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Abu Nuhas
Site Name: Abu Nuhas
Rating: 
Remarks: Ship graveyard. Wrecks on the north side. Can only be dived under good weather conditions.
Level: medium-advanced
Intro: A reasonably large reef located two miles north of Shedwan Island; its strategic position at the threshold of the Straits of Gubal caused several ships to sink on its northern side until the lighthouse was built. The remains of some of them can still be seen on top of the reef. The first ship to sink here long ago, its name unknown, was carrying copper (in Arabic ”Nuhas”) plates among other items, hence the name of the reef. The Carnatic and another three known wrecks offer superb diving opportunities.
Dive Plan: The boat can only moor on the northern side in calm days. After diving the Giannis D, it is possible to come back to the boat diving through an interesting coral garden
Four of the most famous wrecks:
A - Giannis D - Originally from Greece, on route from Rijeka to Hodeida, carrying timber. Length 100m, beam 15m, Sank 19/4/1983. Lies in 5-23m of water.
B - Carnatic - Originally from Great Britain, on route from Suez to Bombay, carrying cotton, wine and gold coins. Length 98m, beam 13m, sank 14/9/1869. Lies in 17-24m of water.
C - Chrisoula K - Originally from Greece, on route from Gallipolli to Jeddah, carrying floor tiles. Length 101m, beam 15m, sank 30/8/1981. Lies in 1-25m of water.
D - Kimon M - Originally from Panama, on route from Iskandarum to Bombay, carrying lentils. Length 106m, beam 15m, sank 12/12/1978. Lies in 28m of water.
REMARKS:
A: Cargo was washed ashore and recovered by locals. Bow was stuck out of the water for years. Now fully underwater, it makes an interesting dive.
B: Ship evacuated late, causing the loss of 27 lives. Rests on its port side. Bow and stern separated.
C: Cargo not yet recovered. Bow section badly damaged. Penetration not recommended since recent collapse.
D: Sank in stages, bow last. Rests on its port side. Penetration not recommended since recent collapse.
Corals: Great coral life - due to reef being very exposed.
Fish: Lots of schooling around the wrecks. Look out for Napoleon Wrasse and Batfish. |
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Intro: Group of reefs less than 200 m south of Abu Nuhas, their sheltered situation makes an ideal alternative for windy days, when the wrecks on the north side of Abu Nuhas cannot be dived. It is also a perfect afternoon dive.
Dive Plan: The biggest of the three reef patches is also the most sheltered, and offers the best dive around the southeast corner. If the current is not too strong, it is possible to reach the two pinnacles that rise from a sandy patch in a three minutes swim. From the anchorage, set the compass from the boat before jumping in the water (only one of them can be seen from the surface, since the other is 8 m deep), or simply follow a 70° course. Once you have dived through them, go back to the main reef towards the northwest, and follow it on the way back to the boat. The reef wall slopes gently here, and creates shelves and ”terraces” at different levels, as well as coral heads emerging from the sandy bottom beside the reef.
Corals: Hard corals like porites, table corals and other acroporas form the main reef, with fire coral appearing in large quantities as well. The two pinnacles are a real festival of colors, ranging from orange and red sponges incrusted on the sides, to purple, orange and pink soft corals alcyonaria on several points. Giant fan corals and gorgonia also grow around them.
Fish: The name of the reef refers to the yellow fish (sweetlips, bannerfish, masked butterflyfish...) that populate the reef. Beside them, lots of small fish certainly make this dive attractive: glass fish, damsels, silversides, fusiliers… all move in unison while ambushed by the amberjacks, barracudas and leopard groupers that prey on them. Turtles, whitetip reef sharks and napoleon wrasse are also commonly found here.
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Blind Reef
Site Name: Blind Reef
Rating:
Remarks: Also called Shaab Ruhr Siyul. Current, sometimes quite strong.
Level: Medium-Advanced
Intro: Blind reef is an elongated barrier reef lying east to west less than two miles north of Shedwan island, near the Siyul islands. Pretty steep walls drop all around to an average depth of 30 m, with further slopes to greater depths. The west side is an exception to that, with a rather narrow plateau going from 20 to 35 m and then falling into deeper water.
