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El Quadim South
Egypt · reef · beginner
5–30 mbeginnerOWshore entry
El Quadim South
The southern end of the El Quadim Bay house reef at El Quseir, one of three catalogue pins on the same sheltered wadi-mouth bay.
Max depth5–30 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeshore
Visibility25 m
The dive
Be clear about what this entry is before you plan around it. El Quadim is a single sheltered bay about 5 km north of El Quseir town, and our catalogue carries three separate pins on it: this one, El Quadim 60 m away, and El Quadim Nord 160 m away. The bay is dived as one house reef with a north side and a south side, and none of the published sources we could find describe an "El Quadim South" as a dive with its own briefing, its own depths or its own features. This page is therefore about the southern end of that house reef, and the confidence on it is deliberately low.
The bay itself is well documented. It is the mouth of a fossil wadi, a dry river valley that still discharges after heavy rain in the Eastern Desert mountains, and it was one of Egypt's oldest trading ports, so there are ancient amphorae and anchors on the bottom. It is now the house reef of the Mövenpick Resort El Quseir and has been run by the resort dive centre since 1994 under a deliberately restrictive regime: a jetty built on piles so nobody wades across the coral, quiet four-stroke zodiacs for reef transfers, and a voluntary cap on the number of dives per day.
The reef starts almost at the beach and drops from about 5 to 13 m before falling away; the dive centre says it reaches 100 m or more in places, while a dive guide lists a working maximum of 30 m, which is the number to plan on. The bay is naturally protected, so conditions are calm and long, slow dives are the point. Reported visibility runs from 12 to 36 m and often sits above 25 to 30 m. What people come back for is macro and residents rather than big structure: clownfish in the anemones, large batfish, seamoth, ghost pipefish, a moray the dive centre has named, blue-spotted ribbontail rays and crocodilefish on the sand, with turtles, eagle rays, reef sharks and schooling barracuda and snapper on the outer part. Small and large caves are worked on the house reef, though which of them sit at the south end is not something the sources pin down.
- Jetty entry straight onto a protected house reef
- Macro residents: seamoth, ghost pipefish, batfish, a named resident moray
- Ancient amphorae and anchors from the old trading port
- A reef deliberately kept under a daily dive limit
- Caves along the house reef
Please note before you go
- The reef edge falls into very deep water, so a shallow dive can turn into a deep one by drifting seaward
- Fire coral is present in the shallows of this bay
- Caves on the house reef are overheads and need a light and a guide who knows them
- The bay is a wadi mouth and discharges after heavy desert rain, which is the one thing that ruins visibility here
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Shore entry from a jetty in El Quadim Bay, about 5 km north of El Quseir town. The bay is the house reef of the Mövenpick Resort El Quseir and access runs through the resort dive centre, which also puts zodiacs on the reef for transfers along it. The jetty is built on piles specifically so divers do not walk over the coral.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Restrictions
The dive centre applies a voluntary limit on the number of dives per day in the bay as a reef-protection measure, so entries are not unlimited even for resort guests. This is a self-imposed operator rule rather than a legal quota.
Rules and permits
The Great Fringing Reef of the Egyptian Red Sea, which includes the mainland fringing reefs of the Red Sea Governorate, was declared a marine nature reserve by Prime Ministerial Decree No. 4419 of 6 December 2025. The boundary coordinates were not published with the announcements we read, so we have not confirmed whether this bay falls inside them.
Season
The dive centre states this bay is diveable year round, and it is actively promoted for winter diving precisely because the bay is sheltered when the offshore reefs are not. Water on this coast runs roughly 21 C at the February low to 29 C in August, so the practical trade-off is winter visibility and empty water against summer warmth rather than any month being unusable.
Conditions
Visibility25 m
Currentlight
Surgelight
WaterSalt water
Depth range5–30 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsquiet
A calm, protected bay with jetty access, a reef top at 5 to 13 m and a drop-off beyond it. Visibility is reported between 12 and 36 m and commonly above 25 to 30 m. Because the bay faces into shelter it dives in weather that closes the offshore sites, and it is used as a night dive.
On current: The bay is naturally protected and the sources that describe it describe calm, easy conditions with no current worth planning around; that is the whole reason it works as an all-levels shore reef and a night dive. Sources do disagree on depth rather than current: the resort dive centre says the reef reaches 100 m or more in places, while a dive guide lists a maximum of 30 m. Take 30 m as the working figure and treat the edge as bottomless.
Questions & answers
Is El Quadim South a separate dive site from El Quadim and El Quadim Nord?
Not really. All three catalogue entries sit on the same bay, within 160 m of each other, and the bay is dived as a single house reef with a north side and a south side. No published source we found gives El Quadim South its own briefing, depths or features. Treat this as the southern end of the El Quadim Bay house reef rather than a distinct dive.
How deep is the El Quadim Bay house reef?
The reef starts almost at the beach and drops from about 5 to 13 m before the edge falls away. The resort dive centre says it reaches 100 m or more in places; a dive guide lists a working maximum of 30 m. Plan on 30 m and treat the seaward edge as bottomless, because it is easy to keep descending on a wall that has no floor.
How do you get into the water at El Quadim?
