Hamata & Wadi Lahami · Egypt · Reef · Coral garden · Cave & cavern · Pinnacle
Fury Shoals
Swim-throughs and pinnacles from 10 metres, diveable year-round.
Area photo: Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Fury Shoals is a network of reefs off Hamata and Wadi Lahami, at the southern end of Egypt's mainland coast, rather than one site. Lagoons, drop-offs, coral pinnacles, swim-throughs and caves give normal diving depths of 10 to 25 metres, so the boat picks a reef to suit the group. It is diveable all year, and Sha'ab Sataya, southeast of the main group, holds a resident pod of dolphins.
Where it is and how deep
24.2000° N, 35.6600° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Normal diving here runs 10 to 25 metres over coral ground broken into blocks, pinnacles and short swim-throughs, and the current is usually light. Because the cluster is large, the shape of the day comes down to which reef the boat picks: sheltered lagoons for shallow, unhurried dives, or the outer edges for whitetip and grey reef sharks, and sometimes a curious oceanic whitetip further out.
Sha'ab Sataya, southeast of the main group, is the reef most trips aim for: a large oval reef with a coral lagoon at its heart. Dives usually start at its western edge, dropping in and following the steep wall with the reef on your left, where the depth runs 18 to 22 metres and lessens to 12 metres at the entrance to the lagoon. Whitetip sharks rest along the wall, and the resident pod of dolphins is often seen at the lagoon. Barracuda, giant trevally and dogtooth tuna are common across the shoals, and the wreck of a Chinese tugboat that sank in the 1940s lies among the reefs.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Oceanic whitetips
- Dolphins
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Hamata & Wadi Lahami: 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.
Dive videos
This is Wadi Lahami, Fury Shoals (4k) - Red Sea Diving Safari · Jurrien Wiss on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Do you need experience to dive Fury Shoals?+
It depends on the reef. Dive guides rate the cluster as a whole for experienced divers, while the sheltered Sha'ab Sataya is rated novice, so the boat matches the reef to the group. Normal diving runs 10 to 25 metres.
When is the best time to dive Fury Shoals?+
It is diveable all year round. Reef sharks, the resident dolphin pod at Sha'ab Sataya and pelagics such as barracuda, giant trevally and dogtooth tuna are all part of the standard cast.
Sources
- Fury Shoals Dive Site - Map & Review — Divezone
- Top 10 Dive Sites in Marsa Alam You Can't Miss: Part 2 — Sambo Divers
- Shaab Sataya | Dolphin Reef Dive Site in Egypt — Divebooker
- Sataya and the Fury Shoals reefs — OpenStreetMap
- Wadi Lahami village — Red Sea Diving Safari
In The Logbook
- Oceanic whitetips: the Red Sea's autumn sharkBig animals · 11 min read
More dive sites in Hamata & Wadi Lahami
Four small reefs around a lagoon, canyon terrain, mild current
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Tunnels and fissures cut into an 840 m reef block
A resting pod of 60 to 80 spinner dolphins in the lagoon.
Short caverns at 7 m under an overnight mooring
Anthias clouds thick enough to lose sight of your buddy