Scuba Scene, Egypt

Daedulus & St. Johns

This itinerary combines two of the most beautiful areas in the Central & Southern Egyptian Red Sea: 1st: Daedalus Reef: Marine Park with sheer reef walls, gorgeous coral formations & marine life, and the chance for pelagic action, especially hammerhead sharks… 2nd: St. John’s plateau: a variety of beautiful reefs, drop-offs, coral gardens and swim-throughs & caverns… Because of distances to travel to the Deep South (= St. John’s), this itinerary starts and finishes in Port Ghalib. Weather permitting, we will try to split the time between the two areas, and might get a chance to visit Elphinstone as well… Daedalus Reef (‘Abu Kizan’) Located about 90 km from Marsa Alam, this is probably the most bizarre Egyptian Marine Park. A weird-oval shaped reef, its reeftop only breaks the surface at extremely low tide. As on Big Brother, a minimum of 4-5 people are manning the lighthouse and military station on this massive reef in the middle of the Red Sea. Currents can be strong, but the size of the reef offers a variety of dive options for different conditions. Highlights: Steep walls drop to way below recreational dive limits, covered in a healthy mix of hard and soft corals. The size of some of Daedalus’ hard coral formations are legendary; to appreciate their dimensions, it is best to place a diver (or divers!) next to them for perspective. Resident Scalloped hammerheads can be seen here year-round, with the best chances seeing them schooling usually from May to August, depending e.g. on water temperatures and the depths f thermoclines. Other potential pelagic encounters include e.g. Oceanic manta rays, Oceanic whitetip and Silky sharks.

Brothers, Daedulus & Elphinstone

Daedalus Reef (‘Abu Kizan’) Located about 90 km from Marsa Alam, this is probably the most bizarre Egyptian Marine Park. A weird-oval shaped reef, its reeftop only breaks the surface at extremely low tide. As on Big Brother, a minimum of 4-5 people are manning the lighthouse and military station on this massive reef in the middle of the Red Sea. Currents can be strong, but the size of the reef offers a variety of dive options for different conditions. Highlights: Steep walls drop to way below recreational dive limits, covered in a healthy mix of hard and soft corals. The size of some of Daedalus’ hard coral formations are legendary; to appreciate their dimensions, it is best to place a diver (or divers!) next to them for perspective. Resident Scalloped hammerheads can be seen here year-round, with the best chances seeing them schooling usually from May to August, depending e.g. on water temperatures and the depths f thermoclines. Other potential pelagic encounters include e.g. Oceanic manta rays, Oceanic whitetip and Silky sharks.

Elphinstone Reef (‘Abu Hamra’) Located ~ 10 km offshore about halfway between Port Ghalib and Marsa Alam, this is the most famous reef in this area. A long, narrow reef with extensive plateaus on its Northern and Southern tips, and sheer walls dropping off along its Eastern and Western side, it is teeming with life. It is also very exposed to the elements; the prevailing northerly winds and resulting waves, plus potentially strong currents can make mooring – and diving – at this site quite challenging at times.

Highlights: Soft corals of any imaginable colour, large sea fans, and black coral bushes all the way into the shallow overhangs attract a huge variety of reef fish and other critters… and the predators that feed on them, including barracudas, jacks, trevallies and tunas. With a bit of luck, sharks and the odd manta can be seen, and – normally from October to November – a very special pelagic predator may be encountered: the Oceanic whitetip shark!

Weather permitting – and depending on departure & arrival ports (Hurghada or Port Ghalib), we will spend anything between a couple of dives to a full two days at the different sites. Be aware that since March 2019, local regulations prohibit overnight mooring at the Brothers! This trip is ideal for divers with a bit of experience under their belts, all the way up to tech diving. We recommend a minimum of 50 dives, and a certification of Advanced Open Water Diver (or equivalent) or higher, as well as Nitrox & Deep Diver Specialities. These qualification will allow you to make the most of the dives at these three sites, while staying well within the recreational dive and no decompression limits. Some of our Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone trips are dedicated ‘SHARK WEEKS’, meaning you will have the option, to join informative presentations on shark biology, behaviour, conservation and research in the afternoons/evenings. These presentations will be given by biologist Dr Elke Bojanowski, who has been working as a guide and shark researcher on Egyptian liveaboards since 2004.

