Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib · Egypt · Reef
Villa Koraffi
An easy coastal drift 15 minutes north of Port Ghalib
Area photo: David Sanford · CC BY-SA 3.0
Villa Koraffi is a boat dive about 15 minutes north of Port Ghalib, one of the Torfet Ali group of coastal sites with deep water and steep drop-offs. It is run as an easy dive along the reef with a mostly slight current setting from north to south: the reef goes past 40 metres, but the dive is normally kept on the upper reef and drifts gently with the current.
Also known as El Khorafi, Gamila Korafi, Villa (Kharafi).
Where it is and how deep
25.5555° N, 34.6426° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat drops you on the coastal reef and the dive runs along it. The current is mostly slight and sets from north to south, so the guide will normally start at the northern end and let the water carry the group south along the reef, which is what makes it an easy dive despite the depth available: you swim little and steer a lot.
The reef continues to more than 40 metres, so the depth is a decision rather than a given. Pick a level on the upper reef, hold it, and let the profile stay flat; because the current sets along the coast, ask the guide before the dive where the boat will pick the group up, and plan the ascent for that point.
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.
Questions divers ask
How far is Villa Koraffi from Port Ghalib?+
About 15 minutes north of Port Ghalib by boat. It is a boat dive with a mostly slight north-to-south current and a reef that goes beyond 40 metres.
Sources
- Villa Koraffi — Scubago
- Port Ghalib diving – day dive sites — Emperor Divers
More dive sites in Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
Reef
Shallow reef to 15-20 m with pinnacles off the southeast
Two resident dugongs graze the seagrass in a bay you wade into
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.
Reef
A horseshoe of reef enclosing a pool of coral gardens
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.
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