Red Sea & Gulf of Aden · Egypt
Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
Dugongs at Abu Dabbab, spinner dolphins at Sha'ab Samadai, sharks at Elphinstone
Photo: David Sanford · CC BY-SA 3.0
Marsa Alam and Port Ghalib sit on Egypt's Red Sea coast, where coral reefs that are still largely intact line the shore and a few named encounters set the diving apart. Abu Dabbab Bay is one of the few places where divers sometimes meet a dugong, wild spinner dolphins gather in the lagoon of Sha'ab Samadai, and Elphinstone Reef, standing alone north of town, brings oceanic whitetips and hammerheads. Long Canyon, Habiba Wall and the bay of Marsa Mubarak fill the days between.
About diving in Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
Diving here runs both from the beach and from the boat. At Abu Dabbab divers wade into the main bay and explore the fringing reefs straight from the sand, and the house reef in Coraya Bay, with a north and a south reef, is dived on all 365 days of the year, with a free shuttle boat linking its sites. Around Port Ghalib the day boats work the bays and reefs close to the marina, Marsa Mubarak among them. Elphinstone is the exposed day out: its currents are often two knots or greater, and they can be dangerous.
Coral reefs that are still largely intact run along the entire coast. Inshore, bays such as Abu Dabbab pair sandy, seagrass floors with fringing reef, and the reef table of Long Canyon hides shallow canyons. In Marsa Mubarak, Shaab Abu Ziyad has an extensively lined and mapped cavern system, with a hard coral garden at the start of the dive. On a large pinnacle at Halg Nigma, swarms of glassfish and sweepers keep out of the way of trevally and groupers, and at Hadana a large napoleon wrasse prowls the reef wall. At Sha'ab Samadai eagle rays and occasional reef sharks pass the deeper sections beyond the reef wall.
Abu Dabbab's beach suits snorkellers and divers of all skill levels, and Marsa Mubarak offers sites for every level near Port Ghalib. Elphinstone is the dive for those skilled in drift diving, and most of its length can be explored above 30 m, so the deep plateau pinnacles stay optional. The dolphin lagoon is a protected marine park with strict rules for protecting its marine life, so the meeting with the spinner dolphins happens on the park's terms rather than the diver's.
Best time to dive Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
| Sea surface | 23°C73°F | 23°C73°F | 23°C73°F | 24°C75°F | 26°C79°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 25°C77°F |
| Daytime high | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 31°C88°F | 33°C91°F | 36°C97°F | 37°C99°F | 37°C99°F | 38°C100°F | 36°C97°F | 34°C93°F | 31°C88°F | 28°C82°F |
| Rain | 3 mm0.1 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 6 mm0.2 in | 1 mm0.0 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 23°C73°F | 23°C73°F | 23°C73°F | 24°C75°F | 26°C79°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 31°C88°F | 33°C91°F | 36°C97°F | 37°C99°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 3 mm0.1 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 25°C77°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 37°C99°F | 38°C100°F | 36°C97°F | 34°C93°F | 31°C88°F | 28°C82°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 6 mm0.2 in | 1 mm0.0 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.
Diving runs all year, so the calendar changes comfort and the animals rather than access. From May the conditions at Sha'ab Samadai improve, and that better stretch lasts until November. Late summer and early autumn bring the warmest sea, but August is also a peak diving month, so the reefs can get crowded. Autumn, after the August rush, is the ideal time at Elphinstone, and its oceanic whitetips keep December among the best months.
Best months: September, October, November, December
Marsa Alam water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 23 °C (73 °F) in February to 30 °C (86 °F) in August. It is 24 °C (75 °F) or warmer from April to December. Rain is scarce: about 20 mm (0.8 in) falls in a typical year. Daytime highs reach 38 °C (100 °F) in August 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
Green sea turtles turn up in Abu Dabbab Bay almost every day, while a dugong there is a sometimes encounter. Spinner dolphins gather regularly in the Sha'ab Samadai lagoon. Sharks are at Elphinstone all year, with oceanic whitetips most numerous from October to December; hammerheads, silky and grey reef sharks are also possible.
- Reef
- Wall
- Drift
- Cave & cavern
- Pelagic & blue water
- Dugongs & manatees
- Dolphins
- Oceanic whitetips
- Hammerheads
- Sea turtles
- Napoleon wrasse
- Eagle rays
- Reef sharks
- Groupers
Best dive sites in Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
- 1
Elphinstone Reef
Standalone reef about 30 km north of Marsa Alam, known for oceanic whitetips and hammerheads.