Dive Plan: The current usually runs south, splitting in the middle of the north side. Thus, the most common diveplan is to jump there (midway on the north side of the reef) and drift all the way back to the boat that waits moored on the south-east corner. Boomies and big coral heads are found all along the dive, where the reef wall meets the sandy slope.
Corals: The coral heads at the bottom are often hollow with red whip-coral growing inside. Some alcyonarian soft coral covers the outside. Black coral bushes are found on the northwest plateau and other points. Fire coral, table coral, pale-blue acroporas and other hard corals form the main wall.
Fish: The north plateau is populated by red-tooth triggerfish and african smoke angelfish. Glassfish are present in all the caves and crevices. Schooling fusiliers and silversides dwell in the blue, as well as jacks and tunas. Morays, pufferfish, sumana grouper and turtles are often in residence.
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Small Siyul
Site Name: Small Siyul
Rating:
Remarks: Small island; also named ”Siyul soraya”. Mild current sometimes.
Level: medium
Intro: Although the island itself is much smaller in size than its big sister, one mile east, the Small Siyul possesses the largest reef of the area. A long, narrow reef arm extends on its east side creating a shallow anchorage on the south side. The best dive is on the outer part (north) of this reef tongue.
Dive Plan: Divers are usually taken by zodiac or simply jump from the boat on the north side of the reef, at about the level of the two small rocky islets to the east of the main island. From there, they follow the reef wall on their right hand side until the very end, where it turns around and leads to the place where the boat waits moored. A little current often helps. The reef wall slopes gently to some 16 m. at the beginning, and becomes shallower – up to 12 m. - as you approach the eastern end. Coral heads rise from the sandy bottom all along the itinerary.
Corals: In the beginning of the dive, enormous giant fan corals can be found close to each other The coral heads are covered in a fair amount of alcionaryan soft coral. Acroporas, table corals, fire corals and porites form the reef slope. Purple gorgonias and black sponges coat the whole reef. A portion of the main reef extends further north, supporting a true red whip coral forest on top.
Fish: Jacks, snappers, fusiliers, sohal surgeon, unicorn fish and sweetlips school here in large amounts. Napoleon wrasse, turtles and groupers are the big ones commonly found. Specific to this divesite are the yellowlips and longnose emperorfish, the african angelfish and the parrotfish, all of which are abundant here.
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Gobal Island
Site Name: Gobal Island
Rating:
Remarks: Deep wall. Current. Wrecks. Good anchorage. Also known as ”Bluff Point”.
Level: Advanced
Intro: Most northern point of the area. A large wreck lies north of the Island, the Ullysses, a British freighter with a variety of cargo ranging from tiles to electrical equipment and ceramic insulation. The Ullysses sank at the beginning of the century, when she was on the way from London to Shanghai. Another small barge is found on the south side on the anchorage. The remains of the ”Seabreeze”, a diving boat that caught fire and sank in 1989 can also be found at some 30 metres west of the barge.
Dive Plan: The wreck on the north side can be found beside the metal pieces that stand on top of the reef, lying on the reef-slope between 3 and 27 m. The most common alternative is a drift dive along the eastern wall, jumping in and following the reef all the way down. The currents here can be tricky, as the southerly stream meets the flow that comes out of the lagoon running eastwards, creating some unpredictable ”backwashing”, hence the name ”Bluff Point”. Safari boats often spend the night on the southern anchorage, where a great night dive can be made on the two small wrecks at a depth of 10-12 m.
Corals: Due to the currents and exposed situation, both the wrecks and the eastern wall are richly covered with all sort of corals, ranging from porites, tables and other acroporas to gorgonias, giant fans, whips, colorful sponges and alcyonarian soft corals.
Fish: Napoleon wrasse is often found here, as well as turtles, morays, jacks and occasionally whitetip reef sharks. The night dive on the barge is a perfect chance to see crocodile fish, torpedo, octopus, many lionfish and small white morays.
