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
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.
| 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
- 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
- Port Ghalib Fishmarket — Scubago
- Port Ghalib Palace — Scubago
More dive sites in Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
Best chances of oceanic whitetips run from October to December.
Reef
Coral-covered blocks to 30 m, half an hour south of Port Ghalib
Two resident dugongs grazing a shallow seagrass meadow.
Coral garden
Coral garden to 25 m, a quarter of an hour south of the marina
Reef
An easy coastal drift 15 minutes north of Port Ghalib
A canyon at 6 to 18 m plus training platforms at 2, 3, 5 and 9 m
A house-reef wall from 12 to 30 m with little or no current
A resting pod of 60 to 80 spinner dolphins in the lagoon.
Similar dives elsewhere
Coral canyons to 16 m, then a wall that keeps dropping
Reef slope, a plateau at 22 m, then a wall to about 70 m
The Fury Shoals' longest reef, with a resident spinner-dolphin pod
A walkable island with a wall at about 24 m