Brothers & Daedalus · Egypt · Wall · Pinnacle · Seamount
Daedalus Reef
A lighthouse on a seamount that climbs from 450 metres of water
Photo: Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Daedalus is an isolated seamount rising from 450 metres of water about 100 km off Marsa Alam, marked by a lighthouse and reached only by liveaboard. Its walls descend to 20 m before sloping outward to 40 m and then plunging into open water, and hammerheads gather here in the summer months alongside oceanic whitetips and grey reef sharks.
Also known as Abu el-Kizan.
Where it is and how deep
24.9312° N, 35.8704° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Boats moor overnight at the pier by the lighthouse at the southern end and run their dives off the reef from there. The shape is straightforward: wall on every side, descending to about 20 m before sloping outward to 40 m, then plunging away into open water below that. Visibility runs 20 to 40 m year round, so the reef stays in view on one side while the blue does the work on the other.
Current is strong and unpredictable, and conditions change rapidly around an exposed seamount, so groups drop where the water allows and drift a single face rather than planning a circuit. Hammerheads gather here, particularly during the summer months, and oceanic whitetips and grey reef sharks work the same water. Dives end with a hang in the blue and a pickup well off the reef.
Background
The reef has been lit for well over a century. A lighthouse was first built here in the mid-1800s, and the structure standing today, whose pier is where liveaboards tie up overnight, was constructed in 1931. The Arabic name for the reef, Abu el-Kizan, is still used alongside the English one.
Marine life and season
- Hammerheads
- Oceanic whitetips
- Reef sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Brothers & Daedalus: Boats run the offshore route from March to December; schooling hammerheads peak at Daedalus from June to August.
Know before you go
- Conditions change rapidly around an exposed seamount, so a face that is diveable at breakfast may be unworkable by the afternoon dive.
- Currents are strong and unpredictable; carry a surface marker buoy and expect to be picked up in open water well off the reef.
Photos from Daedalus Reef
Alexander Vasenin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Zelko Slamaj · CC BY-SA 3.0
Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Anemone City - Diving Daedalus Reef, Red Sea Egypt in 4k · buchpetzer on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive Daedalus Reef?+
Hammerheads gather at Daedalus particularly during the summer months, which is when most liveaboards target it. Water is 27 to 30°C in summer and 22 to 24°C in winter, and visibility runs 20 to 40 m year round.
How do you get to Daedalus Reef?+
By liveaboard only. The reef sits around 100 km offshore from Marsa Alam, and boats moor overnight at the pier by the lighthouse at its southern end.
Sources
- Daedalus Reef – Red Sea Diving Marine Park Dive Sites — Red Sea Diving Marine Park
- Diving Daedalus will offer a magical hammerhead experience — Emperor Divers
Photo credits
- A diver hovering beside a whale shark gliding through open blue water by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A black-and-white striped lighthouse standing on stilts above the open sea by Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A large pale gorgonian sea fan spread open against blue water on the reef wall by Zelko Slamaj, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Two divers watching a whale shark pass overhead in open water by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
In The Logbook
- Why things look bigger underwaterOcean science · 12 min read
- The best wall dives in the worldWalls & drop-offs · 11 min read
- Where to dive in every month of the yearTrip planning · 14 min read
- Where to dive with oceanic whitetip sharksBig animals · 11 min read
- When and where to dive with hammerheadsBig animals · 16 min read
- Liveaboard vs resort diving: which suits you?Trip planning · 6 min read
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