Coral Reef Hurghada Egypt | The Best House Coral Reefs dive, Most Beautiful & Most Common Coral Species & Snorkeling Spots & Diving at Abu Ramada Hurghada Red Sea Waters.
Snorkeling in Hurghada in the Red Sea offers tourists a variety of underwater locations to choose from. Hurghada was once a small fishing village. But now it has become a busy tourist metropolis with large beachfront hotels and more excursion options.
Snorkeling in Hurghada offers many offshore coral reefs, from small islands to underwater pinnacles. Horchata’s tourist attractions also stretch along the coast to quieter coves. So if you don’t like the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s easy to find a quiet option that’s still close to the city’s amenities.
The snorkeling excursion in Hurghada allows you to face the special underwater world of the Red Sea Riviera in almost unbelievably clear water. Egypt’s dive sites are world famous for their visibility, which can reach 70 meters in some places.
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Coral Reef Hurghada
The country’s desert coast and desert islands are completely different from their underwater landscapes. Which exploded with the variety and richness of colorful creatures and terrains.
Giftun Island, Abu Ramada, Magawish and Umm Gamar offer the best snorkeling in Hurghada.
Snorkeling Magawish Soraya in Hurghada (Little Magawish) Coral Reefs in Hurghada
Distance to Hurghada: 30 minutes by boat
Reef Health: Pretty good considering the proximity to town
Sea conditions: calm and shallow water
Depth: 5-6 meters
Magawish Soraya is located just southwest of Magawish Island.
The Arabic word “Soraya” means small, so it’s basically Magawish’s little brother island, but it offers much better snorkeling opportunities. Little Magawish is a rocky island with some beautiful beaches whose waters range in color from azure shoreline to deep blue sea.
You can also reach Magawish Soraya by glass-bottom boat if there are non-swimmers in your tour group.
Corals at Little Magawish – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
You will find several blocks of coral scattered on the bottom not far from each other.
They reach the surface and are surrounded by schools of the most colorful fish. Many of the hard corals are bizarrely shaped and very interesting to look at.
Soft corals along the reef wall grow in small yellow bubbles and sway in the currents.
Similarly, sea anemones wave their tentacles and protect the cute clownfish (aka nemos).
Marine life in Little Magawish
As soon as you enter the water near the Shamans, groups of Sergeant Majors staying close to the surface will follow you curiously.
You will see schools of blue-green damselfish and red-orange and purple anthias.
Yellow and black striped bannerfish swim in pairs, often around fire corals – be careful not to touch them, they are dangerous and cause painful abrasions.
Banner fish in a small group at one of Hurghada’s snorkeling spots
If you’re very quiet, you can hear colorful parrotfish nibbling on hard corals.
Blue-spotted looptails are very numerous in the area, you will most likely spot one or more hiding on the sandy bottom.
You might even spot a crocodile fish, although they are very well camouflaged. You might also encounter small groups of goatfish and blue fusiliers.
Snorkeling Shaab Sakala near Hurghada – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
Distance to Hurghada: 45 minutes by boat
Reef health: pretty good
Sea conditions: relatively calm and flat
Depth: 6 meters
Near the south of Giftun Kebir (Big Giftun) Island, Shaab Sakala is a semi-submerged reef perfect for snorkeling.
Corals at Shaab Sakala – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
You’ll find that the surface in particular (thanks to lots of light) is adorned with an abundance of hard coral formations.
The Porites can reach a diameter of several meters. Often there is a brightly colored giant clam in it – like a precious stone.
You will see broccoli corals which actually look very similar to the vegetable and are olive green in colour. They grow up to 60 cm long.
Marine life in Shaab Sakala
Plenty of parrotfish bite at the corals, contributing to the balanced underwater ecosystem.
Did you know that females are usually yellowish in color, with green parts near the tail and under the mouth, while males are mostly green with some purple spots?
With a bit of luck you can at
See Sakala sea turtles. Please be careful not to chase them, observe them from a healthy distance and, as always underwater, be respectful.
Crocodile fish and blue spotted rays are common around the seabed. Look closely and you might even spot a scorpion fish.
Squirrelfish live in the cavities of the reef wall, while bright red angelfish stay close to the surface.
