Safaga · Egypt · Reef
Cannon Reef
A drift-free reef with south-side blocks, 90 minutes offshore
Area photo: IDS.photos from Tiverton, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
Cannon Reef sits about 90 minutes by boat from Safaga and is dived in two directions: the main reef, and the blocks off its south side. Depths reach only about 15 m and it is a drift-free site, so the diving itself is undemanding; the long crossing is what makes it a full-day proposition rather than a routine second dive.
Where it is and how deep
26.6508° N, 33.9940° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The crossing is the commitment here: about 90 minutes each way, which puts the site outside the usual short-hop rotation and into a full day on the water. Once you are in, the diving is easy going. The reef is divable in two directions — the main reef, or the blocks off its south side — and which one you take is settled before the descent rather than switched mid-water.
The main reef is the straightforward option, with depths running to roughly 15 m, shallow enough that bottom time is limited by air rather than by the computer. The alternative is the south blocks, worked at similar depths. It is a drift-free site, so both routes are swum out and back to the boat under your own steam and there is no negative entry or live pickup to organise, which makes it a comfortable dive to end a long day on.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Safaga: Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov are the calmest windows; midsummer is very hot and winter northerlies close the offshore reefs.
Questions divers ask
How far is Cannon Reef from Safaga?+
About 90 minutes by boat, so operators run it as a full-day trip rather than as part of a standard two-tank morning close to the harbour.
Is there current at Cannon Reef?+
No. It is described as a drift-free dive site, so the reef is swum out and back to the boat rather than run one-way with the flow.
Sources
- Cannon Reef — Scubago
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Pinnacle
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