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Coral Beach Rotana...
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294 elegantly appointed rooms and suites including 2 Royal Suites, 6 two bedroom suites and 26...
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Egypt: Search Dive Areas
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Hurghada (Giftun)
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Who would have thought that this Egyptian dive paradise in the Red Sea we was once nothing but a simple fishing village. Today, Hurghada stretches for about 40 km along the seashore surrounded by the desert. Present Hurghada is divided into three parts: Downtown (El Dahar) is the old part; Sekalla is the modern part, and El Korra Road is the most modern part. Sekalla is the relatively modest hotel quarter. Dahar is where the town's largest bazaar, the post office and the long-distance bus station are situated. Many restaurants, bars and shops, small pubs and internet cafes are available all over Hurghada.
The most beautiful and fascinating side of Hurghada, however, lies at some other place: below sea level. Hurghada’s topography consists of several individual islands, such as the big and small Giftun Island, and countless reefs dotted all over the place. They say that one man’s pain is another man’s pleasure! If that saying is true and you happen to be a lover of wreck dives then the reef Abu Nuhas, situated in the northern part and more distant part of Hurghada, will have pleasure in store for you beyond your imagination. Dangerously to shipping, Abu Nuhas lies on the edge of the Straits of Gubal, Gateway to the Suez Canal. A total of five ships had to learn this the hard way. Five wrecks that today are waiting to be explored. The three most famous, however, are the Carnatic, the Chrisoula K. and the Giannis D. If one ever said that wine and diving are two things that do not go well together, he has never been to the Carnatic. It was September 14, 1869 when this elegant P&O steamer on its way to Bombay sunk with passengers and a cargo of mail, soda and whine. With its bow at 16 m (52 ft) and its stern at 24 m (78 ft) the Carnatic is beautifully covered by soft corals and is habitat to countless of fish. Accessible by all levels of divers, the Carnatic is best dived in the morning as the nearby reef casts its shadow over the once proud steamer for most of the day.
The second of the three more famous wrecks, is that of the Chrisoula K, a Greek cargo ship which hit the reef in 1981. While the bow section stayed visible on the surface for a while, it eventually disappeared and today only the stern section, lying on the side at about 28 m (92 ft), can be dived. Due to its cargo of tiny Italian tiles the Chrisoula K. is often referred to as the Tile-wreck. Today, large colonies of hard and soft corals have taken over the ship and they are providing an excellent setting for many schools of fish. If you are lucky and early enough you might even see a white-tip shark
The latest addition to this veritable shipwreck get-together, four out of five ships sank between 1978 and 1983, was that of the Giannis D. Lying at the northern tip of Abu Nuhas, the Giannis D. and its cargo if soft wood lies at 28 m (92 ft). With is hull damaged but an intact bow and stern, the Giannis D. has become home to lionfish, scorpion fish and groupers as well as jacks, snappers and eagle rays.
Should you be longing for even more wreck dives, whilst in the region, visit the Ulysses, another grandfather here in the Red Sea. Sunk in 1887 this British sail and steamship is very similar to the Carnatic. Yet due to the shallow water the wreck mostly lies in isn’t as intact as the Carnatic. The marine flora and fauna, however, make this a wonderful spot to experience.
Coming back from the northern and more distant part of Hurghada that hosts Abu Nuhas, you will find that the area around Hurghada itself will offer just as much excitement. Just south of the smaller Giftun Island lies Small Giftun: a spectacular wall dive. Situated just east of the mooring point, this spot is as diversified as they come: an arched swim-through at 45 m (150 ft), several caves and an eastern wall that seemingly plunges into the abyss. Said wall, with its rich growth of sea whips, black corals and gorgonians, has just as much to offer as the reef itself with its profuse variety of hard and soft corals. Easy to understands why such a place is inhabited by countless of smaller reef fish. Even the big impressive pelagic seem to be drawn to this spot as they buzz past the wall.
If you are tired of having to travel all around the area to see the whole spectrum of what diving has to offer then Shaab Umm Qamar is a definitive must for you. This nice little site manages to pack all the action into its small confines. At 25 m (80 ft) you will find the wreck of a small barge additionally you will find a reef that has a sloping wall profile, several caves and crevices and a good variety of coral species. The thing that this site is really about, however, is the fish life. Countless reef fish, and just as many pelagic fishes will battle it out for you to provide the best photographic subject. And the cherry on the cake of this site would be the sharks that are drawn to this veritable dinner table.
In between the two spots of Shaab Umm Qamar and Giftun Island lies an isolated reef called Carless reef. Even though this reef truly lacks the presence of a car, it is not what it is famous for around the world. Boasting with two pinnacles, that brush the open sea, this reef is famous for its semi-tame morays, thanks to the regular feeding they get from the numerous dive guides. Due to its exposed setting weather conditions often make it impossible or extremely difficult to dive. If, however, you will be able to dive there you will be offered a wide variety of diving possibilities. Slightly east of the saddle that connects the two pinnacles you will find a steep wall and several caves and cavelets waiting to be explored. When it comes to the marine life don’t think that the moray eels are the only ones to enjoy the profuse variety of most of the hard and soft corals species. There are countless reef fishes, jacks, tunas, barracudas and sharks
Popular with local instructors as a training dive you will find that Gota Abu Ramada is lot’s of fun to explore and if you hear that its second name is The Aquarium you are probably even more excited. This shallow reef with plenty of coral outcrops truly is an aquarium: parrot fish, barracuda, triggerfish, a couple of eagle rays, blue spotted stingrays, crocodile fish, stonefish, unicorn fish and even a few sharks. Wherever you turn your head, there is something going on at the aquarium!
Quite a large reef, Shaab El Fanadir, lies east of El Gouna. With a popular mooring point on the eastern side at El Fanadir this is quite the typical Red Sea reef dive. With an abundance of hard and soft corals and quite a variety of marine life, such as scorpion fish, blue spotted stingrays, puffer fish, moray eels and lionfish.
Bombed by the Israelis in 1969, El Mina is the wreck of an Egyptian minesweeper that lies in Hurghada Bay. If you want to get a better impression of what you are about to see, there is a sister boat afloat nearby for comparison. As the wreck lies on its side, with sea urchins all over, and there are quite a lot of small holes you will have several opportunities to peer into the wreck. If that is not enough for you, then penetration is possible so that a significant part of the wreck can be explored from the inside. Be careful though, as it is quite tight in there! The area around the wreck contains a large debris field of live ammunition. Again, be very careful!
The last but not least spot on your long list of sites not to miss while diving in Hurghada is Umm Dom also known as Stone Beach. This steep cliff is situated of the north-east side of the larger Giftun Islands, Giftun Kebira, from where it plunges into the abyss, with a steep tumbling slope between 12 m (39 ft) and 27 m (88 ft). Open towards the straits, this site is regularly swept by strong currents. The coral growth, therefore, focuses on above 15 m (49 ft). The marine life, however, does not need to fear the comparison with other sites. Among the likes of fusiliers, triggers, sharks, morays, barracudas, antheas and scorpion fish you might be fortunate enough to spot turtles or whale sharks.
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