Marsa Alam

Elphinstone Reef.

Legendary offshore wall with hammerheads and oceanic whitetips
Depth18–40 m
EntryBoat entry
DifficultyAdvanced
RegionMarsa Alam
Conditions
22-29°C
Water temp
20-40 m
Visibility
Moderate to strong, often drift
Current
Year-round; sharks best Oct-Dec
Best season
Hazards & safety
Strong unpredictable currents·Depth temptation at the arch·Open-water exposure and boat traffic·Oceanic whitetip sharks
Depth & your standing
18–40 m
Site depth range
Conditions & forecast
Diving: Good
Wind
16 km/h NW
Air
26.1°C
Water
28.1°C
Waves
0.6 m
Tide
↑ Rising
High 10:00 · Low 16:00
Next 24 hours
05h
26.1°
16 km/h
06h
25.7°
13 km/h
07h
25.6°
10 km/h
08h
26°
11 km/h
09h
27.1°
14 km/h
10h
28.1°
16 km/h
11h
28.9°
17 km/h
12h
28.9°
20 km/h
13h
28.9°
22 km/h
14h
28.9°
23 km/h
15h
28.9°
22 km/h
16h
28.6°
20 km/h
17h
28°
18 km/h
18h
27.5°
16 km/h
19h
27°
16 km/h
20h
26.8°
16 km/h
21h
26.5°
15 km/h
22h
26.2°
13 km/h
23h
25.8°
13 km/h
00h
25.5°
11 km/h
01h
25.4°
10 km/h
02h
25.4°
9 km/h
03h
25.3°
9 km/h
04h
25.2°
9 km/h
Fri
29° / 25.5°
23 km/h · 0.8 m
Sat
28.3° / 24.3°
24 km/h · 0.8 m
Sun
28.6° / 25°
27 km/h · 1 m
Mon
28.3° / 25.2°
27 km/h · 1.1 m
Tue
27.9° / 24.2°
28 km/h · 1.1 m
Wed
28.5° / 23.6°
27 km/h · 1.2 m
Thu
29.6° / 23.4°
25 km/h · 1 m
About this site
Catalog

Elphinstone (Sha'ab Abu Hamra) is a long, narrow offshore reef about 12 km from Marsa Alam whose sheer walls plunge well past 100 m on both flanks. The north and south plateaus draw schooling fish, grey reef and hammerhead sharks, while autumn brings the famous oceanic whitetip encounters. A deep, much-mythologised arch sits at around 55 m at the southern tip.

What you'll see
Marine life
HighModerateLow
Probabilities are aggregated from verified sightings by Dive Plaza divers. They are guides, not promises — the sea is the sea.
Red Sea · Egypt
Location
25.3083° N · 34.8633° E
Gallery
4 photos · 0 videos
More in Marsa Alam