Safaga · Egypt · Reef
Gamul Kebir
Shallow 16 m reef, 25 minutes out, divable when the wind is up
Area photo: IDS.photos from Tiverton, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
Gamul Kebir is a shallow reef off Safaga Island, about 25 minutes out by boat and bottoming out at around 16 m. It is known for its lighting, and away from the channel that cuts the reef there is little to no current, so it dives as a slow loop rather than a drift. It stays approachable in strong wind, which keeps it on the plan when the exposed offshore marks are blown out.
Where it is and how deep
26.7860° N, 33.9877° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The run out from Safaga takes about 25 minutes, and because the site can be approached even in strong wind it tends to appear on the plan on days the exposed offshore marks are off the table. Entry is a straightforward descent onto the reef, which bottoms out at around 16 m, so the whole profile sits well inside no-decompression limits and there is no need to get deep early or hold anything back for the ascent.
Apart from the channel there is little to no current, so the reef is worked slowly in one direction and swum back rather than drifted, and the boat stays where you left it. The shallow ceiling and the lighting the site is known for mean colour holds through the dive instead of draining away with depth. The channel is the exception: current runs through it, and the route is planned around it rather than across it.
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.
Know before you go
- Current runs through the channel even when the rest of the reef is slack; plan the route to stay on the sheltered side of it rather than crossing.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Gamul Kebir?+
The reef bottoms out at about 16 metres, so it dives comfortably on a single tank within recreational limits and needs no more than an Open Water certification.
Can Gamul Kebir be dived in windy weather?+
Yes. It is about 25 minutes from Safaga and can be approached even in strong winds, so it is one of the sites that stays available when the exposed offshore reefs are cancelled.
Sources
- Gamul Kebir — Scubago
- Gamul Kebir — Wikipedia
- Tauchen in Ägypten — Wikivoyage
More dive sites in Safaga
Drift
A current-swept ridge where grey reef sharks hold out in the blue
Reef
A drift-free reef with south-side blocks, 90 minutes offshore
Reef
Main reef to 14 m, with the south side dropping to 20 m
A mushroom-shaped reef with a labyrinth of caves along its south side
Reef
An anemone garden of 40-plus anemonefish above a 35 m plateau
A 115 m ferry lost in 1991, dived as a memorial without entry
Bottom depths from 14 m to 30 m on the reef's western side
Pinnacle
Coral pillars rising from sand at 12 m almost to the surface
Similar dives elsewhere
A maze of coral columns down to sand at 20 m
Shallow reef to 15-20 m with pinnacles off the southeast
Easy reef averaging 12 m, shared with snorkellers
.jpg){kind=link}
A town house reef: seagrass, then coral blocks to 22 metres