easy Hurghada

Turft El Shahed (Between the Mountains)

Depth Range

8–20m

Boat Ride

90 min

Difficulty

easy

Sheltered behind the reef in the Giftun channel — suits any level of diver

In the heart of the Giftun Marine Park, where a channel separates Big and Small Giftun, a spur off Small Giftun's northern tip sits encircled by coral pinnacles — the reason locals say this site lies "between the mountains". A shallow channel leads west from the mooring to the soft-coral pinnacles; further north a beautiful coral tower riddled with cavities and overhangs rewards the curious, and strong navigators can drift all the way to neighbouring Banana Reef.

What You Might See

Soft-coral pinnacles Eagle rays (quite common) Crocodilefish & moses sole under table corals Occasional stonefish near the mooring

Suitable for

Newly certified divers
Open Water level

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: Sheltered behind the reef in the Giftun channel — suits any level of diver

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 27.2,33.945