the diving is like
Many hotels around Marsa Alam have their own house reefs for shore diving, and day boats reach Elphinstone, the famous reef where oceanic whitetip sharks appear in autumn. Abu Dabbab bay is known for green turtles in the seagrass.
Further south, Hamata is the base for day trips to Sha'ab Sataya, the 'Dolphin House', and the reefs of Fury Shoals with their caverns and coral towers.
Liveaboards from Port Ghalib
Port Ghalib marina, a few minutes from Marsa Alam airport, is the main base for southern liveaboards: Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone with short crossings, St. John's, Rocky & Zabargad, Fury Shoals and the Deep South. Hamata, further south, serves a few boats and day trips.
When to go
All year, and the south is a little warmer in winter than the north. Shark season at Elphinstone and the Brothers runs roughly from October to December for oceanic whitetips; hammerheads are most likely in early summer.
Top dive sites
- Elphinstone: oceanic whitetips in autumn, plateaus at both ends
- Abu Dabbab: seagrass bay with turtles
- Sha'ab Sataya: spinner dolphins, from Hamata
- Abu Galawa: Fury Shoals reef with a tugboat wreck
- Daedalus: offshore reef with hammerheads
