Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib · Egypt · Reef · Cave & cavern
Long Canyon
Canyons cut into a reef table at only 8-10 m
Area photo: David Sanford · CC BY-SA 3.0
Long Canyon is a wide reef table cut by a system of canyons at 8 to 10 m, dived for the canyons themselves rather than for anything out in the blue. It is a popular site on this coast, and the shallow depth means the exploration of its twists and turns is limited by patience and gas rather than by no-decompression time.
Where it is and how deep
25.3473° N, 34.7768° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is a big, wide reef table with many canyons cut inside it, all in relatively shallow water of 8 to 10 m. That depth is the point: with the whole dive in the top 10 m, gas lasts, no-decompression time is not a factor, and you can spend the time following the canyon system instead of watching a computer. The dive is spent inside the reef table rather than along its outer face, so expect to lose sight of open water for stretches at a time.
Inside, the canyon offers a long run of twists and turns to explore, and sun beams come down through the sockets in the coral reef overhead. Take it slowly. Working a canyon system cleanly is a matter of fin technique, and a diver kicking hard will silt or scrape what is easy to pass at a crawl. Work the system in one direction, keep the diver behind you in sight at the turns, and come out over the top of the reef table for the ascent.
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 | 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.
Sources
- Long Canyon — Scubago
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