Hurghada is one of top diving destinations in Egypt, offering easy access to some of the most spectacular underwater landscapes in the Red Sea. From colorful coral gardens and thriving reefs to dramatic walls and historic wrecks, the dive sites in Hurghada cater to every level of diver. 

Whether you’re taking your first breaths underwater or searching for your next unforgettable adventure, these 20 dive sites showcase the very best of Hurghada’s underwater world.

Where Can I Dive in Hurghada?

After reading this article, you will find yourself knowing basic information about 20 dive sites in Hurghada. Scuba divers mainly dive in Hurghada at coral reefs, but there are also wrecks.

Before scuba diving in the Red Sea in Egypt, you should know what dive sites you can find here. You can find many dive sites in Hurghada and around it, which differ both in difficulty and in the things you have a chance to spot.

When planning which dive spot you are going to dive in, you should consider the previous dive sites you have already been in, so you can see as many different places as possible during your stay here. 

But you should also take into account that the availability of some dive sites in Hurghada depends on the current weather, for example, you can’t reach some reefs if there is a strong wind.

20 Dive Sites in Hurghada You Should Explore

The dive sites in Hurghada offer an incredible mix of coral reefs, marine life, walls, and wrecks. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced diver, here are 20 dive sites in Hurghada that can provide unforgettable underwater experiences and showcase the best of the Red Sea:

• Shaab El Erg.
• Abu Nugar.
• Abu Galawa.
• Umm Gamar.
• Shabruhr Umm Gammar.
• Carless Reef.
• El Fanadir.
• El Fanous.
• Turtle Bay.
• Small Giftun.
• Abu Ramada.
• Gotta Abu Ramada.
• El Aruk Giftun.
• Magawish.
• Hamda.
• Banana Reef.
• Torfa El Shahed.
• Shaab Sabina.
• Ras Disha.
• Abu Hashish.

Shaab El Erg

Shaab El Erg is considered one of the furthest dive sites in Hurghada, especifically located in the northern direction. Its location is between Hurghada and El Gouna, that’s why there are many ships here, as the ships from El Gouna arrive here more often because of the distance. 

On the reef, you can spot nice hard corals, especially in the channel between the smaller Gotta Shaab El Erg and the main reef. You can find a coral garden and towers surrounded by different types of coral in the northern part. 

However, this place is famous mainly for encounters with a group of dolphins here, especially if you choose calm, windless days to visit the spot. If you won’t enjoy touching them, you have the opportunity to swim and scuba dive among these aquatic mammals.

Abu Nugar

Abu Nugar is regarded as a large reef in the “T” shape surrounded by a sand flat, on which there are a number of larger and smaller coral blocks. There are several dive sites supposed to be in the vicinity of this reef, such as: Erg Iris, Shaab Iris, Shaab Abu Nugar, Gotta Abu Nugar. 

Shab Iris is considered a nice location that perfectly suits underwater photographers. It consists of small underwater blocks spreading out on a sandy bottom which is covered with hard corals. You can also find large hard corals surrounded by many coral fish in the shallow part of the main reef. 

As a result of being not exposed to the excessive traffic of a large number of scuba divers, you will feel here as if no one has dived here before you.

Abu Galawa

Abu Galawa is a long reef located in the north of Hurghada, around which there are several locations.

•  Marsa Abu Galawa: A sheltered lagoon dive site with a mostly sandy shallow area, eel gardens, and a coral garden along the edge of the drop-off. 
• Sakhwa Abu Galawa: It is located in the northernmost area of the Abu Galawa reef sites and also considered the most interesting one with coral gardens and a wall. 
• Gotta Abu Galawa: It is considered a nearby circular reef surrounding by a flat along with several coral towers in addition to a coral garden with interesting hard corals. 
• Erg Abu Galawa: You can only find it available in windless weather with the possibility of stronger currents accompanied by the appearance of huge table corals.

Umm Gamar

Umm Gamar is a dive site located near an island having a crescent moon shape. Its south part is surrounded by a shallow plateau, but usually divers head across the eastern direction of the plateau to the deep wall.

Along the way, you will pass large coral blocks that are overgrown with both hard and many soft corals that are regarded as a home to schools of fish. There are also three coral towers rising from the deep wall. There is a large school of glass fish beside smaller species of groupers that inhabit a cava found in the first of the first tower. 

If you dive down the second tower to 28 meters, you may find yourself swimming into a cave. This site suits both beginners and advanced divers. The more experienced divers can conduct a drift dive here by starting above a deep wall and ending on a shallow flat. You may dive with a large moray eel on the reef or even a turtle. Making a pick-up drift is also possible on North Umm Gamar.