- 2
Abu Dabbab Bay
Sandy beach bay with fringing reefs, one of the few places where divers sometimes meet a dugong.
- 3
Sha'ab Samadai (Dolphin House)
Marine park around a natural lagoon where wild spinner dolphins gather regularly.
- 4
Long Canyon
Wide reef table cut by many inside canyons at a shallow 8 to 10 m.
- 5
Habiba Wall
Wall and drift dive from a big pinnacle at 27 m onto a coral wall at 15 to 20 m.
- 6
Marsa Mubarak
The largest bay near Port Ghalib, with a wide range of sites for all levels of diver.
Site guides
Reef
Shallow reef to 15-20 m with pinnacles off the southeast
Two resident dugongs graze the seagrass in a bay you wade into
Coral garden
Coral garden to 25 m, a quarter of an hour south of the marina
Best chances of oceanic whitetips run from October to December.
Reef
A horseshoe of reef enclosing a pool of coral gardens
Wall
Starts at a 27 m pinnacle by the drop-off, then drifts shallow
Reef
Canyons cut into a reef table at only 8-10 m
Two resident dugongs grazing a shallow seagrass meadow.
Walk-in bay entry onto north and south reefs
A canyon at 6 to 18 m plus training platforms at 2, 3, 5 and 9 m
Reef
Small reef six minutes out, coral tops at 2-3 m
Beach-entry house reef at 5 to 20 m, outer drop-off past 60 m
Wall
Drift along a pinnacle-studded wall from the hotel jetty
A resting pod of 60 to 80 spinner dolphins in the lagoon.
Wall
Offshore wall about 5 km out, sand at 15-25 m
Reef
Coral-covered blocks to 30 m, half an hour south of Port Ghalib
A house-reef wall from 12 to 30 m with little or no current
Reef
An easy coastal drift 15 minutes north of Port Ghalib
How to get to Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
Marsa Alam International Airport lies 60 km northwest of Marsa Alam, near Port Ghalib. At Port Ghalib, day boats leave directly from the marina jetty, close to the resort's hotels, and guests of most hotels there get complimentary transfers to and from the marina.
Photos from Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
Do Hyun Kang · CC0
Nicola Feola · CC BY 3.0
Nicola Feola · CC BY 3.0
Asmaa Khalifa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
The Sharks of Elphinstone – Diving Red Sea 2017 · BLUEWAVEFILMS on YouTube
Abu Dabbab reef diving, Marsa Alam, Egypt · Petr Kominek on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What experience does Elphinstone Reef need?+
An Advanced Open Water certificate, at least 50 dives, and experience of deep diving, drift diving and rough sea conditions.
Are there rules for the dolphins at Sha'ab Samadai?+
Yes. The inner section of the lagoon is reserved for the dolphins, and no swimmers or divers may enter it. Divers explore the outer reef walls, pinnacles and an underwater canyon on the lagoon's western edge, where the current is moderate.
Can new divers dive from the beach at Abu Dabbab?+
Yes. The bay is fairly sheltered and deepens slowly to an average of about 15 m, though its sandy floor keeps visibility to four to ten metres in average conditions.
Can any diver enter the cavern near Port Ghalib?+
No. The cavern system at Shaab Abu Ziyad is for trained divers only.
Sources
- Port Ghalib diving — Emperor Divers
- Unser Hausriff — Coraya Divers
- Dolphin House — Deep South Divers
- Elphinstone Reef guide — marsaalam.com
- Abu Dabbab guide — marsaalam.com
- Shaab Samadai — PADI
- Marsa Alam — Wikivoyage
- Elphinstone Reef — Wikipedia
- Long Canyon — Scubago
- Habiba Wall — Scubago
Photo credits
- A rusty parrotfish glides over a coral reef in the Red Sea near Marsa Alam by David Sanford, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A wooden pier stretches into calm water under a pink sunrise sky at Marsa Alam by Do Hyun Kang, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A palm tree and pink bougainvillea frame a turquoise beach along the Marsa Alam coast by Nicola Feola, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Camels led along a desert beach near Marsa Alam, Egypt by Nicola Feola, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A kitesurfer rides the turquoise waters off the Marsa Alam coastline by Asmaa Khalifa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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