Red Sea & Gulf of Aden · Egypt
Hamata & Wadi Lahami
Uncrowded Fury Shoals reefs, from shallow caves to Sha'ab Maksur's drop-offs
Photo: Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Hamata sits near the southern end of Egypt's mainland resort coast, a small marina and a short strip of dive bases set against the Fury Shoals reef network. Day boats run 3 to 23 nautical miles out to reefs that carry far fewer boats than the north: the shallow caves of Sha'ab Claudio, the lagoon and wreck at Abu Galawa Kebir, and the plateaus of Sha'ab Maksur, where current and depth restrict the dive to experienced divers. Normal depths are 10 to 25 m, and the resort house reefs are shallow enough for training dives.
About diving in Hamata & Wadi Lahami
Diving here is resort work. Three bases sit on the strip south of the marina - Extra Divers inside Lahami Bay Beach Resort, ORCA at Wadi Lahmy Azur about ten minutes from Hamata, and Red Sea Diving Safari's tent-and-chalet village 10 km south of Hamata village - and the day boats leave from a private jetty or the marina at Hamata rather than a public harbour. The run out is 3 to 23 nautical miles, 10 to 90 minutes for the forty-odd sites in range, so a day is usually two dives offshore. Zodiac and speedboat dives start off the beach, and the house reefs are walked into, which leaves an afternoon dive easy to fit in without booking anything.
The reefs are fringing coral along the shore and detached shoals offshore, cut into lagoons, coral gardens and drop-offs, with normal depths of 10 to 25 m. Sha'ab Claudio's two caves lie in shallow water with holes in the roof letting light through; Abu Galawa Kebir wraps a shallow lagoon and holds a wreck on its south reef; Sha'ab Maksur stands on two plateaus fully covered in soft and fan coral. Whitetip and grey reef sharks work the outer reefs, with barracuda, giant trevally and dogtooth tuna in the blue, while the seagrass at the house reefs draws turtles and rays.
It suits divers willing to trade a long road transfer for reefs that see few boats, and who are content with one resort's schedule for a week. The training-depth house reefs make it workable for a new diver, once a mandatory check dive is done. The harder sites are the reason to come: Sha'ab Maksur is reserved for experienced divers on account of current and depth, and Erg Abu Diab falls from the surface to 75 m. Anyone whose trip hinges on the classic Red Sea wrecks should head north to Abu Nuhas and Gubal instead.
Best time to dive Hamata & Wadi Lahami
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | 24°C75°F | 23°C73°F | 24°C75°F | 24°C75°F | 26°C79°F | 28°C82°F | 30°C86°F | 31°C88°F | 30°C86°F | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F |
| Daytime high | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 31°C88°F | 33°C91°F | 37°C99°F | 38°C100°F | 38°C100°F | 38°C100°F | 36°C97°F | 35°C95°F | 31°C88°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | 2 mm0.1 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 4 mm0.2 in | 9 mm0.4 in | 4 mm0.2 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 24°C75°F | 23°C73°F | 24°C75°F | 24°C75°F | 26°C79°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 31°C88°F | 33°C91°F | 37°C99°F | 38°C100°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 2 mm0.1 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 30°C86°F | 31°C88°F | 30°C86°F | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 38°C100°F | 38°C100°F | 36°C97°F | 35°C95°F | 31°C88°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 4 mm0.2 in | 9 mm0.4 in | 4 mm0.2 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
May to October is the calm window, with much less wind; diving runs all year, but sea state is wind-driven and can reroute a day.
Best months: May, June, July, August, September, October
Hamata & Wadi Lahami water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 23 °C (73 °F) in February to 31 °C (88 °F) in August. It is 24 °C (75 °F) or warmer from March to January. Rain is scarce: about 20 mm (0.8 in) falls in a typical year. Daytime highs reach 38 °C (100 °F) in July and drop to 27 °C (81 °F) in January. The coldest water here is about 23 °C (73 °F), so pack a 5 mm suit.
Dive types & marine life
Whitetip and grey reef sharks are the regulars on the Fury Shoals, with oceanic whitetips an occasional visitor, and small whitetips circle Banana Reef on Lahami Bay's south house reef. The house-reef seagrass draws turtles regularly, along with rays including blue-spotted stingrays. The dolphin pod at Sha'ab Sataya is a 1.5 to 2 hour boat trip from Lahami Bay, sold as a snorkelling excursion.
- Reef
- Coral garden
- Wall
- Wreck
- Cave & cavern
- Pelagic & blue water
- Reef sharks
- Oceanic whitetips
- Dolphins
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Pristine corals
Best dive sites in Hamata & Wadi Lahami
Four small reefs around a lagoon, canyon terrain, mild current
Reef
Swim-throughs and pinnacles from 10 metres, diveable year-round.
Pinnacle
Six coral towers rising from 22 m to the surface
Pinnacle
An anemone field from 2 m down to the bottom at 17 m
A walk-in reef with a 10-minute block and a turtle seagrass meadow
Reef
Two coral-covered plateaus with walls dropping to 100 m
The Fury Shoals' longest reef, with a resident spinner-dolphin pod
Reef
Coral blocks and small caves over sand at 18 m
Coral garden
A west side packed with hard- and soft-coral blocks
Reef
A large coral garden on the west side, 17 m at its deepest
Reef
A walkable island with a wall at about 24 m
An anemone city at 12 m, on a reef that runs down to 40 m
Sha'ab Claudio
Two large caves in the south reef, shallow and lit by holes in the roof above.
Abu Galawa Kebir
Twin reefs around a shallow lagoon, coral garden and drop-off, with a wreck on the south reef.
Erg Abu Diab
Single pinnacle dropping from the surface to 75 m on every side.
How to get to Hamata & Wadi Lahami
Marsa Alam is the nearest airport, 170-180 km and two to two and a half hours by road; Hurghada is 380 km and about five hours. Access is by road only. Hamata village has a mosque, school, hospital and recompression chamber beside its marina, which is also used as a departure point for liveaboard safaris to St John's.
Photos from Hamata & Wadi Lahami
mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
schnaufa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0
Photo credits
- A bluefin trevally and striped bannerfish swimming over a coral reef. by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- White A-frame tents of a desert dive camp near the shoreline at Wadi Lahami. by mattk1979, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
- View of the shoreline and buildings at Port Hamata seen from a boat. by schnaufa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A masked puffer fish resting near coral at night. by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A bigeye emperor fish swimming close to coral. by Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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