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Marsa Alam - Notes for Divers ..
The Marsa
Alam Beach Resort and its diving centre will be ideally located
for quality diving and access to the reefs within the area. Beginners
may explore the reef just off the resort and the more adventurous and
experienced will be attracted to Elphinstone reef or even to take a
live aboard for a few days to explore the reefs and wrecks further
off the coast. Whatever your diving level and interest the diving here
is some of the best in the world ! and caters for shark lovers and
high energy diving along with diving or snorkeling with Dolphins and
more peaceful diving for those less experienced but still seeking high
quality dives.
Day dives to Elphinstone, Marsa Mubarak and Dolphin House Reef are
all excellent dives off the coast from Marsa Alam. With excellent chances
of seeing dolphins, guitar rays, grey reef sharks, white tip sharks
from September to December even the Thresher shark can be seen at cleaning
stations, whale sharks, turtles and Manta rays can also be spotted.
A great diversity of life, larger pelagic and schooling fish can be
found off Marsa Alam.
Marsa literally means "Open Bay" as against Sharm which means "enclosed
bay".
The bay of Abu Dabab is home to a colony of sea cows, (or Dugong).
Diving here is currently not permitted to protect the species, but
in the future there may once again be the opportunity to dive with
this beautiful animal.
For the diver and non diver alike there are options for land tours,
desert safaris, off road desert motor sports, or a side trip to Luxor
and the Valley of the Kings region which takes only around 4 hours
by bus.
Below I have indicated the most spectacular and in some examples advanced
diving to be had as either day boat trip or live-aboard where a base
from Mars Alam is ideal.
Elphinstone Reef:
This 450 metre reef is the most accessible advanced
diving reef from Marsa Alam, being only 11 km off shore and accessible
by day boat. This is a spectacular dive location well known for its
Oceanic White Tip sharks which can be seen from September to December.
This dive site is an advanced dive with medium to strong currents.
Here you can see sharks including Grey, Hammerhead and Thresher, yellow
snapper and many other reef fish. The reef has steep walls on both
its East and West sides, with the best diving to be found at the Northern
and Southern tips, with the Southern plateau often described as the
most superior dive on the reef.
You may also spot Manta Rays and the unmistakable Thresher
Shark here. The exciting thing is that you never really know what
you may encounter at this reef.
The Oceanic White Tip:
This awesome looking shark can be found all over Elphinstone Reef
in season from September to December. Encounters with up to 10 at
a time are not uncommon from the surface down to 30 meters. These
sharks grow up to 4 meters long, but most individuals encountered
at Elphinstone Reef are between 1.5 and 2.5 meters long. Still an
impressive size especially when you consider that these sharks are
not timid and divers should be prepared for close encounters even
being "bumped" if there is something about you that interests them ! The reports from Elphinstone generally support that the sharks there are more curious than dangerous. Albeit the common sense of not diving in late afternoon/early evening when these sharks turn to feeding is always advised during this season.
The Brother Islands:
Accessible
by live-aboard - this reef is the reef to visit for sharks. These
two pinnacles rise from 300metres bringing nutrient rich upwellings
from the depths to start the reef food chain from the smaller reef
fish to the larger hunters. Here currents are frequent, moderate
to very powerful. So again this is for divers with more experience,
i.e. 50 dives or more. On Big Brother you will find the wreck of
the Numidia, and on the Little Brother the wreck of the Aida. Given
two wrecks and the large and varied pelagics and schooling fish then
this has been described as one of the most beautiful dives in the
world ! The optimal season to visit being June to September. On the
Southern Plateau you may encounter Oceanic Thresher sharks which
come from the depths to be attended to at cleaner stations. The Thresher
Shark may tolerate your presence if being cleaned but unlike the
Oceanic White Tip this shark is more timid and is likely to swim
off if approached. The North Point of Little Brother may afford the
opportunity to see a Silver Tip. The Numidia Wreck is from 10metres
to 90 meters, far deeper at its bottom end than recreational diver
limits unless you are trimix diver. At the top part of the wreck
is spectacular and patrolled by Barracuda and Snapper and covered
in both soft and hard corals. For the less experienced diver (30
dives) then you can explore the Southern Edge of Little Brother Island
where currents are moderate to unpredictable and you stand a good
chance of seeing the Hawksbill Turtle and impressive Gorgonian Fan
coral forest.
Daedalus Reef:
This reef
is situated 50 miles out to sea sitting half way between Egypt and
Saudi Arabia and makes this the most remote diving in this area.
Accessible by live-aboard this reef is 600 meters long and is marked
by a lighthouse, which is worth a visit for the views. The lighthouse
keepers are apparently quite friendly especially if you bring cigarettes
or biscuits. From the Northern tip of the reef to the Eastern wall
you can see Hammerhead sharks and maybe even a Thresher Shark. The
sheer walls have impressive hard and soft corals and a number of
species of schooling fish can be found here. Grey Reef sharks are
commonly sited and larger Oceanic species can be found here.
Zabargad Island:
This is
the furthest reef south accessible by live-aboard. With virtually
no current this area is ideal for the less experienced diver or for
those divers looking for less high octane action and a more relaxing
dive. Here you can see Spanish Dancers, Crocodile fish, Cuttlefish,
Octopus and Nudibranchs, blue spotted sting rays and a good chance
encounter with a Manta Ray. A great night dive where you can also
hear the clicking of thousands of crustaceans feeding.
The Russian Wreck:
This 70 metre long freighter sits
at a depth of only 24 meters, providing ample time for even lesser
experienced divers to explore this gem of a wreck dive. The stern
section is particularly photogenic even though silt conditions can
reduce visibility at times. The typical characters of the Lionfish
and schools of glassfish can be seen on this easy wreck dive.
Finally .
I hope that the above brief list of some of the most well known and
impressive reefs off the coast of Marsa Alam gives you a good taste
of the exciting and quality diving that waits for you in this area.
There are many more reefs to explore than I have indicated
here. A good book on dive sites across the Red Sea is "Dive Red Sea - The
Ultimate Guide", by Simon Rogerson & John McIntyre.
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Alam Resort and Property >>>
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