Elphinstone Reef

Also known as: Elphinstone · Shaab Abu Hamra · Sha'ab Abu Hamra

The reef stands alone in open water off Marsa Abu Dabbab and is reached by zodiac or day boat. Its east and west walls carry dense soft corals, gorgonians and swarms of anthias, while snappers, barracuda and Napoleon wrasse patrol the blue. The north plateau drops steeply from a few metres to about 22 m and then slopes on to roughly 37 m; the south plateau slopes from about 18 m to 35 m. Because the reef lies slightly angled to the north, current sweeps over both plateaus, and these are the places where operators look for oceanic whitetip, hammerhead, grey reef and silvertip sharks. Local centres take only experienced divers here, usually with an advanced certification and at least 50 logged dives, and snorkelling is not offered.