SeaLog
Certification required
OW
Daedalus Reef
Egypt · reef · advanced
5–40 madvancedOWliveaboard entry
Daedalus Reef
An isolated lighthouse reef under a kilometre long, 80 km out in open ocean, with schooling hammerheads off the north point and a wall of anemones down the west side.
Max depth5–40 m
Required leveladvanced
Entry typeliveaboard
Visibility20 m
The dive
Daedalus Reef — Abu el-Kizan in Arabic — is a single reef under a kilometre long and about 100 m wide, standing alone roughly 80 km offshore from Marsa Alam with drop-offs falling away on every side. A lighthouse marks it. There is no other land, no shelter and no way to reach it except by liveaboard: most boats sail overnight from Port Ghalib, about nine hours, with one guide quoting a 4.5 h crossing and around 16 h from Hurghada.
The reef is dived as three different places. The north point is the shark station: current usually runs north to south and splits at the tip, and that is where hammerheads school — reported from mid-March to mid-December with a peak in September and October. It is also the hardest place on the reef to dive when the current is up. The west side holds the anemone field, a roughly 50 m stretch of anemones and clownfish running from about 5 m down to 40 m, with a ledge at 10 m — a macro dive on a reef otherwise famous for big animals. The southern plateau sits at about 20 to 40 m, is where turtles graze, and is where solitary thresher sharks are reported.
Recreational depth is capped around 40 m. Visibility is quoted at 20-30 m, water at 23-30 C, and current is strong but described as fairly predictable — carrying a compass is standard advice here because orientation on an isolated reef in blue water is the actual problem. Surface conditions can be rough. Alongside the hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, silvertips, grey reef sharks, silky sharks, manta rays, trevally and tuna are all reported, and whale sharks pass through in summer. The Zealot wreck lies at 80-120 m and is technical ground only.
Note that we hold no OBIS occurrence records for this position, so this page has no species data behind it — the marine life above comes from dive guides, not from the occurrence record.
- Schooling hammerheads off the north point, mid-March to mid-December with a September-October peak
- Anemone City on the west wall: a ~50 m stretch of anemones and clownfish from 5 m to 40 m
- Southern plateau at 20-40 m with grazing turtles and solitary thresher sharks
- An isolated lighthouse reef 80 km offshore, reachable only by an overnight liveaboard crossing
Please note before you go
- Strong current that splits at the north point, on an isolated reef with open ocean on every side — a diver swept off has nothing downstream
- Blue-water disorientation: guides advise carrying a compass because there is no reference once you leave the wall
- Drop-offs on all sides going far past recreational depth; the Zealot wreck sits at 80-120 m
- Rough surface conditions and zodiac pickups in open water, so a delayed SMB is mandatory
- Oceanic whitetip and silvertip sharks are regular here
- 80 km offshore with no shelter and no rapid evacuation: the nearest port is an overnight sail away
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Liveaboard only. Most boats sail from Port Ghalib near Marsa Alam, normally overnight and quoted at around nine hours; one guide gives the crossing as 4.5 h from Marsa Alam and about 16 h from Hurghada, so plan on an overnight leg either way. The reef is roughly 80 km offshore with no shelter, no facilities and nothing but the lighthouse.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Restrictions
Master Liveaboards asks for Open Water or equivalent plus a minimum of 30 logged dives on its Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone itinerary; dive guides rate the reef intermediate to advanced. Given the current at the north point and the open-ocean pickups, treat that as a floor and expect operators to ask for drift experience.
Rules and permits
Daedalus sits inside the Egyptian Red Sea marine-park system. Park entry fees are paid on board and depend on how many parks the itinerary visits; Master Liveaboards quotes a government reef tax of USD 90 per person for a 7-night trip as of 2026, fixed at embarkation and subject to change by local decree. Night diving is prohibited inside the marine parks, and practices such as wearing gloves are prohibited. Recorded 2026-08-07.
