Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib, the area around Port Ghalib Fishmarket

Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib · Egypt · Reef · Wall

Port Ghalib Fishmarket

Beach-entry house reef at 5 to 20 m, outer drop-off past 60 m

Area photo: David Sanford · CC BY-SA 3.0

The Fishmarket is the house reef at Port Ghalib, entered off a sandy beach. Beginners find a reef between 5 and 20 metres straight off the sand, while at the outer reef the bottom drops away to well beyond 60 metres for those with the training to follow it, so the same entry serves a check dive and a deep dive.

Also known as Fish Market Reef, Fischmarkt.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Port Ghalib Fishmarket: typical dive 5–20 m (15–66 ft), deepest point 60 m (197 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit5 m20 m60 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 70 m (230 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

25.5336° N, 34.6401° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

Walk in off the sandy beach and the reef begins almost at once, in 5 metres, and shelves to 20. For a first dive of the trip or a check dive this inner reef is the whole plan: cruise along it at whatever depth you settle on, turn on gas, and come back along the same reef to the beach, where the shallowest coral gives you a natural safety stop.

Keep going out and the character changes. At the outer reef the bottom drops away, and it keeps dropping to far beyond 60 metres, which puts it outside recreational limits. Divers with the training use the same beach entry and cross the inner reef to reach the drop, so on a house reef that reads as easy the important number is the one you agree before you get wet.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Port Ghalib Fishmarket
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGood

Season follows Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib: Dugongs and dolphins are resident year-round; spring and autumn bring the calmest seas for Elphinstone.

Know before you go

  • The outer reef falls to well beyond 60 metres with nothing to stop you. Agree a hard maximum depth before the dive and stay on the inner reef unless trained and equipped for the drop-off.

Questions divers ask

Is the Port Ghalib house reef good for beginners?+

Yes. It is a beach entry onto a reef between 5 and 20 metres. The outer drop-off beyond 60 metres is a separate proposition for trained divers only.

Sources

  1. Port Ghalib Fishmarket — Scubago
  2. Port Ghalib Palace — Scubago

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