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AOW
Abu Kafan South
Egypt · reef · advanced
3–30 madvancedAOWboat entry
Abu Kafan South
The south end of the Abu Kafan reef: a mooring dive out past a large erg that meets the main reef at 18 m, and the end that still runs when the north drift does not.
Max depth3–30 m
Required leveladvanced
Entry typeboat
Visibility25 m
The dive
Abu Kafan is one narrow offshore reef 90 minutes to two hours out from Safaga, with walls that fall vertically from just under the surface past 100 m. Our catalogue carries three pins on it: Abu Kafan for the main mooring, Abu Kafan North for the north plateau, and this one for the south end. They are routes on a single reef, not three reefs. Worth knowing before you trust any of the three pins: the position Swiss Wellness Dive Club publishes for the whole site, 26 39.18 N 34 06.58 E, lands on this southern pin rather than on either of the others.
The sources do distinguish a southern route, and they agree on its landmark. Swiss Wellness describes a large, colourful erg at the south that joins the main reef at about 18 m, with the reef stretching on southwards at 30 m beyond it. Blue Submarine, a Safaga centre, calls the southern plateau extensive, starting at around 18 m and running south to roughly 50 m, with that large erg near the reef and overhangs and gorgonians on the wall. ETL Travel adds the detail that matters underwater: the erg leaves a channel about 18 m deep and 10 m wide between itself and the main reef, and when the current is running it picks up through that gap and sweeps you along it.
Where the north end is normally run one-way, the south is worked from the moorings. Swiss Wellness's dive plan is to leave the mooring, go past the southern erg and, if the current allows, up the east wall and back. The alternative described by ETL is to head south around the main reef, swim back around the outside of the erg where the wall drops away again, and finish over the south point, where the shallows at about 3 m still hold fish, with small fissures and crevices running back into the reef. The southwest flank is the sheltered choice when the water is moving. This is also why the south end exists as a route at all: Swiss Wellness says plainly that when the weather stops you drifting the north plateau, the south is still worth getting wet for.
Nothing about the reef is casual. It stands in open sea with no protection, and operators are consistent that conditions have to be good before a boat commits to the crossing. Grading is where they stop agreeing: 4EVERSEA lists a minimum of Open Water and a 10 to 30 m range, while Swiss Wellness grades the site advanced to expert and Nemo Dive Club advanced. On the reef itself the walls carry soft corals, black corals and gorgonians. OBIS records only 57 taxa within 1.5 km of this pin and all of them at one to four observations, so the pin is under-surveyed rather than the reef being empty: coral hind, sixblotch hind, coronation trout, giant moray, tasselled scorpionfish, chiseltooth wrasse, moontail bullseye and two nudibranchs are what has actually been logged here. Operators add giant barracuda, tuna and turtles for the reef as a whole.
- The large southern erg, which joins the main reef at about 18 m
- The 10 m wide channel between erg and reef, which accelerates when the current runs
- Overhangs and gorgonians on the wall below the southern plateau
- A sheltered southwest flank that can be worked out-and-back from the mooring
- Shallow finish over the south point at around 3 m
Please note before you go
- Open-sea reef with no shelter: the crossing is 90 minutes to two hours and the site only goes ahead in good weather
- The channel between the southern erg and the main reef is about 10 m wide and accelerates the current through it
- Northwesterly current described by operators as anything from mild to pumping, on a reef whose walls fall vertically past 100 m
- Operators disagree on the grade, from Open Water minimum to expert; the reef gives you no shallow ground to abort onto except the plateaus at each end
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Day boat from Safaga, 90 minutes to two hours depending on the boat and the sea; 4EVERSEA gives 100 minutes and places the reef southeast of Safaga Island, and lists access as boat or zodiac with a minimum of 12 divers. Entry at this end is from the mooring rather than as a drop-off. Operators are unanimous that the crossing is only made in good weather.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Season
This is a weather-gated site rather than a marine-life one, so the months that matter are the months the boat can get there. Aquarius Red Sea rate October the best overall month in the Egyptian Red Sea, with wind patterns typically settled so offshore trips run reliably, visibility often over 40 m and water at 25 to 28 C; September and November hold 30 to 40 m visibility at 27 to 29 C and 24 to 26 C respectively, and April and May sit in the same band on the spring side. The same source notes that in January and February surface conditions turn choppy and northerly winds occasionally cancel trips outright, which is exactly what strands a reef like this one.