Season
Liveaboards visit from about mid-March to mid-December; January to March brings cooler water and rougher seas. Hammerheads are seen across that whole window with a peak in September and October, which is the reason most people book. Whale sharks are reported passing through in summer, and threshers are reported off the southern point without a documented season.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentstrong
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range5–40 m
Environmentreef
Coralhealthy
Crowdsnot sourced
Open ocean around a single reef under a kilometre long. Current is strong but fairly predictable, generally north to south, splitting at the northern tip. Recreational depths run from about 5 m to 40 m with drop-offs continuing well below. Visibility is quoted at 20-30 m (we record 20 m) and water at 23-30 C. The surface is exposed and can be rough, and the crossing is normally an overnight sail.
On current: Current is strong but described as fairly predictable, generally running north to south, and it splits at the northern tip — which is both why the hammerheads are there and why the north point is the hardest part of the reef to dive. Guides recommend carrying a compass because orientation is the real difficulty on an isolated reef in blue water. Visibility is quoted at 20-30 m by two guides and we record the lower figure. Water runs 23-30 C. Surface conditions can be rough.
Best months: Sep, Oct
Questions & answers
When can you see hammerheads at Daedalus?
They are reported off the northern tip from mid-March to mid-December, with the peak in September and October. The north point is where the current splits, which is what concentrates them there — and also what makes it the most demanding part of the reef to dive.
How do you get to Daedalus Reef?
By liveaboard only. It sits roughly 80 km offshore from Marsa Alam, and most boats sail overnight from Port Ghalib — commonly quoted at around nine hours, with one guide giving 4.5 h from Marsa Alam and about 16 h from Hurghada. There is nothing on the reef except the lighthouse.
What is Anemone City?
A stretch of about 50 m on the west side of the reef carpeted in anemones and their clownfish, running from roughly 5 m down to 40 m with a ledge at around 10 m. It is the macro dive on a reef otherwise known for sharks, and it works in a wider range of conditions than the north point does.
How deep is it?
Recreational diving here tops out around 40 m, from about 5 m at the reef top. The southern plateau sits at roughly 20-40 m, and the drop-offs continue well past recreational limits on every side — the Zealot wreck lies at 80-120 m and is technical ground only.
Is Daedalus suitable for beginners?
No in practice. Master Liveaboards' itinerary formally asks for Open Water plus a minimum of 30 logged dives, and guides rate the reef intermediate to advanced — but the north point is a strong-current drift in open ocean with a blue-water pickup, the surface can be rough, and there is no shelter within an overnight sail.
How strong is the current?
Strong, but described as fairly predictable — it generally runs north to south and splits at the northern tip. Guides advise carrying a compass, because the real problem on an isolated reef is losing your reference in blue water rather than the speed of the flow itself.
What sharks and big animals are there besides hammerheads?
Oceanic whitetips, silvertips, grey reef sharks and silky sharks are all reported, with solitary threshers off the southern point, plus manta rays, trevally and tuna. Whale sharks pass through in summer. Note that we hold no occurrence-data records for this position, so this list comes from dive guides rather than from survey data.
Are there fees or permits?
Yes. Daedalus is inside the Egyptian marine-park system and park fees are paid on board, scaled to how many parks the itinerary visits; Master Liveaboards quotes a government reef tax of USD 90 per person for a 7-night trip as of 2026, fixed at embarkation and subject to change by decree. Night diving is prohibited in the marine parks and gloves are not permitted.
