Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib · Egypt · Wall · Drift · Pelagic & blue water
Elphinstone Reef
Best chances of oceanic whitetips run from October to December.
Photo: Alexander Vasenin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Elphinstone is a standalone offshore reef about 30 kilometres north of Marsa Alam, dived as a wall with a plateau at each end. The northern shelf sits at 18 to 25 metres and the usual profile runs 25 to 40 metres along the drop-off. Divers come for the oceanic whitetips and hammerheads that patrol the open water around it, and accept current that is often two knots or more.
Where it is and how deep
25.3086° N, 34.8603° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The northern plateau is the standard dive. Boats drop you well north of the reef so the current carries you onto the finger-shaped shelf, which sits at 18 to 25 metres and widens into a fin before falling away on both sides. Purple dendronephthya and brown soft corals grow along it, and crowds of redtooth triggerfish flutter in the current above the shelf. Keep the reef on one shoulder: the water that brings the fish will push you off the plateau and into open sea if you drift wide.
The southern plateau is a more demanding drift. Current there is less predictable and conditions change faster, so most operators keep the south for experienced groups and run the north as the standard dive. It is also the end where hammerheads are reliably spotted at depth, particularly early in the morning on an incoming current, and where a memorial to Arno Wallaard stands on the plateau.
Near the southern tip the reef undercuts into an archway at 52 to 65 metres. That is well past any recreational limit and not part of the dive, but it is an easy depth to slide towards on a wall with no bottom in sight. The working profile stays between 25 and 40 metres along the drop-off, then walks back up the reef as the tank empties, and the safety stop is worth spending with your head up and turning.
Marine life and season
- Oceanic whitetips
- Hammerheads
- Manta rays
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib: Diving runs all year; early autumn has the warmest sea without the August crowds.
Know before you go
- Current is variable, usually runs north to south, and is often two knots or more; stay close to the reef so you are not swept out to sea.
- The arch at 52 to 65 metres sits near the southern tip, an easy depth to drift towards on a wall with no visual reference.
Photos from Elphinstone Reef
Alexander Vasenin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0
Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Diving Egypt Red Sea - Elphinstone Reef / Tauchen Ägypten Rotes Meer - Elphinstone Riff · Frank Ude on YouTube
How NOT to dive with longimanus Sharks Elphinstone Reef 2022 · Tomáš Vránek (gmail) on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Elphinstone Reef?+
The northern plateau starts at 18 to 25 metres and the usual dive runs along the drop-off between 25 and 40 metres. The arch near the southern tip lies at 52 to 65 metres, well beyond recreational limits.
When can you see oceanic whitetips at Elphinstone?+
Chances are best from October to December. Hammerheads are seen at depth off the southern tip, most often early in the morning on an incoming current, and manta rays turn up mainly from May to August.
Do you need to be an experienced diver?+
Yes. Operators ask for an Advanced Open Water certificate and at least 50 dives, including experience of deep diving, drift diving and rough sea conditions.
Sources
- Elphinstone Reef - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Elphinstone Reef Dive Site - Map & Review — Divezone
- Elphinstone Reef - 2025 Guide — marsaalam.com
- Elphinstone Reef Red Sea: The Complete Diving Guide — Travel to Dive
Photo credits
- Oceanic whitetip shark cruising near the surface at Elphinstone Reef by Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pink and white soft coral bushes on the reef wall at Elphinstone, surrounded by anthias by Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Hawksbill turtle swimming past soft corals on the reef at Elphinstone by Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Small school of herring scad swimming down the reef slope at Elphinstone by Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Where to dive in every month of the yearTrip planning · 14 min read
- Do you need a safety stop? What it buys youBody & health · 11 min read
- Where to dive with oceanic whitetip sharksBig animals · 11 min read
- Drift diving: how to read and ride a currentDrift & current · 8 min read
- When and where to dive with hammerheadsBig animals · 16 min read
More dive sites in Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
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Walk-in bay entry onto north and south reefs
Similar dives elsewhere
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A long northern wall with hammerheads in the current below
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A 15 to 40 metre wall with the strait's most consistent pelagics