Shabruhr Umm Gammar

Shabruhr Umm Gammar is one of the dive sites in Hurghada that located near Umm Gamar island. Actually, you can conduct two dives on both sites in one day. It is regarded as a long reef, with a plateau on its western side. The plateau slowly descends from 14 meters to about 30 meters deep, in which it ends and turns into a steep drop-off (wall). 

There, you can enjoy a wreck dive on an Egyptian army supply ship. There are a large number of caves and overhangs in the shallower part. You also will have a chance to meet large moray eels. This dive site is also suitable for drift diving.

Carless Reef

The Carless Reef consists of two large underwater coral blocks that are located on a shallower 14-meter shelf, descending rapidly and falling in a steep wall to great depths in the north. The two blocks aren’t protected from waves and currents because its top is roughly 3 meters below the water surface. 

You can only practice scuba diving here in windless weather. It is one of the dive sites in Hurghada that have stronger currents which usually comes from the north, but it is not possible to depend on this direction. Between the ergs, there is a plateau in which there is a coral garden that is full of different types of coral with a coral tower located on the edge of the drop-off which is full of coral life. 

The reef is known for large moray eels that you can spot swimming freely between the coral blocks or a turtle feeding. Along the wall, there are schools of fish, and also large groupers…

El Fanadir

El Fanadir consists of a 3 km long reef, and due to its length, there are 2 locations El Fanadir North and South. Along the wall there is a sandy plateau, which is narrow at first, then gradually widening as you go to the southern direction. The plateau ends with a drop-off. 

The reef is very interesting due to the variety of underwater marine life that you can find here: there are many lionfish, stonefish, scorpionfish, different types of moray eels, and octopuses that are hidden in the wall. It is one of the dive sites in Hurghada in which you can practice drift diving, when you let the current carry you from north to south.

El Fanous

El Fanous is regarded as a reef with a large lagoon located on the West in which you can practice scuba diving with dolphins. This reef is also called “dolphine house”. After you leave the lagoon, there are coral blocks, which are covered with abundant corals, including a coral garden full of huge table corals. 

The El Fanous East is the best for underwater photographers due to its very nice pinnacle. Thanks to the currents, the northern part of the wall is full of life as they bring nutrients. Here, you can find huge hard corals and sometimes you may find yourself diving beside a turtle, a Napoleon or even a large grouper.

Turtle Bay

Turtle Bay is one of the dive sites in Hurghada that consists of two small lagoons which are located next to each other. You can swim

from the first lagoon through a shallow pass, but you need to be careful while crossing due to the small depth above the reef (which is only 1-2 meters). You can reach the second lagoon after passing along the outer wall covered with hard corals. 

Here, you can find a big coral garden in which you can spot various types of corals. From the name of the reef, you are supposed to know that you will meet the turtles that feed on the soft corals growing in the coral garden. Sometimes, you can find other interesting animals, like eagle rays or dolphins coming from El Fanous dive site.

Small Giftun

You can conduct various dives around the small Giftun dive site, but the most interesting type is the drift dive. Start your drift dive above a deep wall whose location is just behind the police station building on the island. 

Swim (sometimes you are really fly) with the current at an optimal maximum depth of (27-30 meters), with the view of huge gorgonian fans growing from the wall along the way. You can spot big napoleons, groupers or tuna fishing above the drop-off. 

You can reach the wall of the main reef (which is colorful and rugged, full of marine life) by crossing the unfolding plateau that is overgrown with large hard and fire corals. There is no doubt that this is one of the most interesting on our list of the dive sites in Hurghada. 

There is a location called Erg Somaya which is located a little further you would drift, it is possible to anchor here only when the weather is good and sometimes there are strong currents, but the location is worth it. 

Below the ship in the right direction, the reef falls into the depths and at a depth of 30 meters, you will find a tower – a chimney full of soft corals, and then at around 10 meters deep another tower surrounded by red sea anthiases. The entire reef is full of various types of corals and fish, and you may spot some turtles.

Abu Ramada

Abu Ramada is an island around which there are many diving sites in which you can do a stationary dive in addition to a current dive. South Abu Ramada is the most popular dive site here, as it is characterized by terraces of rocky plateau covered with many coral blocks and towers. After this plateau, you can reach the eel garden. 

You will usually end your dive above a smaller wreck at 5 meters deep, in which you can find crocodile fish. There is Cave Abu Ramada near the area with a block with the cave that is full of soft corals at a depth of 20 meters. 

Erg Abu Ramada is the next place – which is a small but very nice site, and also called Camel Reef – It consists of three connected towers with many soft corals with numerous schools of Red Sea anthiases surrounding them. North Abu Ramada usually has a stronger current and depending on the current, this site can offer either an amazing dive or a challenging one.