Of course, you’ll also find the usual Red Sea suspects – butterfly fish, wrasse, surgeonfish and red grouper.
Snorkeling El Aruk
Distance to Hurghada: 65 minutes by boat
Reef health: very good
Sea conditions: can have strong currents, relaxing on calm days
Depth: 10-12 meters
Tip: Avoid coming here on windy days as strong currents limit visibility immensely
El-Aruk is south of the stunning Big Giftun Island and west of Abu Ramada.
It’s like swimming in an aquarium, the shallow depth and the extreme brightness of the reef make snorkeling in El Aruk an extraordinary adventure!
The Arabic word “aruk” is the plural form of “erg”, which describes a tower-like coral formation that juts out to the surface.
You will see clusters, almost colonnades, of these coral towers of various sizes and shapes.
Corals at El Aruk – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
El Aruk has 3 main areas of these “ergs”:
Aruk Diana consists of 7 towers and is located in the southwest,
Aruk Mansur consists of 10 coral towers in the northeast and
El Aruk Giftun as a central formation consists of 6-7 buttresses.
They usually start with the last one, El Aruk Giftun. Once you’ve explored these, look up from the water and check where the nearest coral group is and swim there. In addition to the large group of tall coral formations, you will also see countless small, round hard corals of all shapes and sizes.
Marine life in El-Aruk
You’ll likely be greeted immediately by schools of glassfish moving in complete sync.
Clouds of red anthias compete for the best fish prize, perfectly camouflaged Pterois volitans hide in gorgonians growing vertically on the reef walls.
Large angelfish will impress you with their bright blue bodies and yellow spots, bright butterfly fish will accompany you during your snorkeling experience.
The abundance of reef fish attracts predators such as mackerel and large grouper waiting to ambush from the shadows.
Snorkeling at Giftun Island
Distance to Hurghada: 60 minutes by boat
Reef health: very good
Sea Conditions: Normally perfect for snorkeling
Depth: 5-7 meters
Tip: Avoid coming here on windy days as strong currents limit visibility immensely
The Giftun Islands are probably the most popular around Hurghada, with Little Giftun (Giftun el-Saghir) southeast of Great Giftun (Giftun Kebir).
They are connected by coral formations that form a kind of pool that goes out into the open sea.
Coral on Small Giftun Island – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
Similar to El Aruk, you will see several coral towers that almost reach the surface.
There is a rich coral environment here at Small Giftun thanks to the bright light and the great location of the circular reefs.
Delicate alcyonarians subtly display their pale pastel colors and catch plankton. In areas with stronger currents you will see beautiful gorgonian fans.
Marine life on the small Giftun Island
One of your first encounters at Small Giftun will likely be with red and orange anthias next to the reef. Sweetlips hide in the small coral terraces.
Parrot fish impress with their blaze of color and here, too, you can hear them chewing on the hard corals if you listen closely.
Pairs of butterflyfish are plentiful on Little Giftun Island, as are inquisitive clownfish peering out from their anemone shelters.
You might find crocodile fish and spotted rays on the sandy bottoms. With a bit of luck you can see a sea turtle on the outer part of the reef.
Snorkeling Shaab Ben El Gebel
Distance to Hurghada: 70 minutes by boat
Reef health: very good
Sea Conditions: Normally perfect for snorkeling
Depth: 4-10 meters
Shaab Ben El-Gebel’s translation from Arabic describes a “reef between the mountains”.
This little strait between the tall coral towers of the Giftun Islands is quite impressive and not far away. In between your snorkeling trips, you can relax at the beautiful Giftun Beach.
Corals at Shaab Ben El-Gebel
Expect a stony, long coral formation that sits like an elongated table on the sandy bottom with a depth of
4 to 10 meters looks like.
Near the southern slope many similar looking ergs in a low pyramidal shape with truncated tops.
The western side consists of deep bays, like underwater lagoons, with many colorful reef fish.
The soft corals at Shaab Ben El-Gebel aren’t as colorful as most of the other snorkeling spots on this list, but they come in a variety of shapes.
The top of the reef is literally covered in fire coral which looks stunning.
However, please be careful not to brush against the tips if you wish to avoid serious painful burns.
