Hurghada & El Gouna · Egypt · Coral garden · Reef · Pinnacle
Gota Abu Ramada
Anthias clouds thick enough to lose sight of your buddy
Photo: Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
A medium-sized oval reef on flat sand about an hour south of Hurghada, nicknamed the Aquarium for the sheer weight of fish over a small area. The main reef sits at 10 to 12 metres with coral pinnacles rising almost to the surface and a maximum depth of 14 metres. No current, visibility around 25 metres, and a well-known swim-through at 8 metres.
Also known as Abu Ramada, The Aquarium.
Where it is and how deep
27.1390° N, 33.9533° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef is a medium-sized oval sitting on a flat sandy seabed, with the main body at 10 to 12 metres and coral pinnacles rising off it almost to the surface. Maximum depth on the site is 14 metres and there is no current, so the dive is a slow circuit rather than a route: out along the sand at the base of the reef, up onto the pinnacles, then back over the top. A well-known swim-through at 8 metres is the one structural feature to look for.
The nickname is earned by numbers. Anthias come in pink and orange clouds thick enough that you sometimes lose sight of your buddy inside them. Fusiliers sweep over the plateau and pull giant barracuda, big-eye trevally and yellowfin tuna in behind them. On the coral itself, look for a giant moray described by the local dive centres as the size of a python, plus lionfish, bicolour parrotfish, Red Sea bannerfish and napoleon wrasse.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Napoleon wrasse
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Hurghada & El Gouna: Diving runs all year; the seas settle from March to November and are calmest in summer, while February brings the coolest water.
Photos from Gota Abu Ramada
Ralf Huelsmann - Kempen - Germany · CC BY-SA 2.5
Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
RED SEA SCUBA DIVE: GOTA ABU RAMADA,HURGARDA,EGYPT.4K · FanicaHriscu on YouTube
Red Sea Night Dive, Gota Abu Ramada, Egypt - Everything Just Comes Alive in the Night! · Chris Price Diving on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Why is Abu Ramada called the Aquarium?+
For the density of fish over a small, shallow reef: anthias in clouds thick enough to hide your buddy, fusiliers sweeping the plateau with barracuda, trevally and tuna behind them, and a giant moray on the coral.
Sources
- Gota Abu Ramada The Aquarium — DiveRED Hurghada
- Gota Abu Ramada: Dive 'The Aquarium' of Hurghada — Scubadore
- Gota Abu Ramada — RedSea Life
- Gota Abu Ramada - Aquarium (dive site node) — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Colorful hard and soft coral formations crowding the shallow reef at Gota Abu Ramada by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- Diver's view into a submerged cave opening at Abu Ramada with algae growing at the entrance by Ralf Huelsmann - Kempen - Germany, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- A pair of yellow masked butterflyfish swimming over open water at Gota Abu Ramada by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A rusty parrotfish swimming close to the sandy bottom at Gota Abu Ramada by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
In The Logbook
- Cheapest places to scuba dive, and the catchTrip planning · 15 min read
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