From a jetty. The bay is the house reef of the Mövenpick Resort El Quseir, about 5 km north of El Quseir town, and access runs through the resort dive centre. The jetty is deliberately built on piles so divers do not wade over the coral, and the centre runs quiet four-stroke zodiacs for transfers along the reef.
Is El Quadim good for beginners?
Yes. It is a sheltered bay with a beginner rating, easy jetty entry, calm water and no current worth planning around, which is why it is used for training and for night dives. The one thing to respect is the seaward edge, where the bottom drops far below any recreational limit.
Can you snorkel at El Quadim Bay?
Yes, and the dive centre lists snorkelling as one of the bay's strengths. The reef top sits within a few metres of the surface right off the jetty, and the bay is naturally protected, so you do not have to swim far or deal with chop. Use the jetty rather than walking in across the reef.
What will I see at El Quadim Bay?
It is a macro reef more than a big-animal reef. Expect clownfish in the anemones, large batfish, seamoth, ghost pipefish and a resident moray the dive centre knows by name, with blue-spotted ribbontail rays and crocodilefish on the sand. Out on the deeper part turtles, eagle rays, reef sharks and schools of barracuda and snapper are reported.
Why is the reef at El Quadim in good condition?
It has been managed for it. The dive centre has operated the bay since 1994, built the first jetty on piles so nobody walks on coral, uses quiet four-stroke zodiacs, and applies a voluntary cap on the number of dives per day. A coral-reef condition study was commissioned for the bay in 2005. That study is now old, so we do not publish a current reef-health rating for it.
When is the best time to dive El Quadim?
It is stated as a year-round site and is actively promoted for winter diving, because a sheltered bay stays diveable when the offshore reefs are shut down by northwesterly wind. Water on this coast runs about 21 C in February to 29 C in August. The one thing that genuinely spoils it is heavy rain in the desert behind, since the bay is a wadi mouth and discharges into itself.
Life recorded at El Quadim South
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 11 recordsGymnothorax javanicusoccasional · 7 records
Coenobita scaevolaoccasional · 17 records
Zebrasoma desjardiniioccasional · 16 records
Pterois milesoccasional · 10 records
Bodianus anthioidesoccasional · 9 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Coenobita scaevola | occasional | 17 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 16 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 11 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 10 |
| Bodianus anthioides | occasional | 9 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 8 |
| Arothron diadematus | occasional | 8 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | occasional | 8 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 8 |
| Acanthurus sohal | occasional | 8 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | occasional | 7 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | occasional | 7 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 7 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 7 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 7 |
| Naso elegans | occasional | 7 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | occasional | 7 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | occasional | 6 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | occasional | 6 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | occasional | 6 |
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 6 |
| Amblyglyphidodon flavilatus | occasional | 6 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | occasional | 5 |
| Papilloculiceps longiceps | occasional | 5 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | occasional | 5 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 5 |
| Naso unicornis | rare | 4 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | rare | 4 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | rare | 4 |
| Arothron hispidus | rare | 3 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | rare | 3 |
| Caesio suevica | rare | 3 |
| Cephalopholis argus | rare | 3 |
| Diodon hystrix | rare | 3 |
| Echinometra mathaei | rare | 3 |
| Hemimycale arabica | rare | 3 |
| Millepora dichotoma | rare | 3 |
| Mulloidichthys vanicolensis | rare | 3 |
| Ophiocoma scolopendrina | rare | 3 |
| Oxycheilinus digramma | rare | 3 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 3 |
| Platax orbicularis | rare | 3 |
| Rastrelliger kanagurta | rare | 3 |
| Scarus niger | rare | 3 |
| Scolopsis ghanam | rare | 3 |
| Sufflamen albicaudatum | rare | 3 |
| Variola louti | rare | 3 |
| Cheilinus quinquecinctus | rare | 3 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 3 |
| Grapsus tenuicrustatus | rare | 2 |
| Siganus luridus | rare | 2 |
| Asaphis violascens | rare | 2 |
| Clibanarius signatus | rare | 2 |
| Echeneis naucrates | rare | 2 |
| Grammistes sexlineatus | rare | 2 |
| Crella (Grayella) cyathophora | rare | 2 |
| Linckia multifora | rare | 2 |
| Stylissa carteri | rare | 2 |
| Callyspongia crassa | rare | 2 |
| Dascyllus trimaculatus | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in El Quseir
Explore all sitesEl Quadim0.1 km
El QuseirA capped, walk-in house reef in a protected bay: 5 m of reef top, then a wall.
El Quadim Nord0.2 km
El QuseirA capped, walk-in house reef in a protected bay: 5 m of reef top, then a wall.
Flamenco Beach Resort0.9 km
El QuseirA resort house reef that is really a wall dive: 200 m of jetty out to a platform, then the reef edge falls away under your fins.
Oma Sukan2.2 km
El QuseirA zodiac drift ten minutes north of El Quseir harbour: down a wall to 18 m, then south into a field of pinnacles.
El Makluf6.0 km
El QuseirA well-populated stretch of reef north of El Quseir that nobody has bothered to write up.
Abu Sawatyr6.1 km
El QuseirThe walk-in house reef of the Roots Red Sea camp: a sand bay you swim out of, a coral reef north and a low wall south.
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