SeaLog
Getting there
Shore dive. It is part of the house reef of the Magic Life hotel south of Safaga and is reached from the beach or comfortably from the hotel's own jetty. Listed as one of the easiest-access dive sites between Safaga and El Quseir.
Abu Saaf ED
Egypt · reef · beginner
beginnershore entry
Abu Saaf ED
A hotel house reef south of Safaga you enter through a hole in the reef top - no current, no boat traffic, any weather.
Max depthnot sourced
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeshore
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Abu Saaf is a house reef on the coast south of Safaga, part of the reef in front of the Magic Life hotel, and it is dived from the beach or comfortably from the hotel's own jetty. The 'ED' in the name is the shore-diving convention used by the German-language guides that document this coast, which is where nearly everything published about the site comes from.
Entry is through a hole in the reef top. Below it the reef is very jagged, with coral gardens on both sides running to about 15 m, and the site has a north and a south route. Descriptions are unanimous about conditions: no current, calm and very clear water, divable in any weather, no boat traffic, and night and early-morning dives available daily. It is listed among the easiest-access dive sites on the whole Safaga to El Quseir coast.
OBIS has recorded very little here - five species, one record each: bluespotted ribbontail ray, tassled scorpionfish, humpnose big-eye bream, orbicular batfish and Picasso triggerfish. That is a statement about sampling effort on an unfashionable house reef, not about the reef. We have not found a published depth maximum, visibility figure or certification requirement for the site, so none is recorded.
- Shore or jetty entry from the hotel in front of the reef
- Entry through a hole in the reef top, with coral garden either side to about 15 m
- No current, no boat traffic, divable in any weather
- Night and early-morning dives available daily
Please note before you go
- Entry is through a hole in the reef top - a shallow overhead-adjacent entry that needs a calm surface and a careful fin
- The reef is described as very jagged; contact injuries and gear snags are the realistic risk here rather than depth or current
Access & rules
Operator
You can reach the site independently.
Restrictions
Access runs through hotel property - the jetty and the beach belong to the Magic Life resort. We have not found a published policy on outside divers, so assume you arrange it through the on-site dive centre.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentnone
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth rangenot sourced
Environmentreef
Coralrecovering
Crowdsquiet
Calm, very clear, no current, no boat traffic, divable in any weather. A very jagged reef with coral gardens on both sides of the entry running to about 15 m, entered through a hole in the reef top.
On current: Every description of the site says the same thing: no current, calm conditions, very clear water, divable in any weather. The coral garden either side of the entry runs to about 15 m, but no source publishes a maximum depth or a visibility figure for the site, so neither is recorded.
Questions & answers
Is Abu Saaf a shore dive?
Yes. It is part of the house reef in front of the Magic Life hotel south of Safaga, and is dived from the beach or comfortably from the hotel's own jetty. It is listed among the easiest-access dive sites on the whole stretch between Safaga and El Quseir.
How do you get in the water?
Through a hole in the reef top. Below it the reef is very jagged, with coral gardens running away on both sides to about 15 m, and there is a north route and a south route from the same entry.
How deep is it?
We have not found a published maximum depth for the site, so we record none. The only depth figure any source gives is the coral garden on either side of the entry running to about 15 m, which is where the diving happens.
What are the conditions like?
Consistently easy: no current, calm water, very clear, no boat traffic, and divable in any weather. Night and early-morning dives run daily because nothing has to be arranged and nothing has to be dodged.
Is it good for beginners?
Everything about the description says yes - shore entry, no current, no traffic, shallow coral garden - but no source states a minimum certification for the site, so we record none. Ask the on-site centre.
What will I see?
Not much has been formally recorded here. OBIS holds only five species for this position, one record each: bluespotted ribbontail ray, tassled scorpionfish, humpnose big-eye bream, orbicular batfish and Picasso triggerfish. That reflects how little anyone has surveyed a hotel house reef, not how little lives on it.
Can I dive it if I am not staying at the hotel?
Access runs across hotel property - the beach and the jetty belong to the Magic Life resort. We have not found a published policy on outside divers, so assume it goes through the on-site dive centre and arrange it with them in advance.
Life recorded at Abu Saaf ED
5 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmarare · 1 records
Monotaxis grandoculisrare · 1 records
Platax orbicularisrare · 1 records
Rhinecanthus assasirare · 1 records
Scorpaenopsis oxycephalusrare · 1 records
Nearby sites in Safaga
Explore all sitesEl Makluf ED0.4 km
SafagaHalf an hour south of Gassous Bay in the base bus, in through a small cave under overhangs, out onto blocks that stand from deep water almost to the surface.
Ras Dudi North3.3 km
SafagaThe northern run of one resort's private house reef at Kalawy Bay, entered off a 250 m jetty and dived in whichever direction the current picks.
Kalawy House Reef, South5.2 km
SafagaThe southern half of a resort fringing reef 30 km below Safaga, entered off a 250 m jetty onto a sand platform at 5 m.
Salim ED6.7 km
SafagaA minibus shore dive on the Safaga to El Quseir road: a channel cut through the reef top, a cave beside it, and coral blocks on the sand outside.
Gasus Soraya11.4 km
SafagaA small bay a couple of kilometres south of Gassous Bay, dived by minibus from the Coral Garden base: sand, scattered ergs and a steep reef.
Coral Garden / Gassous Bay13.5 km
SafagaA house-reef bay 22 km south of Safaga: 30 steps from the dive base to the water, no current, no boat traffic.
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