Seven hidden underwater gems in Egypt

CAIRO – 29 November 2017: Being a resort town visitor, historical places explorer, or even a resident is not enough to know all of Egypt’s hidden gems and getaways. Today, we provide you with a chance to find out about seven of Egypt’s best underwater hidden gems.

There is a hidden gem beneath the surface of the Red Sea in Egypt, where millions of pristine coral reefs are situated and various sea creatures live, such as sharks, sea turtles and dolphins, making the bottom of the Red Sea a hidden world and the perfect diving spot.


Photo1: White Tip reff shark in a cave at Marsa Alam, Red Sea, August, 27, 2011 – Wikimedia.com/ Dereck Keats.

Fortunately, Egypt hosts many impressive diving sites along the Red Sea’s shores – some of them are appealing to divers, while others aren’t accessible.
These diving sites are distributed throughout Egypt’s Red Sea cities.

In Marsa Allam City:
Although it is a small town on the western shore of the Red Sea, it is excellent for diving.
The diving season there is year–round, and in the late summer and early autumn the city enjoys the most wonderful warm temperatures.

Elphinstone Reef (Sha’ab Abu Hamra)

This site attracts divers seeking sharks such as the hammerhead shark and oceanic white-tip. It is famous for its strong, ever-changing currents, deep caves and coral plateaus. It lies in the open ocean, over seven miles (12 kilometers) from the Marsa Abu Dahab coastline. It is an enjoyable two-hour drive from Port Ghalib. Its diving depth ranges from 100 to 213 feet, which is sufficient for exploration. You can gaze over at the sarcophagus archway, but it is accessible only for technically trained divers.

Dolphin House (Sha’ab Samadai)

It is a familiar diving site, as it permits both trained and non-trained divers to go down and is accessible all year long. It is host approximately 60 spinner dolphins to swim and snorkel at a time. It has many immense stalagmites and fascinating coral formations.


Photo 2: Reef teeming with variety of fish in Mrasa Alam Divingh site, February 17, 2014 – wikimedia.com/


In Hurghada:

As well as being one of the most visited resort towns in South Sinai, it is also known as one the best diving sites in the world.

Marsa Abu Galawa

It stretches for 14 kilometers around the North East of Hurghada between Biftun Island and Shaab Umm Qamar. It is full of moray eels and white-tip reef sharks. It is 200 meters long with reef top and has two pinnacles at 12 meters.


Fannadir

It is one of Hurghada’s largest coral reefs. It has been a protected marine area since 2006. Its dive depth ranges from 12 meters to 22 meters, making both shallow and deep dives possible.

Abu Hashish

It is also known as “Father of Grass” because the sea grass beds in the area. You can swim down the slope at the base to enjoy the view of coral reefs.


In Safaga:

Safaga is popular for its diving sites; diving is in fact the most famous activity and sport in the area.


Sandy Island
It is a sand bottom at a depth of 6-10 meters. The reef which extends northwards is 25 meters long. It has all kinds of hard corals; amongst the most beautiful are table corals, fire corals and brain corals. Pipe fishes, parrot fishes, doctor fishes, and sea turtles also call it home.

Ras Abu Soma Garden
It lies at the Northern end of Safaga Bay with a depth of 25 meters. The excellent visibility and nearby drop-off invites divers to spend unique moments there, where you can see old table corals, grey reef sharks, white-tip reef sharks, stingrays, hammerhead sharks, eagle rays, as well as many other big fish.