Middle Reef sits about 75 minutes out from Safaga and is shaped like an enormous mushroom: hard coral gardens on the east and west flanks, a drop-off on the north side, and a labyrinth of caves and tunnels along the south. The water is generally calm and the reef is rated an easy dive, with the caves and the deeper ground reserved for advanced divers.
Where it is and how deep
26.7051° N, 34.1001° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef resembles an enormous mushroom, and which side you dive depends on the wind and the current, which runs anywhere from limited to strong depending on where you are on it. The east and west flanks are hard coral gardens bordered by acroporas and brain coral, easy ground in shallow water, while the north side carries the drop-off, with coral formations stepping down the face into blue water.
The south side is the interesting part. The reef lowers slowly towards the southern drop-off at 30 metres, and along it are caves and tunnels you can dive through as though in a labyrinth; that section, and anything deep, is advanced ground rather than the easy dive the rest of the reef offers. Below the drop-off the wall continues to 40 metres. Green moray, sweetlips, scorpionfish and bannerfish are on the coral, barracuda and tuna out in the water, whitetip reef sharks along the west side and turtles anywhere.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Tuna
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
| 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 most comfortable windows; in every month the wind decides whether the offshore reefs can be reached.
Know before you go
- The caves and tunnels on the south side form a labyrinth; they need advanced experience and a light, and are not part of the easy dive the rest of the reef offers.
- Current varies from limited to strong depending which side of the reef you are on, so confirm at the briefing which way you will be swimming.
Photos from Middle Reef
dronepicr · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Tauchen in Ägypten - Middle Reef West "Coral Lagoon" 4K/60FPS 🐠 Safaga 2020 · Ollywood - Dive & Travel on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Middle Reef?+
The reef lowers gradually to the southern drop-off at 30 metres and the wall continues to a maximum of 40 metres below that. Most of the dive is shallower than either, on the hard coral gardens on the east and west flanks.
Sources
- Middle Reef dive site — PADI
- MIDDLE REEF, Egypte, Dive Site Information — Divers Guide
Photo credits
- Aerial view of turquoise coral reef patterns forming Middle Reef near Safaga by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dive boat bow approaching the reef at Middle Reef, Safaga, with a marker buoy ahead by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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
Shallow 16 m reef, 25 minutes out, divable when the wind is up
Reef
Main reef to 14 m, with the south side dropping to 20 m
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
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Table corals still intact on a slope opened to divers recently
Tunnels and fissures cut into an 840 m reef block
A vertical eastern edge dropping to 30 metres off Small Giftun
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Scalloped hammerheads off the back of the reef in late summer