Gotta Abu Ramada

Gotta Abu Ramada is considered an oval reef in which you can dive from two sides: Gotta Abu Ramada (East), Gotta Abu Ramada (West). You can also drift diving and spot the large coral towers standing in its northern area. The entire reef is surrounded by a wide plateau at a depth of 12-14 meters. 

You can find a vast-labyrinth shaped coral garden in the eastern part of the reef with large schools of coral fish. You can rarely spot big tuna here fishing in schools of fish. 

You can see a large coral tower on the western part. The location is also called “the Aquarium” and suits all levels of divers thanks to the shallow depth. Besides being very popular place, it is considered one of the most beautiful dive sites in Hurghada.

El Aruk Giftun

This dive site is located near the island of Big Giftun. You can find more than 40 coral pinnacles or columns scattered on the vast plateau which is in a depth of 10-15 meters. Thanks to this, you can find several anchorages in addition to several dive sites. 

Here, you can find an immense variety of coral fish, copper sweepers hiding in the crevices of some ergs, sometimes you can also spot a group of lionfish attacking smaller fish. You are supposed to find well-camouflaged large toads or their relative the highly poisonous which is called “Red Sea Walkman” (Iminikus filamentus).

Magawish

The dive sites in this area is located on a depth of 10m near the island of Magawish, on which you can find large coral blocks. 

• Aruk Talata: a place having a large number of anemones and clowns, blue-spotted stingrays, with schools of goatfish and other fish, sometimes you can find barracudas. 
• Shaab Eshta: which consists of two smaller ergs in close proximity, you can also find small but very lively coral blocks in addition to sea grass. 
• Shaab Petra: a smaller erg nearby with an even smaller one beside it, where copper sweepers hide in a crack. From there, you can swim to Tifany which is a coral block of similar size.

Hamda

Hamda is considered the wall located on the north side of Big Giftun, in the part in which the island itself drops down. And so it is under water. But there was a small beach (in a place sometimes called Stone beach) and a bay in which you can anchor, but only when the weather is good. Here, you can have encounters with larger groupers, moray eels, and tuna, and the reef’s upper part is rugged and richly covered with various corals.

Banana Reef

Banana Reef is one of the dive sites in Hurghada that is located between the islands of Big and Small Giftun, its north side is open, and you will notice that the seabed descends to great depths between it and Big Giftun. 

Swim along the main reef, which has a banana shape. While scuba diving, try to swim a short distance away from this reef to the larger erg to enjoy the nicely overgrown with soft corals, there are also schools of small fish and predators hunting them. You may also have encounters with flocks of clippers and sometimes larger species of rays, like the eagle ray.

Torfa El Shahed

Torfa El Shahed is located near Banana Reef, and it is one of the dive sites in Hurghada that suits less experienced divers due to the sheltered lagoon in which the boats are anchored in addition to the weaker currents. Shallow water and rich fauna and flora help in making it a very attractive site. 

You can also swim out of the lagoon to the outside and swim around several ergs that are covered with soft corals especially on their northern sides, in which the current brings them nutrients. You can also practice drift diving here and thus reach more distant pinnacles. Encounters with turtles and rays are also possible. There is also Anemone City.

Shaab Sabina

This reef, which surrounded by a vast maze of coral gardens, is located between Small Giftun and Big Giftun Islands. It is one of the dive sites in hurghada that suitable for drift diving, so you can get as far as possible into the coral gardens and start your dive by swimming between and through them at will. The depth of the dive site here varies between 5-14 meters, with its coral gardens being most impressive in these shallow waters.

Ras Disha

Ras Disha is a bay located off the coast in the southern part of Hurghada. The main reef is fascinating on its own, but the coral blocks we pass on the way back are also well worth exploring. 

In one of them, you can find a tunnel at 5m deep, in which you can spend a safety break observing numerous schools of glass fish. You can find nice coral gardens near the main reef.

Abu Hashish

The reef surrounding Abu Hashish island is also located south of Hurghada. There is a plateau surrounds the reef, gradually sloping from 10 to 20 metres before dropping into deeper water. On the pay, you can explore the coral blocks and also find sea grass. 

Here, you can have encounters with many bluespotted stingrays, moray eels… If you are a more experienced diver, you can make a deeper dive up to the drop-off, and if you are a less experienced one, you can walk through the coral garden on a shallow plateau.

You can also find few wrecks near the coast of Hurghada that we dive on, including the fishing boat close to El Mina wreck, the minesweeper El Mina or Mohammed Hasabela. There is also “Balina” which is a small wreck in the harbour.