Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib · Egypt · Reef · Lagoon
Gota Hossam
A horseshoe of reef enclosing a pool of coral gardens
Area photo: David Sanford · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gota Hossam is a horseshoe-shaped reef, and the shape is where the name comes from: two reefs run together to enclose an area that dives like a pool, with several coral gardens inside it. The whole site bottoms out at 18 m, so depth never gets in the way of a long and unhurried dive.
Where it is and how deep
25.3487° N, 34.7753° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Two reefs run together here in a horseshoe, closing off an area that dives like a pool, and that geometry is the whole character of the site. Inside the horseshoe you have reef on either side to navigate by, so you can spend the dive looking rather than working out where you are. The maximum depth anywhere on the site is 18 m, which puts a long, relaxed bottom time within reach of most divers.
The floor of the enclosed area holds several coral gardens, and the sensible plan is to work between them rather than swim laps of the perimeter. Drop in, pick a garden, and move slowly from one to the next with the reef walls on either side as a reference. Because you never have far to go to reach the shallows, this is a good site for a long safety stop over the coral, and a good one for anyone still getting their buoyancy settled after a break from diving.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib: Dugongs and dolphins are resident year-round; spring and autumn bring the calmest seas for Elphinstone.
Sources
- Gota Hossam — Scubago
More dive sites in Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
Reef
Shallow reef to 15-20 m with pinnacles off the southeast
Two of the seven dugongs known on Egypt's Red Sea coast.
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.
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
Similar dives elsewhere
The Fury Shoals' longest reef, with a resident spinner-dolphin pod
Four small reefs around a lagoon, canyon terrain, mild current
A resident pod of 100-plus spinner dolphins rests here each morning
A maze of coral columns down to sand at 20 m