hard Hurghada

Carless Reef

Depth Range

12–25m

Boat Ride

60 min

Difficulty

hard

Open sea, no protected mooring — experience required, unpredictable current

Two large pinnacles rising abruptly from deep water, surrounded by a coral-garden plateau that slopes into a sheer drop-off. Needs settled weather and some diver experience, but rewards it: the current here — unpredictable in direction — feeds an unusually rich food chain, and lucky early groups occasionally encounter hammerhead sharks.

What You Might See

Moray eels (very common, camera-friendly) Hammerhead sharks (rare, early groups) Nudibranchs to tuna

Suitable for

Experienced divers only
Advanced certification and logged dives

Best time to dive here

Divable all year — the Red Sea has no closed season. Water runs from about 22°C in February to 30°C in August, and March–May and September–November give the most comfortable mix of warm water, light wind and good visibility. Conditions at this site: Open sea, no protected mooring — experience required, unpredictable current

Gallery

Golden butterflyfish school on the reef at Carless Reef

Anemonefish and coral garden at Carless Reef, Hurghada

Pair of butterflyfish over coral at Carless Reef, Hurghada

Where it is

This site is the highlighted pin; the others are the rest of the reefs around Hurghada. Boat times are from the main harbour and vary with sea conditions.

Get directions Open in OpenStreetMap 27.39,33.955