About this spot
Elphinstone Reef sits roughly 9 km offshore in the Egyptian Red Sea, an isolated plateau that drops sharply into open water on all sides — the geometry that draws pelagics in close. Strong currents run along the walls year-round, and dives here are planned around them rather than against them; drift conditions are the norm, not the exception. Visibility holds around 30 metres, so when sharks appear they materialise from distance with little warning. The southern plateau, between 25 and 40 metres, is where scalloped hammerheads concentrate, particularly from March through to late autumn. Blacktip reef sharks work the shallower sections of the wall, and large great barracuda hang mid-water in loose aggregations. Water temperature ranges from 22°C in cooler months to 28°C in summer, so a 3mm wetsuit covers most of the season. This is an advanced site — strong unpredictable currents, significant depth, and blue-water exposure demand solid buoyancy control and experience reading surge before descending.
📖 Guide: Diving in Egypt: 258 Sites From Wrecks to Hammerheads
Best months
Marine life
Dive types
Trip essentials
Everything you need before you pack — checklist, sun, logistics.
Trip checklist
- 🛂 Visa-free or visa-on-arrival
- 🤿 Pack: 3/2 mm shorty
- 📜 C-card + dive insurance (DAN)
- 📔 Dive logbook
- 🧴 Reef-safe sunscreen SPF 50+
- 🔌 Plug type C/F · 220V adapter
- 💊 Seasickness meds + ear drops
- 📱 Offline maps + emergency contact
Quick facts
- 🌘 Moon Waning crescent · 38%
- 🤿 Wetsuit 3/2 mm shorty
- GPS
› Sustainability disclosures
From your departure country
- Visa: Visa on arrival · 30 days max
- Flight: 8h · direct
- Jet-lag: 7h east · 5 days recovery
FAQ
›Oceanic whitetip season?
Late October through December peak. Sometimes earlier or later.
›Tec dive plateau?
Yes — the deep-south plateau at 40m+ requires technical certification.
