hard Diving Marsa Alam

Elphinstone Reef

Also known as: Sha'ab Abu Hamra Abu Hamra Reef

Depth Range

10–70m

Boat Ride

45 min

Difficulty

hard

Exposed offshore reef with moderate-to-strong current — advanced, drift-experienced divers only, calm weather essential

Sea conditions at Elphinstone Reef today

Fair — some chop

Sea

28.4°C

Waves

1.1 m

Wind

13 kn NW

Air

27°C

Today

1.3 m · 15 kn

Tue 6

1.4 m · 18 kn

Wed 7

1.2 m · 17 kn

Thu 8

1.0 m · 16 kn

Fri 9

1.0 m · 15 kn

Sat 10

0.8 m · 15 kn

Sun 11

0.6 m · 10 kn

Water is 28.4°C — 3 mm shorty or thin full suit is the usual choice.

Updated 03:37 · Full conditions & 7-day outlook
Forecast data: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Model values for the area, not a reading at the reef — your skipper and guide make the call on the day.

The crown jewel of Marsa Alam diving: a narrow reef roughly 300 metres long, sitting about 12 km offshore and dropping away in sheer walls on every side. The two long flanks fall past 70 metres into deep blue, while the northern and southern plateaus are the stage for its famous encounters. This is exposed, current-swept, big-water diving — reserved for experienced divers comfortable with drift and negative entries — and the reward is some of the best pelagic action in the Red Sea, headlined by oceanic whitetip sharks and, in season, schooling hammerheads.

What You Might See

Oceanic whitetip sharks (longimanus) Hammerhead sharks (seasonal) Barracuda & tuna Napoleon wrasse Giant trevally Moray eels, anthias & soft corals

Suitable for

Experienced divers only
Advanced certification and logged dives
Deep-dive training useful

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: Exposed offshore reef with moderate-to-strong current — advanced, drift-experienced divers only, calm weather essential

Sea temperature, wind and calm days month by month →

Gallery

Green turtle on the reef at Elphinstone, Marsa Alam

Shark silhouette against the surface light, Elphinstone

Reef shark cruising the blue water at Elphinstone Reef

Where it is

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

Get directions Open in OpenStreetMap 25.3093,34.8607