Conditions
Visibility25 m
Currentstrong
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range3–30 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsnot sourced
A long crossing, then a mooring on a reef with nothing around it. On a good day the water is moving from the northwest at somewhere between mild and strong, and the dive is a loop from the mooring out past the southern erg and back, using the southwest flank if the current is up. On a bad day the boat does not come. Visibility we record at 25 m, the lower of the two figures available, against a regional autumn range of 30 to 40 m.
On current: The current at Abu Kafan sets from the northwest and operators put it anywhere from mild to pumping; 4EVERSEA calls it moderate to strong and the site open sea, exposed to weather. At this end the specific feature is the channel between the southern erg and the main reef: about 10 m wide, and when the water is moving it accelerates through and carries you with it. ETL notes the southwest flank as the more sheltered side when the current runs, which is why the south is dived as an out-and-back from the mooring rather than as a one-way drift. Published depths for the site disagree and we have taken the conservative reading: 4EVERSEA gives 10 to 30 m, Swiss Wellness caps the site at 26 m, Blue Submarine has the southern plateau running from 18 m south to about 50 m, and ETL gives 0 to 60 m for the whole reef. Visibility is recorded at the lower of the two figures we found: ETL gives 25 to 30 m for this site, and the regional autumn figure from Aquarius Red Sea is 30 to 40 m.
Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
Is Abu Kafan South a separate dive site from Abu Kafan?
No. Abu Kafan is one narrow reef and our catalogue carries three pins on it, for the main mooring, the north plateau and this southern end. Operators do distinguish a southern route, built around a large erg that joins the main reef at about 18 m, but they treat it as one of two or three ways to dive the same structure. One operator's published position for the whole site actually lands on this southern pin.
How deep is Abu Kafan South?
We record a working range of 3 to 30 m and the published figures disagree. 4EVERSEA gives 10 to 30 m and Swiss Wellness caps the site at 26 m, while Blue Submarine describes the southern plateau starting around 18 m and running south to about 50 m, and ETL gives 0 to 60 m for the reef overall. The landmark of the southern route, the erg where it meets the main reef, sits at about 18 m, and the dive can finish in about 3 m over the south point.
How is the south end of Abu Kafan actually dived?
From the moorings, as a loop rather than a one-way drift. Swiss Wellness's plan is to leave the mooring, go out past the southern erg and, if the current allows, up the east wall and back. ETL describes the alternative of heading south around the main reef and swimming back around the outside of the erg, and notes the southwest flank as the sheltered side to work when the water is moving.
Is there current at Abu Kafan South?
Usually. The current sets from the northwest and operators describe it as anything from mild to pumping; 4EVERSEA calls it moderate to strong. The specific feature at this end is the channel between the southern erg and the main reef, roughly 10 m wide, which accelerates the flow and sweeps divers through it when the water is running. The southwest side is the more sheltered option on those days.
Is Abu Kafan suitable for beginners?
The operators do not agree, so take the conservative answer. 4EVERSEA lists a minimum qualification of Open Water, while Swiss Wellness grades the site advanced to expert and Nemo Dive Club advanced. It is an open-sea reef with vertical walls, no shelter, a 90 minute to two hour crossing and current that can run hard, so we record it as advanced with an AOW minimum.
What will you see at Abu Kafan South?
The walls carry soft corals, black corals and gorgonians, with overhangs below the southern plateau. OBIS has 57 taxa logged within 1.5 km of this pin but all at one to four records, so it is thinly surveyed: coral hind, sixblotch hind, coronation trout, giant moray, tasselled scorpionfish, chiseltooth wrasse, moontail bullseye and a couple of nudibranchs are what is on record. Operators add giant barracuda, tuna and turtles for the reef as a whole.
How do you get to Abu Kafan South and when does the trip run?
