Photo: Simon Rogerson Photo: Simon Rogerson Photo: Simon Rogerson Photo: Simon Rogerson Photo: Simon Rogerson

Located 240km south of Hurghada, Marsa Alam has long been popular with divers seeking adventure 'off the beaten track' and away from the bustling resorts of the north. A few years ago 'dive camps' offered the only accommodation available in this region with tents and very basic amenities. However, in recent years there has been an escalation of development, and although Marsa Alam remains a fairly small tourist resort, there is now a scattering of exclusive resorts alongside the camps.

Marsa Alam has become much more accessible to British divers with the introduction of direct flights from Gatwick during the summer season, from mid-March until the end of November, and many operators now use Port Ghalib as the point of departure for their southern liveaboards.

There are approximately 450km of fringing coral reef between Marsa Alam and the Sudanese border, and with access to several offshore reef systems and islands, the area is an attractive proposition for the most discerning divers.

The Egyptian government plans further expansion of the Southern Red Sea, so if you want to discover this stunning region without the crowds, now is the time to go.


SHORE-BASED DIVING

One of the pioneers of the Southern Red Sea was Hossam Helmy and his team at Red Sea Diving Safaris, who first set up camps in the Southern Red Sea nearly 20 years ago. Although new development means that the camps are not as isolated as they once were, they still retain a feeling of adventure and can offer guests a real barefoot experience, with their remote locations and tented accommodation.

The first camp was set up at Marsa Shagra (20km north of Marsa Alam) and is directly opposite the offshore reef of Elphinstone, a 20-minute trip by speed boat from the harbour. The second, Nakari, is found further south (18km south of Marsa Alam). Both camps are situated in peaceful bays built on the side of wadis* and flanked by the mountains of the Eastern desert. They offer unlimited access to 150km of fringing reef and have house reefs directly in front of the accommodation. Nakari is the more remote and basic of the two camps and guests can opt to spend a few days at each. The dive centres are fully equipped with freshwater rinse tanks and recharging facilities. Shore and boat diving is offered, including trips to Elphinstone and Dolphin House (Sha'ab Samadai). There are three types of accommodation: for those who want to get back to nature, tents are pitched right at the water's edge allowing stunning, undisturbed views of sand and sea. But if camping is not your thing, you can opt for the traditional Mandarah lodges or the Madyafa guesthouses, the latter offering en-suite facilities.

Packages at Shagra and Nakari include full board with unlimited shore diving, four complimentary boat dives, and trips to Elphinstone and Dolphin House.

The third and most southerly of the camps is Wadi Lahami (140km south of Marsa Alam). The Wadi Lahami village lies within sight of the Ras Banas peninsula and is surrounded by mangrove. This was the first land-based operation to offer diving to the fabulous reefs of Fury Shoal. The majority of the diving is by fast RIB to the outer reefs, such as Shaab Mansour and Abu Galawa, which are rich in marine life. Again, the package is full board and four dives per day are offered spending the morning at the outer reefs and afternoon on the house reef, which is just five minutes away by boat. Guests should be aware that the fast RIB rides to the outer reefs are fun, but can be bumpy and so are not suitable for people with back conditions.

If you prefer a little more luxury while sipping your apres-dive Sakara there are plenty of new hotels to choose from, including the stunning Kaharama hotel and her sister, the stylish Amaraya, situated 40 minutes by car from Marsa Alam airport at Blondie Beach. Pioneer Divers are located at the Kahramana, but you can also opt to dive with Emperor Divers, who are just ten minutes, free transfer away at the elegant Sol Y Mar Resort.

Some 50km south of Marsa Alam is the secluded Shams Alam resort, located adjacent to Wadi Gimal Island, with its protected marine reserve and dive centre. From here you can access the coral gardens of Wadi Gimal, but also offshore reefs such as Sha'ab Sharm.

The perfect way to discover the remote sites of the Southern Red Sea is by liveaboard. A cruise gives you the opportunity to reach offshore sites in comfort and away from the day-trippers. Itineraries include the Southern Marine Park Islands of Daedalus, Zabargad and Rocky, and you can even head further south to the reefs systems of Fury Shoal and St John's, often referred to as 'the deep south'. The departure point is Port Ghalib, which is a 20-minute transfer from Marsa Alam airport.

