Sharm El Sheikh · Egypt · Reef
Temple
A tiny swim-through that opens out into the blue
Area photo: patano · CC BY-SA 3.0
A local Sharm site named for its topography, which loosely resembles an underwater temple. It is normally dived from a boat and starts easily, in the shallows at around 6 m, until a tiny swim-through takes you out into the blue where 30 m and more is within reach. The shallow half stands on its own.
Where it is and how deep
27.8474° N, 34.3090° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Temple is normally dived from the boat, and the descent puts you into the shallows at around 6 m on the structure that gives the site its name: the topography loosely resembles an underwater temple, and that shallow formation is where most of the dive is spent. It is easy diving at this end, with no depth pressure on the profile and time to go around things twice.
The change comes at a tiny swim-through. Pass through it and you are out in the blue, where the ground falls away and you are able to reach 30 m and more. That splits the dive in two: an unhurried shallow half among the formations, and a short deeper look outside for divers with the certification and the plan to take 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 | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sharm El Sheikh: Hammerhead sightings at Tiran peak June–September; winter winds can make Tiran crossings choppier.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Temple dive site?+
It starts in the shallows at around 6 m, which is where most of the dive happens. Past a tiny swim-through the site opens into the blue and 30 m or more is reachable, so the deeper half depends on your certification.
Sources
- Temple — Scubago
More dive sites in Sharm El Sheikh
Reef
Anemones holding a permanent population of anemonefish
Reef
The freighter Loullia aground on the reef since 1981
Reef
Two enormous caves filled with shoaling glassfish
Scalloped hammerheads off the back of the reef in late summer
A 1984 freighter broken up in 10 to 12 m of water
Lagoon
Shallow hard coral lagoon on the west side of Tiran Island
Wreck
A 175 m bulk carrier aground off Nabq since 1996
Coral blocks from 2 to 40 m on a sea-grass bottom
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