By day boat from Safaga, 90 minutes to two hours out depending on the boat and the sea; 4EVERSEA gives 100 minutes and places the reef southeast of Safaga Island, with access by boat or zodiac. Because the reef sits in open sea with no protection, operators only make the crossing in good weather, and Nemo notes it is not always accessible.
When is the best time of year to dive Abu Kafan?
Whenever the boat can get there, which in practice means the settled months. Aquarius Red Sea rate October the best overall month, with settled wind patterns so offshore trips run reliably, and September to November holding 30 to 40 m visibility; April and May are the spring equivalent. They also note that January and February bring choppy surface conditions with northerly winds occasionally cancelling trips, which is what strands an exposed reef like this one.
Life recorded at Abu Kafan South
57 species within 1.5 km · OBISGymnothorax javanicusrare · 2 recordsTaeniura lymmarare · 2 recordsBalistoides viridescensrare · 1 records
Cephalopholis miniatarare · 4 records
Myripristis murdjanrare · 4 records
Amphiprion bicinctusrare · 4 records
All 57 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Cephalopholis miniata | rare | 4 |
| Myripristis murdjan | rare | 4 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | rare | 4 |
| Pseudodax moluccanus | rare | 4 |
| Naso elegans | rare | 3 |
| Variola louti | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | rare | 3 |
| Heniochus intermedius | rare | 3 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | rare | 3 |
| Scarus niger | rare | 2 |
| Chromis pembae | rare | 2 |
| Chromodoris quadricolor | rare | 2 |
| Coris caudimacula | rare | 2 |
| Fistularia commersonii | rare | 2 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | rare | 2 |
| Caesio suevica | rare | 2 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 2 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | rare | 2 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | rare | 2 |
| Pseudocheilinus evanidus | rare | 2 |
| Genicanthus caudovittatus | rare | 2 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | rare | 2 |
| Oxycheilinus digramma | rare | 2 |
| Taeniura lymma | rare | 2 |
| Hipposcarus harid | rare | 2 |
| Bodianus diana | rare | 2 |
| Tursiops aduncus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon lineolatus | rare | 1 |
| Flavocaranx bajad | rare | 1 |
| Phyllidia varicosa | rare | 1 |
| Sargocentron caudimaculatum | rare | 1 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 1 |
| Clathria (Clathria) arbuscula | rare | 1 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | rare | 1 |
| Anampses twistii | rare | 1 |
| Arothron hispidus | rare | 1 |
| Arothron stellatus | rare | 1 |
| Balistoides viridescens | rare | 1 |
| Bodianus anthioides | rare | 1 |
| Cephalopholis sexmaculata | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | rare | 1 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | rare | 1 |
| Ecsenius dentex | rare | 1 |
| Gymnothorax griseus | rare | 1 |
| Lutjanus fulviflamma | rare | 1 |
| Naso hexacanthus | rare | 1 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | rare | 1 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | rare | 1 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 1 |
| Pomacanthus imperator | rare | 1 |
| Pseudobalistes fuscus | rare | 1 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | rare | 1 |
| Scorpaenopsis oxycephalus | rare | 1 |
| Siganus stellatus | rare | 1 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | rare | 1 |
| Theonella swinhoei | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Safaga
Explore all sitesAbu Kafan0.4 km
SafagaA 300 m sliver of reef standing up out of deep water off Safaga, with a plateau at each end and a wall between them that goes down past 100 m.
Abu Kafan North0.8 km
SafagaThe north end of Safaga's narrow offshore pinnacle: a negative entry onto a 25 m plateau, then a drift northeast to the eastern drop-off.
Shaab Claude4.5 km
SafagaA small outer reef south of Sha'ab Sheer with a ridge of fused ergs and shallow swim-throughs at 4 to 6 m.
Shaab Hamdallah4.8 km
SafagaA group of tall coral towers standing off the south tip of the Sha'ab Sheer plateau, dived only on days flat enough to leave a boat with no shelter at all.
Salem Express, wreck5.0 km
SafagaA 1991 ferry disaster on Hyndman Reef. Hundreds of people are still inside her, and that is the whole of what this dive is.
Sha’ab Sheer East5.3 km
SafagaThe eastern end of Safaga's boomerang reef, where three ergs stand off the reef and leave a shallow channel that decides how the dive goes.
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