Life recorded at Daedalus Reef
82 species within 1.95 km · OBISCarcharhinus longimanusoccasional · 8 recordsGymnothorax javanicusoccasional · 6 recordsCheilinus undulatusoccasional · 5 recordsBalistoides viridescensrare · 4 recordsSphyrna lewinirare · 2 recordsTursiops truncatusrare · 2 records
All 82 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Carcharhinus longimanus | occasional | 8 |
| Caranx melampygus | occasional | 7 |
| Stylissa carteri | occasional | 7 |
| Naso hexacanthus | occasional | 6 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 6 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | occasional | 6 |
| Cephalopholis miniata | occasional | 5 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 5 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 5 |
| Caesio suevica | occasional | 5 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 5 |
| Cheilinus undulatus | occasional | 5 |
| Balistoides viridescens | rare | 4 |
| Pycnochromis dimidiatus | rare | 4 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | rare | 4 |
| Genicanthus caudovittatus | rare | 4 |
| Macolor niger | rare | 4 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | rare | 4 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | rare | 4 |
| Pseudodax moluccanus | rare | 4 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | rare | 4 |
| Bodianus diana | rare | 4 |
| Epinephelus tauvina | rare | 4 |
| Epibulus insidiator | rare | 3 |
| Balistapus undulatus | rare | 3 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | rare | 3 |
| Caranx sexfasciatus | rare | 3 |
| Fistularia commersonii | rare | 3 |
| Naso elegans | rare | 3 |
| Flavocaranx bajad | rare | 3 |
| Cetoscarus bicolor | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | rare | 3 |
| Pomacanthus imperator | rare | 3 |
| Bodianus anthioides | rare | 3 |
| Pseudochromis fridmani | rare | 3 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | rare | 3 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | rare | 2 |
| Sphyrna lewini | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | rare | 2 |
| Tursiops truncatus | rare | 2 |
| Pinctada margaritifera | rare | 2 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | rare | 2 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | rare | 2 |
| Cephalopholis argus | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 2 |
| Heniochus intermedius | rare | 2 |
| Lutjanus bohar | rare | 2 |
| Dascyllus trimaculatus | rare | 2 |
| Neoniphon sammara | rare | 2 |
| Parapriacanthus guentheri | rare | 2 |
| Sphyraena barracuda | rare | 2 |
| Pterois miles | rare | 2 |
| Rhincodon typus | rare | 2 |
| Sargocentron spiniferum | rare | 2 |
| Mobula birostris | rare | 2 |
| Oxycheilinus digramma | rare | 2 |
| Scarus niger | rare | 2 |
| Siganus stellatus | rare | 2 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | rare | 2 |
| Rastrelliger kanagurta | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon lineolatus | rare | 2 |
| Crella (Grayella) cyathophora | rare | 2 |
| Naucrates ductor | rare | 2 |
| Anampses twistii | rare | 2 |
| Variola louti | rare | 2 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | rare | 2 |
| Cheilodipterus macrodon | rare | 2 |
| Cephalopholis sexmaculata | rare | 1 |
| Charonia tritonis | rare | 1 |
| Grapsus tenuicrustatus | rare | 1 |
| Millepora dichotoma | rare | 1 |
| Sphyraena qenie | rare | 1 |
| Myripristis chryseres | rare | 1 |
| Myripristis murdjan | rare | 1 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | rare | 1 |
| Pseudocheilinus evanidus | rare | 1 |
| Pseudocheilinus hexataenia | rare | 1 |
| Pseudorca crassidens | rare | 1 |
| Aluterus scriptus | rare | 1 |
| Callyspongia crassa | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Daedalus Reef
Explore all sitesSatoya, Ägypten17.9 km
Daedalus ReefA duplicate catalogue entry for Sataya whose stored position lands in open ocean; it should not be treated as a dive site in its own right.
Shoab sharm70.2 km
Marsa AlamAn exposed offshore reef with a plateau at each end, walls that step away past 200 m, and current that decides how the dive goes.
Shaab Bohar Soraya77.2 km
HamataThe small reef opposite Shaab Bohar Kebir in the northern Fury Shoals: coral blocks and outlying pinnacles you can lap in about fifty minutes.
Shaab Bohar Kebir77.3 km
HamataA large east-west reef in the northern Fury Shoals, too big to get round on one tank, so it is run as an east dive and a west dive.
Sha’ab Maksur78.7 km
HamataA 1.5 km sliver of reef standing alone 28 km off Hamata, walled all round, with a plateau at each end and nothing between them but blue.
Habili Sama79.1 km
HamataA small Fury Shoals reef whose east flank is split by crevices packed with anemonefish.
Been here? Log it.
SeaLog imports your dives from your dive computer or Apple Watch, tracks every animal you see, and keeps your logbook safe forever.
Download SeaLog