Yanbu & the Seven Reefs · Saudi Arabia · Reef · Pelagic & blue water · Night
Abu Galawa
Hammerheads and silkies in the blue off the southern slope
Abu Galawa is the longest reef of the Seven Sisters, an elongated coral atoll with turquoise pools inside, which gives it its name: galawa means pool in Arabic. Boats moor here overnight for the shelter, and the reef is dived both for sharks off its southern slope and after dark.
Also known as Abu Galawa South.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Yanbu & the Seven Reefs and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive runs between 12 and 40 m along the southern slope, the part of the reef where the current is easiest to meet. That current is what brings in the pelagics: out in the blue, trevally, grey sharks, silky sharks and a resident school of hammerheads are common sightings.
With the boats already on the mooring, Abu Galawa is also one of the reefs chosen for night dives, when encounters on the atoll are often interesting.
Marine life and season
- Hammerheads
- Reef sharks
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Yanbu & the Seven Reefs: Liveaboards run the Seven Reefs as a summer itinerary; day boats from Yanbu run year-round.
Know before you go
- The southern slope is where the current is easiest to meet, the same point where the pelagics show up.
Dive videos
Abu Galawa Reef, Red Sea - Yanbu, Saudi Arabia 21 May 2016 · Stuart Adams on YouTube
Sources
- Seven Sisters and Five Corals — Ocean Breeze Liveaboards
More dive sites in Yanbu & the Seven Reefs
Pinnacle
A lone coral column where hammerheads patrol the open water
Wall
Shallow cracks on one side, a descent past 60 m on the other
Reef
A small wreck in calm, shallow water north of Yanbu
Similar dives elsewhere
Two caves at 3 m, a 5 m platform, and sand at 36 m off one beach
Short caverns at 7 m under an overnight mooring
Whitetips hunt the coral garden by torchlight
Hammerheads and Zambezi sharks off a reef edge in open water