Marine Life at Shaab Ben El-Gebel – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
Especially the shallower parts around the coral towers are hampered by huge schools of glassfish that move quickly and in a coordinated manner.
They do this to confuse and disorient predators like bluefin trevallis, as they can usually only focus on one person at a time.
Families of clownfish live here in their sea anemones, groups of striped surgeonfish search the sandy bottom for leftover food.
Butterfly pairs swim in unity, while yellowfin barbel like to stay in large groups.
Snorkeling Abu Ramada – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
Distance to Hurghada: 70 minutes by boat
Reef health: very good
Sea Conditions: Normally perfect for snorkeling
Depth: 5-6 meters
Tip: Snorkel on the south side, as the wind and current conditions are better there
Abu Ramada is the southernmost and outermost island of the Hurghada archipelago. Its long, narrow, and rocky formation lies south of the Giftun Islands.
You will likely moor on the south side as it is well protected from the sharp north winds.
Corals at Abu Ramada
Moray eel in the Red Sea in Egypt
Rising from the sandy bottom you will see several hard coral formations that form something of an underwater oasis.
The tops of coral towers usually serve as cleaning stations. You can see cleaner wrasse removing parasites from much larger fish such as mackerel, grouper and surgeonfish.
It’s super cool to see them getting into the mouths of the big fish and cleaning their grills, especially as the fish receiving this cleaning service will change color as if to show their appreciation.
The blue-black cleaner wrasse are only about 10 cm long.
Marine Life in Abu Ramada – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
In the open water between the coral pinnacles and the reef wall at Abu Ramada there are many cornet fish that can change color depending on the environment. You can often see wrasse and large schools of black spotted snapper.
Keeping the reef edge to your right and swimming a few meters you will discover the wreck of a boat sitting on the sandy bottom at around 6-7 meters depth.
Although sunk not long ago, it already provides valuable shelter for a variety of marine life.
Groupers patrol their territory and giant moray eels peer out of their burrows.
You will see a wide variety of colorful reef fish such as purple anthias, clown fish, butterfly fish and angelfish.
The boat also has a permanent resident – a funny-looking porcupinefish that chills on the outside of the small ship.
Snorkeling at Gota Abu Ramada
Distance to Hurghada: 60 minutes by boat
Reef health: fantastic
Sea Conditions: Normally perfect for snorkeling
Depth: 9-12 meters
Located about a mile south of Abu Ramada, Gota Abu Ramada is one of the most spectacular reefs for snorkeling and diving.
The underwater world is so rich that you will feel like you are in a giant aquarium.
The elliptical reef is up to 200 meters in diameter. There are two large coral towers that are around 10 meters high and four smaller pinnacles.
As Gota Abu Ramada is predominantly a dive site, the upper reef is amazingly intact and teeming with colorful coral and fish.
The entire Gota Abu Ramada area contains a quantity and variety of fish found nowhere else. The best part is the northeast with its battlements.
Corals at Gota Abu Ramada – Coral Reefs in Hurghada
Bright lights accentuate the intricate structure of the coral polyps near the surface.
Acropora grow in many different forms, from slabs parallel to the surface to those growing up in complicated branching formations.
You will see brain corals in the form of laybrinths and intensely glowing raspberry corals.
The reef wall has many small cracks, like mini canyons. A variety of soft alcyonaria and gorgonians have grown along them.
Marine life at Gota Abu Ramada
One of the few places
The area where you may encounter sharks is here in Gota Abu Ramada.
If you’re lucky, you might see whitefin sharks resting in the crevices that run horizontally along the north wall at a depth of about 2 meters.
Unless you are a diver, encountering a shark can seem scary and dangerous. However, they are harmless animals as long as you do not disturb them.
As with pretty much all other sea creatures, keep your distance and be respectful. You visit her home, not the other way around.
Schools of yellow and silver goatfish can mostly be seen at around 3 meters as you continue west with the reef to your left. They live in such large groups, it’s like a living wall.
Sergeant Majors reflect the light beautifully while clouds of glassfish explore the many cracks in the reef wall.
Fusiliers swim open-mouthed to capture the abundance of plankton on the south side of the wall.
In the open water you can see giant moray eels, which is rather rare as they usually hide in burrows.