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Shaab El Erg (Dolphin House Section)
Site Name: Shaab El Erg (Dolphin House Section)
Rating:
Remarks: Shallow dive. Good anchorage in the lagoon
Level: medium-advanced
Intro: Shaab el Erg, literally ”The reef of the pinnacles”, is an extremely long reef barrier with the shape of a horseshoe and multitude of little coral heads scattered all over the inner lagoon. Bottlenose dolphins are often seen in the area. The north part of the reef offers decent diving over a bottom at an average depth of 14 m, but the best choice is still the erg at the western end of it. The section of the reef described here is known as Dolphin House.
Dive Plan: Due to its small size, the whole erg can be surrounded in a single dive, starting in either direction and eventually leaving the main formation to swim around some smaller ”satellite” reefs that grow at some distance from it.
There is a small cave in the north side at a depth of 5 m
Corals: The reef mass slopes gently to a sandy bottom, with huge table corals and other kinds of hard corals (acropora and stylophora sp.) emerging from the slope. Some areas are partially covered with algae, while black and red sponges give a touch of color. Soft coral, giant fan and yellow gorgonias are found on the north side, around the cave.
Fish: Although Dolphins are the main attraction, lots of fusiliers and silversides swim in the blue all around the reef. Turtles and Napoleon wrasse are often seen on this dive. Eaglerays are occasionally encountered here, too. Lionfish and glassfish school in the caves.
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Abu Nugar (Erg Abu Nugar Section)
Site Name: Abu Nugar (Erg Abu Nugar Section)
Rating:
Remarks: Also called Erg Iris. Group of ergs; requires orientation. Current sometimes.
Level: Easy
Intro: Abu Nugar is quite a large barrier reef found less than one hour from the El Gouna Marina. Smaller in size than its neighbour Shaab el Erg, it has in common with it the frequent encounters with a pod of Bottlenose dolphins. The site described here is known as Erg Abu Nugar, and consists of a group of pinnacles south of the barrier.
Dive Plan: With the boat moored on one of the two buoys on the south, proceed to dive around the two bigger ergs that lie just beside them, and head north after that. Pinnacles, coral heads and other smaller reef patches are found all the way to the big reef on the northern extreme. Keep swimming in that direction until you reach 100 bar, and start returning to the boat once you reach that point.
Corals: The pinnacles are mostly formed by hard corals, although some alcyonarian can be found at certain spots. Yellow and purple gorgonias are present all along the dive, as are giant fan corals. The tunnel, is richly decorated with all of the above. Enormous table corals lie on the sandy bottom beside the reef towers.
Fish: An eagle ray is the luckiest encounter you may have here; sights of napoleon wrasse, barracuda, turtles and moray eels are more frequent, as well as the poisonous stone and devil fish. Octopi are also commonly found. Jackfish, royal angelfish and yellowlips emperor are permanent inhabitants of this place. Glassfish are found in several caves and overhangs.
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Shabaha
Site Name: Shabaha
Rating:
Remarks: Only under very good weather conditions. Quite a strong current at times.
Level: medium-advanced
Intro: ”Shabaha” is Arabic for a small reef, a young coral formation that has not yet reached the surface (its topside is 5-6 m below the water’s surface). Shabaha is then a generic name; locals so call this little erg found at the very northern point of the Abu Galawa system.
Dive Plan: Due to its reduced dimensions, this reef can be completed in a single dive. It does not make much difference which direction to dive it, although it seems the current, if any, usually breaks on the east side, making it advisable to swim clockwise, starting the dive with no current and returning with it.
Corals: The reef slopes gently on the sides with acroporas and other hard corals. The current breaks on A, as shown by the proliferation of soft corals and colorful gorgonias. Giant fan corals expand, opening wide to the oncoming stream. The north side offers a beautiful sight, with several canyons penetrating the slope full of table corals coming out of the reef wall.
Fish: Fusiliers, longnose emperor and jackfish largely school beside the reef. Other common dwellers are leopard pufferfish, sumana grouper and humphead parrotfish. Devilfish crawl on the rubble, while octopi hide amongst cracks and crevices. African Angelfish gives the colour note to this exceptional divesite. This site is also great for night-diving when there's not too much wind - lobsters are very common here.