North & Tiran

Starting in Hurghada, you will visit some the best dive sites around the Sinai Peninsula in the Northern Red Sea: Ras Mohamed, the Strait of Tiran & the iconic wreck of the Thistlegorm. You will also be diving some of the highlights on the mainland side, such as Gubal Island or Abu Nuhas. Details of the itinerary will be decided depending on weather conditions. Southern Sinai – Strait of Tiran & Ras Mohamed At the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba in the narrow Strait of Tiran lies a chain of four beautiful reefs, Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon reef (from North to South). Colourful reef walls and healthy coral gardens teeming with life are the main attractions here, while tech divers are drawn to the canyons of Thomas Reef. Shark lovers can hope for hammerhead action off the back of Jackson Reef. Situated on the Southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Ras Mohamed is the first Egyptian National Park established in 1983. It offers a variety of dive sites, the main attractions being Shark & Yolanda Reef, and Jackfish Alley. Currents can be strong, but the size of the reef offers a variety of dive options for different conditions. Highlights: • The spectacular steep coral walls of Shark Reef, with stunning coral growth surrounded by schooling fish, such as bohar snappers, batfish, jacks, trevallies, and barracudas • The saddle between Shark & Yolanda Reef with the wreckage of the Yolanda (sank in 1980) and its cargo of bathroom ceramics.

Wreck of the SS Thistlegorm The SS Thistlegorm is one of the most iconic wrecks in the world. A British cargo vessel carrying war supplies for the Allied Forces in North Africa, she was sunk by German fighter planes on 6. October 1941. 9 crew members lost their lives when a bomb hit the cargo hold carrying most of the ammunition, causing a massive explosion.

Her bow section sits on an even keel on the seabed (about 30 m deep), while the deck level in about 18 m. The stern is separated from the bow by a debris field, and has tilted to the portside. Large schools of marine life gather around the wreck, and amidst the coral growth on the superstructure and hull, lots of marine life can be found, such as scorpionfish, crocodile fish, nudibranchs and other critters. The currents on the Thistlegorm can be very strong, so the use of shotlines is usually necessary to dive safely here.

Gubal Island – The Barge, Bluff Point & the Ulysses All that is left of THE BARGE is some wreckage of the hull, but it attracts a huge variety of marine life: massive moray eels, scorpionfish & crocodile fish, fusiliers, cardinal & soldierfish… plus shrimps, crabs, nudibranchs, flatworms – to name just a few. BLUFF POINT is a drop-off alone the Eastern tip of the island, with beautiful coral formations and overhangs. And finally on the exposed Northern side, we have the wreck of the ULYSSES. Since her sinking in 1887, she has become embedded into a stunning hard coral garden, and her hull and remaining deck structures are covered in marine life.

Abu Nuhas – Carnatic, Giannis D, Chrisoula K & Kimon M Just to the North of Shadwan Island the reef of Abu Nuhas (‘Father of Copper’) has become the final resting place for at least four ships, and a premier attraction point for wreck divers. Lined up along its Northern reef wall from west to east are: Giannis D (or “Wood Wreck), Carnatic (or ‘Wine Wreck’), Chrisoula K (or ‘Tile Wreck’), and Kimon M (or ‘Lentil Wreck’). A pod of Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins can be spotted fairly regularly, and besides the wrecks and the marine life on and around them, there are some weird and wonderful critters to be found on night dives alone the South of the reef.

This trip is suitable for a wide range of divers, from fairly inexperienced Open Water Divers to tech divers. We recommend a minimum of 30 dives, and a certification of Advanced Open Water Diver (or equivalent) or higher, as well as Nitrox & Deep Diver Specialities. These qualification will allow you to make the most of the dives at these sites, but less experienced divers will definitely be able to enjoy their diving here and are welcome to do additional courses on board.