Elba Reef-Rocky Island-Zabargad-St. Johns

Elba Reef-Rocky Island-Zabargad-St. Johns

Itinerary Highlights

  • The Elba Reef lies on the border between Sudan and Egypt.
  • This reef has hardly been dived and is almost untouched. It is divided into three fascinating reefs with impressive features. The Elba Reef is characterized by its beautiful plateaus on the north and south sides. A triangular reef, the plateau extends a considerable length to the north, starting at approximately 20 meters and sloping down to a depth of around 45 meters. A major attraction on the edge of this deep abyss is the large wreck of the SS Isola di Levanzo, which sank at the beginning of the 20th century. The entire top and stern area of the wreck can be explored while encountering majestic gray reef sharks and even hammerhead sharks. This area offers a fascinating experience for divers who want to discover the beauty and diversity of the sea.

Dive sites in this itinerary

  • Sataya (Dolphine reef)

    Sataya – Fury Shoal – South: South of Marsa Alam, in the area of Wadi Gimal there is Shaab Sharm. A huge reef with colorful overgrown drop offs on the north and north-west side and a gorgoniawall between 17m and 22m in the east direction. The plateau on the east side, starting from 18m to 32m depth, with its coral block formations is the home of a lot of marine life. Doctor fishes, different kinds of reef fishes, napoleons and small critters – very often you see a turtle eating and resting. The plateau continues small along the south side of the main reef. Dolphins, sharks and mantas patrol along the reef in the blue. Shilineat in Wadi Gimal is the aquarium. Along the beautiful hard coral garden on the west side and in the high amount of blocks in the sandy area beside the reef you can rummage for camouflage artists and small critters. In maximum 16m and with the white sand and the sunlight it is amazing and full of small fishes and species. Very often there are turtles or dolphins around.

  • Daedalus Reef

    The Daedalus Reef is a huge reef formation that lies at about 180km south of Brother Islands. The reef is surrounded by a sheer wall all around, featuring a plateau on its southern side that goes from 28m beside the reef to 40m on the edge of the drop-off. If the weather is good, try to get as far north as possible and drift along one of the sides of the reef. Reef and hammerhead sharks are often spotted here. Underwater marine life is here more abundant than anywhere else, with schools of surgeons, fusiliers, carangids.

  • St Johns

    This vast reef system lies furthest to the south on the Egyptian side, 10 miles from the Sudanese border. There are dozens of excellent dives. Its reefs rise up from a gigantic underwater plateau hidden in the inky blue water.

  • Zabargad

    The island of Zabargad has been known since the time of the pharaohs for the presence of the ancient mines from which olivine was extracted, a green stone similar to the emerald. In Zabargad you will dive along the south wall characterized by a multitude of very scenic passages.

  • Rocky Island

    The site features several submerged rocks surrounded by sandy areas with a nice swim- through at around 20 m deep. There is beautiful staghorn and hard coral. You can often find a leopard shark and a whitetip reef shark resting on the sand. Turtles and pelagis fishes like the Giant Trevally are common too. The maximum depth is around 39 meters deep but most of the dive is done around 15 meters. The current can be quite strong and this dive spot is better suited to open water advanced divers.

  • Fury Shoals

    The Fury Shoals make up several reefs along the Southwest Red Sea coast, offering amazing scuba diving opportunities with some of the most pristine reefs in Egypt. The hard and soft coral are unspoiled and are a highlight of many dive sites such as the Fury Shoal Garden. The marine life is also really great with all the usual reef fishes of the Red Sea and various species of reef Sharks (Whitetip, Grey) and even sometimes the curious Oceanic Whitetip Shark. Pelagic fishes such Barracudas, Giant Trevallies, Dogtooth Tunas are also common in the area.

  • Elba Reef

    Elba Reef is located at the Halaib Triangle on the Egyptian and Sudanese border with very nice plateaus on its North and South side. It is a triangle- shaped reef. The Plateau in the North is long and starts at around 20 m and ends at around 45 m depth. At the edge of the plateau plenty of huge coral fans can be found. One of the main attractions, at the edge of a deep drop-off at the South plateau, is the large wreck of “SS Isola di Levanzo” that sank in the early 1900's. She is a rarely visited beautiful Wreck which is surrounded by scattered sherry bottles all over the sea bottom. The propeller of the ship lies at 18 m and the entire upper or stern section can be penetrated. Further inshore, the reef is relatively shallow but well grown with a variety of corals all around the reef. Fish life is interesting as from reef species to sharks everything can be spotted.

Golden Dolphin Safari World

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