Elphinstone Reef
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
Conditions & forecast
Diving: Good
Wind
9 km/h SW
Air
30°C
Water
30.6°C
Waves
0.5 m
Tide
↓ Falling
High 09:00 · Low 03:00
Next 24 hours
23h
30°
10 km/h
00h
29.8°
14 km/h
01h
29.5°
15 km/h
02h
28.8°
14 km/h
03h
28°
13 km/h
04h
28°
12 km/h
05h
27.7°
14 km/h
06h
26.9°
15 km/h
07h
27.1°
16 km/h
08h
30.9°
15 km/h
09h
33.8°
17 km/h
10h
34.7°
23 km/h
11h
35.1°
25 km/h
12h
35.1°
27 km/h
13h
34.4°
30 km/h
14h
33.9°
28 km/h
15h
34°
22 km/h
16h
33.8°
18 km/h
17h
32.7°
16 km/h
18h
31.9°
12 km/h
19h
31.1°
8 km/h
20h
30.9°
4 km/h
21h
31°
2 km/h
22h
30.9°
6 km/h
Mon
34.6° / 27.6°
30 km/h · 0.8 m
Tue
35.1° / 26.9°
30 km/h · 0.6 m
Wed
36.2° / 27.1°
32 km/h · 0.7 m
Thu
35.6° / 27.9°
32 km/h · 0.8 m
Fri
35° / 27.1°
32 km/h · 0.8 m
Sat
35.5° / 28.7°
31 km/h · 0.9 m
Sun
35.3° / 29.6°
33 km/h · 1.2 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
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