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Gota Abu Galawa North
Site Name: Gota Abu Galawa North
Rating:
Remarks: Group of little submerged reefs; requires orientation and good weather. Mild current sometimes.
Level: medium
Intro: East of the most southerly point of Abu Galawa barrier reef lies a reasonably large half-moon shaped reef, easily recognizable by the two metal bars that stick clear out of the water on both extremes. Locals call this reef "Gota Abu Galawa". This dive takes place on the north side of Gota Abu Galawa, on a group of underwater hills, some of them nearly reaching the surface, others not.
Dive Plan: The boat is usually moored on the big erg. The diveplan follows the small submerged reef patches found to the north of it. Follow the edge of the little drop-off that runs northwards. Bomies and coral heads, rise from a sandy seabed at a depth of 10-12 m, which is deeper on the seaward side. As you reach 100 bar, start returning to the boat while ascending to the upper part of these small reefs, where fauna is specially plentiful and vibrant.
Corals: Good range of branching hard corals: Acroporas, table coral, staghorn coral, salad coral. Fire coral is also fairly abundant. Soft corals, gorgonias and giant fans form the scenery at certain points.
Fish: This dive has a lot of small fish, like little damsels, silversides and glassfish. Fusiliers, bigeye squirrel, goatfish and sweetlips school here in large quantities. African and smoke angelfish are permanent residents of this spot. Octopus, solefish and triton shell can often be seen here as well. The luckiest encounter, though, is the pod of bottlenose dolphins that is getting used to the presence of divers, and shows up more and more often during the dive.
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Gota Abu Galawa South
Site Name: Gota Abu Galawa South
Rating:
Remarks: Good for schooling. Mild current sometimes.
Level: easy
Intro: This is, together with Carless reef, the most southern point reached on a daily excursion from El Gouna. On the south side of Gota Abu Galawa (see Gota Abu Galawa north), a group of pinnacles of different sizes and shapes rise from a shallow sandy bottom. This labyrinth of ergs connects with "El fanadir" most northerly tip, where the Hurghada diving area starts.
Dive Plan: As anchorages are fairly abundant here, this dive is best done jumping on the south side of the Gota, and swimming through the ergs on the way to the boat that waits moored at the next point. Of course, on windy days, this dive can be carried out from the boat mooring at 2 as well, and starting through the passage to join the itinerary mentioned above.
Corals: The ergs boast a dense assortment of hard coral species. Acroporas, staghorns and table coral form the sides of the passage. Purple soft coral, sarcophyton, and giant fan coral covers the reef at certain points, especially on the eastern side of the most northerly ergs, where a mild current at times favors the growth of the most colorful species.
Fish: Damsels, antias and silversides colonize the reef all over. Cuttlefish and octopus are found amongst the outcrops and crevices. Stingrays
are occasionally seen, as are turtles and devilfish. Lionfish, african angelfish, trumpetfish and jackfish are permanent residents here. Watch for small nudibranches as well.
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El Fanadir
Site Name: El Fanadir
Rating:
Remarks: Sand drop off to a depth of +60mtr
Level: medium-advanced-Tec
Intro: El Fanadir is an extremely long reef barrier that extend to more than 2 km
Dive Plan: Due to its big size, the whole site can not be covered in a single dive
Notes: The reef mass slopes gently to a sandy bottom start with 10 mtr depth close to the reef
Corals: hard corals,table corals, fire corals
Fish: Jacks, snappers, fusiliers, sohal surgeon, unicorn fish and sweetlips
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Wreck Diving
Although still weather dependent, El Gouna's position puts it closer to some of the finest wrecks in the Red Sea than the diving centres in nearby Hurghada.
Abhu Nuhas and Gobal are in the range of normal daily diving boats and with experienced guides you can get the most out of your wreck diving.
'Weather dependent' doesn't mean that all sites are not available when it is not possible to dive Abhu Nuhas, these wrecks are on the front of the reef in exposed positions,normal dive are usually on the sheltered side of the reefs. |