The offshore marine park islands offer divers the chance to see coral-covered walls that are swept regularly by strong currents attracting pelagics such as schooling hammerheads, the very rare thresher, whale sharks and mantas. Fury Shoal is made up of a series of 27 offshore reefs which are home to some of the best hard coral formations in the Red Sea, with a maze of passageways, coral gardens and lagoons. Beyond the Ras Banas peninsula, 20km southwest of Zabargad and 40km north of the Sudanese border is the complex reef system of St John's. Here, there are 14 square miles of coral atolls and offshore reefs, some still waiting to be discovered.

If you like the idea of heading to the outer reefs on a liveaboard, but are unsure about spending the whole week afloat, the perfect option is the 'Cruise & Stay'. You can combine three days at a luxury hotel day-diving with a four-day safari to St John's, enabling you to experience the best of both worlds.

DAEDALUS
96km (52 nautical miles) out from Marsa Alam

This isolated reef, also know as Abu el-Kizan, lies in the open sea almost halfway to Saudi Arabia, and is washed with strong currents. Marked by its famous lighthouse, Daedalus is home to a myriad of fish and coral species. Remember to look out into the blue as pelagics are fairly common here including schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks, the elusive thresher shark and manta rays. The reef itself is only 800m across, but its stunning reef walls plummet down to 70m or more.

ZABARGAD
46km (25 nautical miles) southeast of Ras Banas

Zabargad is a large island that offers shelter for liveaboard boats diving here and at the neighbouring Rocky Island. The dives are fairly shallow and relaxed, with reef slopes interspersed with beautiful coral pinnacles smothered with anemones and soft corals and surrounded by schools of glassfish. Zabargad has an interesting underwater topography, with lots of small nooks, caves and swim-throughs, one of which takes you right through to the inner lagoon. It also offers good night dives.

ROCKY
5.5km (3 nautical miles) southeast of Zabargad

Rocky Island offers plenty of dive sites, from the northern end, which is exposed to the north winds and can be subject to large swell and surf. The walls here are a sheer vertical drop to 50m and more, but the first 20m are smothered in the most beautiful soft corals. Currents can be very strong and expect some fast drift dives. Pelagics can be spotted here, as well as large groupers and Napoleon wrasse. The south and southeastern sides are more sheltered, although shark encounters are still a possibility, and the reef has plenty of ledges and overhangs to explore. Also, you can find plenty of macro life. The east side has a mixture, from coral bommies to walls and open plateaux. This dive can be amazing, with curious hammerheads buzzing you to beautiful soft corals in the inshore shallows. Nearby is the deep technical dive of the wreck of the Maiden.

ELPHINSTONE
Accessible by liveaboard and day boat

12km (6 nautical miles) off Marsa Abu Dabab

Elphinstone is a finger-like reef running from north to south in the open Red Sea. Steep walls tumble down to depths of 70m or more on the east and west sides, and can be subject to strong currents. On the northern tip there is a shallow plateau covered in soft corals and on the southern tip there is a plateau that drops off at 30m with an excellent chance of spotting hammerheads and oceanic white-tips. A large underwater arch can be found at around 60m and legend has it that the sarcophagus of an unknown pharaoh lies here. Coral coverage all around Elphinstone is magnificent and there are plenty of schooling pelagics to see.

DOLPHIN HOUSE (SAMADAI)
Accessible from liveaboard and dayboat

Beautiful hard-coral gardens and pretty anemones can be found within the reef system at Samadai. This area is most famous for the resident pod of spinner dolphins that frequent the inner lagoon in between hunting in the open sea.

FURY SHOAL
Accessible by liveaboard and dayboat from Wadi Lahami

With too many dive sites to mention individually, world-class hard-coral formations make up the complex reef system of Fury Shoal. There is plenty of diversity, from coral gardens to dramatic drop-offs and the wrecks of a tugboat and a sailing ship. Sha'ab Sataya is a horseshoe-shaped reef within the main reef system. The fish life is superb, with all sorts of schooling pelagics and reef fish. Several types of sharks can be seen here, and there are regular reports of dolphins both along
the reef and inside the lagoon.

