Daedalus / Zabargad
Daedalus is a remote outpost of a reef, less than a kilometre wide and marked by a lighthouse, some 80 km offshore from Marsa Alam. Its isolation means it is not frequently visited and this, together with its marine park status, means its reefs are in mint condition and it's one of the best dives in the Red Sea.As with the comparable Brothers, strong currents tend to run from north to south along the steep walls of this outcrop and winds can cause surface swells and waves to lash the reef. However, the incredible action below the surface can make the challenging conditions seem all worth it.Diving at the north point can be the toughest when strong currents are running since the currents tend to split here. But its these same conditions that almost gaurantee you some predator action, so find yourself an eddy in the currents, hide out and wait. Hammerhead sharks frequent the area as do other large pelagic fish such as trevally and tuna.
Due to the Earth's rotation around the Sun (or is that the Sun around the Earth?!), its best to dive the eastern wall in the morning and the western wall in the afternoon. Again, both walls make drift dives to the southern point. Both walls are thickly overgrown with fans and soft corals but its the western wall that has more variety. A deep ledge at 30m provides homes for anemones and their hosts, endemic Red Sea dottybacks, Moray eels and large pore hard coral formations. At the southern point of Daedalus Reef, keep an eye out for a special appearance from thresher sharks.
Further south are the spectacular overhangs and deep walls of Rocky Island and the abundance of soft coral and spectacular coral pinnacles at Zabargad.
Zabargad Island is a wonderful dive site offering wall diving, a wreck and shallow areas with dozens of slender coral towers. Here live a great many tropical groupers, which are easily approached and photographed during a dive without equals in its category. When diving here at night you will find octopus, crustaceans and nudibranches emerge to crowd through the coral grottos.
Rocky Island is a small fossil-coral island that emerges from the surface, elliptical in shape, surrounded by a surface level reef. The island sinks it walls down to more that 1000 metres of water. The walls are covered in soft corals and huge gorgonians which float and wave in the current. It is possible to sight many species of shark here as well as sailfish, dolphins and manta rays.
St John's is a beautiful reef system which lies approx. 40km north of the Sudanese border and 20km South of Zabargad. It is a vast collection of small reefs offering some of the most remote and rewarding diving in the Red Sea. Habili Ali offers giant gorgonians and black corals whilst Grey Reef, Silvertip and schools of Hammerhead sharks might be found on the west side. Habili Gafaar is a mass of soft corals teaming with shoals of Snappers, Butterfly Fish and Barracudas. Mantas, Oceanic White Tip, Grey Reef and Silvertip Sharks can be seen in the blue. Gota Kebir is a massive reef, famous for its tunnels and south plateau where Jacks and Barracudas can be seen and the occasional Manta. The tunnels are ideal for novice cave divers.
Gota Soraya is rated as possibly one of the best wall dives in the Red Sea, with overhangs and cracks in the reef wall full of Glass Fish and Sweepers and an abundance of corals, Grey Reef, Silvertip, Oceanic White Tip and Hammerheads.
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Due to the Earth's rotation around the Sun (or is that the Sun around the Earth?!), its best to dive the eastern wall in the morning and the western wall in the afternoon. Again, both walls make drift dives to the southern point. Both walls are thickly overgrown with fans and soft corals but its the western wall that has more variety. A deep ledge at 30m provides homes for anemones and their hosts, endemic Red Sea dottybacks, Moray eels and large pore hard coral formations. At the southern point of Daedalus Reef, keep an eye out for a special appearance from thresher sharks.
Further south are the spectacular overhangs and deep walls of Rocky Island and the abundance of soft coral and spectacular coral pinnacles at Zabargad.
Zabargad Island is a wonderful dive site offering wall diving, a wreck and shallow areas with dozens of slender coral towers. Here live a great many tropical groupers, which are easily approached and photographed during a dive without equals in its category. When diving here at night you will find octopus, crustaceans and nudibranches emerge to crowd through the coral grottos.
Rocky Island is a small fossil-coral island that emerges from the surface, elliptical in shape, surrounded by a surface level reef. The island sinks it walls down to more that 1000 metres of water. The walls are covered in soft corals and huge gorgonians which float and wave in the current. It is possible to sight many species of shark here as well as sailfish, dolphins and manta rays.
St John's is a beautiful reef system which lies approx. 40km north of the Sudanese border and 20km South of Zabargad. It is a vast collection of small reefs offering some of the most remote and rewarding diving in the Red Sea. Habili Ali offers giant gorgonians and black corals whilst Grey Reef, Silvertip and schools of Hammerhead sharks might be found on the west side. Habili Gafaar is a mass of soft corals teaming with shoals of Snappers, Butterfly Fish and Barracudas. Mantas, Oceanic White Tip, Grey Reef and Silvertip Sharks can be seen in the blue. Gota Kebir is a massive reef, famous for its tunnels and south plateau where Jacks and Barracudas can be seen and the occasional Manta. The tunnels are ideal for novice cave divers.
Gota Soraya is rated as possibly one of the best wall dives in the Red Sea, with overhangs and cracks in the reef wall full of Glass Fish and Sweepers and an abundance of corals, Grey Reef, Silvertip, Oceanic White Tip and Hammerheads.
Back to The Southern Tour
