St John's Reefs · Egypt · Pinnacle · Wall
Habili Ali
Grey reefs and hammerheads off an exposed pinnacle
Photo: Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Habili Ali is the easternmost site in the St John's system, a small oval submerged reef that rises out of deep water to within five or six metres of the surface and drops away past 60 metres. The northern plateau holds pelagic fish and grey reef sharks, and the currents that bring them can get very strong.
Where it is and how deep
23.4176° N, 35.9872° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The habili is a small oval submerged reef standing on its own in deep water, and the pinnacle top comes to within five or six metres of the surface before the sides fall away to over 60 metres. You descend onto the top and work around the structure, with the useful profile running between 10 and 40 metres. Visibility can reach 35 metres on a good day, which matters here because most of the dive is spent facing open water rather than coral.
The northern side carries a plateau, and that is where the fish stack up: tuna, horse mackerel, barracuda and jacks holding into the flow, with groupers, snapper and triggerfish on the reef itself. Grey reef sharks patrol the drop-offs. Hammerheads are most likely between May and August, oceanic whitetips are best in May and June, and mantas and pods of bottlenose dolphins pass through without any schedule at all.
The current is what decides the dive. It gets very strong, and combined with sheer drop-offs on every side that is why sources rate the site advanced only. Plan the profile before you get in, because it is easy to slide deeper than intended while watching sharks in the blue.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Hammerheads
- Oceanic whitetips
- Manta rays
- Dolphins
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Groupers
| 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 St John's Reefs: Mar–Jun and Sep–Nov are the settled windows; midsummer is very hot and winter northerlies make the long crossing uncomfortable.
Know before you go
- The current gets very strong over sheer drop-offs with nothing to hold onto — carry an SMB, stay with the guide and let the boat come to you.
- The pinnacle sides fall past 60 m with no visual floor, so set a depth limit before descending rather than judging it in the water.
Photos from Habili Ali
Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Diving at Habili Ali Reef, Red Sea · Diving Videos on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When are hammerheads seen at Habili Ali?+
Hammerheads are most likely from May to August, and oceanic whitetips are best in May and June. Grey reef sharks are the steadier sighting, usually along the drop-offs near the northern plateau where the pelagic fish gather.
Is Habili Ali suitable for beginners?+
No. Sources rate it advanced only. The currents get very strong and the reef drops sheer past 60 metres, which leaves little margin for divers who are not already comfortable managing depth and gas in blue water.
Sources
- St. John's Diving, Southern Red Sea - Egypt — Dive The World
- Habili Ali – Red Sea Diving Deep South St John's Habili Ali — Red Sea Diving
- ST. Johns - Red Sea World Travel — Red Sea World Travel
- St. John's - Best Red Sea Liveaboard Diving In Southern Egypt — No Troubles Just Bubbles
- St. Johns, Gota Soraya dive site page — Scubago
Photo credits
- Large pink soft coral tree with a diver swimming past in blue water by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- Yellow fire coral and white hard coral colonies with a diver ascending above by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- Yellow masked butterflyfish over a coral reef with hard corals by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- Dark sailfin tang fish swimming over the reef at Habili Ali by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
In The Logbook
- Where to see reef sharks on your first divesBig animals · 14 min read
- Why do you pee when diving, and tire after?Body & health · 12 min read
- How long should a surface interval be?Body & health · 8 min read
- Where to dive with oceanic whitetip sharksBig animals · 11 min read
- When and where to dive with hammerheadsBig animals · 16 min read
More dive sites in St John's Reefs
A maze of coral columns down to sand at 20 m
Short caverns at 7 m under an overnight mooring
Tunnels and fissures cut into an 840 m reef block
Wall
Overhangs on the southern wall and a cavern you enter at 10 m
Pinnacle
A ledge at 20–35 m circling a current-swept habili
Cave & cavern
Sunlight falling through cracks in the cavern roof at 6-10 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Mother of Sharks: hammerheads and tigers on a lone pinnacle
Pinnacle
Mansi Reef (Marker 42)
Yanbu & the Seven Reefs · Saudi Arabia
A lone coral column where hammerheads patrol the open water
Two plateaus on the Red Sea's only atoll, hammerheads at 45 m
Sheer wall, constant current and two ships draped down the same rock