ST JOHN'S
Accessible from liveaboard only

Beyond Ras Banas lies 14 square miles of complex reef system from coral atolls and reefs, to intriguing caves. The whole area has an incredible topography and, being relatively sheltered, offers year-round diving. Many species of shark can be seen, including hammerheads, silkies, grey reefs and oceanic white-tips. A great destination for the explorer, as experts believe that there are plenty of quality dive sites in the area yet to be discovered.

ABU DABBAB
Accessible from liveaboard and dayboat

Home of Dennis the dugong, Abu Dabbab lies 40km north of Marsa Alam. The reef system contains a large number of dive sites that are suitable for beginners and night dives. There are a number of swim-throughs and cave systems that are great fun to explore.

Readers Verdict
Maxine Johnson- Intermediate Diver

I stayed at the Kahramana hotel with my family, and loved the hotel. The restaurants were fantastic, especially the fish and Italian ones. Also, the rooms were very spacious and the pool area was great. I booked a Go Diving package with Tony Backhurst, which included five days diving, consisting of a mixture of shore and boat diving. I really enjoyed the shore diving - Emperor Divers picked us up from the hotel and took us by truck to different dive sites. Three of the days were spent boat diving. This was a hardboat and we spent the whole day out with a morning and an afternoon dive. You could pay extra for lunch aboard and drinks throughout the day. My favourite dive was a fairly recent wreck called Legend. I couldn't tell you much about the wreck itself because I spent most of the dive watching the spinner dolphins! When we returned from the dive the dolphins were playing around the boat and we jumped back in with our snorkelling kit. It certainly made up for missing them on the trip out to Dolphin House.

Readers Verdict
Sheila Jennings-Brown- Experienced Diver

I travelled with a group on a 'Cruise and Stay' holiday last October. This entailed three days on land with shore diving and four days' mini-safari to St John's. I prefer doing a mixture of land and liveaboard, as I enjoy my creature comforts, such as a proper bed. Also, the mixture worked well for the couples in the group, who got to enjoy some privacy while land-based. My favourite shore dive was 'Camel's Lip' which was a maze of swim-throughs - we also saw a turtle and an eel garden. The site was located just 15 minutes away from Emperor's base at the Sol Y Mar. The best dive of the trip though was undoubtedly 'Elphinstone', where we saw nine oceanic white-tips.

Readers Verdict
Peter Male- BSAC Advanced Instructor

Wadi Lahami is remote and off the beaten track. It's like being on an expedition and there's a real atmosphere of excitement. There is no TV, radio or news and there is no evening entertainment. The only visitor is the occasional wild camel. I've been back three times with my family now as it's such a safe environment for teenagers. The dive centre is flexible and accommodating and the dive guides are always so enthusiastic - they really do go that extra mile. We stay in the tented accommodation and find it really comfortable - the main attraction is being able to open your tent flap in the morning and enjoy the sunrise over the Red Sea. Four dives per day are offered - during the morning you travel by RIB to the outer reefs of Fury Shoal for two dives. The journey takes between 20 and 40 minutes and is quite exhilarating.

For the afternoon and night dives you visit more local sites and the journey is approximately five minutes. There are far too many superb dive sites to choose a particular favourite, but Shabroar and Iron Garden are definitely up there, as they are spectacular - teeming with life. There is a local site that I absolutely love but I'm not telling you the name of it. In fact, tell everybody that Wadi Lahami is pants, because I want to keep the secret to myself.

MARSA - A marsa (resting place) is a wide sheltered bay with a shallow sandy bottom, ideal for anchoring boats.

RAS - 'Ras' means head in Arabic and is a foreland or simply a cape.

SHARM - 'Sharm' means a crack or cut in Arabic and is a V-shaped opening in the reef table with the widest point pointing out to sea.

SHAAB - A reef that breaks the surface.

WADI - A dry riverbed that is filled with water for a short time during the rainy season.

ERG - An erg is a pinnacle or a pillar of coral. Plural Aruk - a group of pinnacles.

HABILLI - A submerged reef, also know locally as 'unborn' as it hasn't reached the surface.

ABU - Means father.

UM - Mother.