Eilat · Israel · Reef · Pinnacle
Moses Rock
One coral head, from a 9 m base to a table at 19 m
Area photo: Yonatan Dodin · CC BY 4.0
A single large coral rock rising off the sand, described locally as the largest coral habitat on the Eilat shore. Its base sits at 9 m and a broad coral table lies out from it at 19 m, which makes the dive a loop around one structure rather than a run along a reef. It is a shore dive inside the nature reserve, and it is dived at night as well, which border control has to be told about in advance.
Also known as Moshe's Rock.
Where it is and how deep
29.5091° N, 34.9237° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Moses Rock rises from the sea bottom almost to the surface and is known locally as the largest coral habitat on the Eilat shore. You go in from one of the reserve's designated entry points rather than off the piers, follow the sand down to the formation's base at 9 m and start working around it. Circling the rock is most of the dive: eels and octopus in the cracks, scorpionfish sitting still on the coral, lobsters back under the ledges.
Out from the rock a huge coral table lies at 19 m and is the deepest part of the dive. Barracuda pass over the sand between the two, and turtles cross the site. Everything is contained in a small area at modest depth, and the site is dived after dark as well as by day, from the same designated entry points; a night dive here has to be cleared with border control beforehand.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Barracuda
- Sea turtles
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Eilat: Divable all year; Mar–May and Sep–Nov are most comfortable, while July and August are extremely hot on the surface.
Know before you go
- Entering the water straight off the piers is prohibited to protect the reef; use the marked entry points instead.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving Moses Rock The Red Sea Eilat 2019 · Sean Callahan on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Moses Rock?+
The base of the coral formation sits at 9 m, and the large coral table out from it lies at 19 m, which is the deepest part of a normal dive on the site.
Can you night dive Moses Rock?+
Yes, night dives are run here. Border control has to be told in advance, and the reserve's designated entry points must be used rather than the piers.
Sources
- Moses Rock - Diving in Red Sea Eilat, Israel — Zentacle
- Maps of dive-sites in Eilat: Moses Rock — Ahla Dive
- Moses Rock & Nature Reserve — Eilat Red Sea Guide
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Black Sea bottlenose dolphins that are not trained to perform
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A garden-eel colony on sand between 6 m and 18 m
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Coral canyons to 16 m, then a wall that keeps dropping
Artificial reef
Coral-encrusted pillars off a beach opened in 2017
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A closed 1995 underwater restaurant on a shallow reef
An Israeli missile boat upright at 24 m, reached from the beach
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A coral arch in 6 m of water, entered off the beach
Similar dives elsewhere
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