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Gamul Soraya
Egypt · reef · beginner
5–16 mbeginnerOWboat entry
Gamul Soraya
The small half of the Gamul pair north of Safaga Island: a round reef with a sand plateau of coral pinnacles and a garden-eel colony off its south side.
Max depth5–16 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeboat
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Gamul Soraya, also written Gamul Al Saghir, is the smaller of the two Gamul reefs on the shallow ground north of Safaga Island; Gamul Kebir, the horseshoe-shaped larger one, sits about 1.2 km away. Safaga centres reach it in roughly 30 to 40 minutes by day boat, and 4EVERSEA runs it by zodiac as well. The reef itself is small and roughly round, with hard coral in the shallows around 5 to 7 m and a sand plateau beneath it carrying scattered pinnacles. Ducks Safaga describes it as a reef you can circle in about 50 minutes, which is what makes it work as a single relaxed dive rather than a route you have to plan.
The part every centre points to is the south side. The pinnacles there are the tallest and the most heavily grown with soft coral, and the sand between them holds a colony of Red Sea garden eels that Nemo Dive Club puts at about 14 m. Approaching them across the open sand is the standard profile. Around and on the pinnacles you get the schooling reef fish the site is known for: yellowfin goatfish, bannerfish, several butterflyfishes, glassfish packed into the crevices, and coral grouper. Longfin spadefish and devil firefish are reported here by operators, and eagle rays, barracuda and turtles pass over the sand often enough to be mentioned but not often enough to plan around.
Depth is the thing that keeps this dive easy. Nemo Dive Club and Diving-top both give a maximum of 16 m; 4EVERSEA quotes 5 to 20 m. The conservative figure is used here. Open Water is the stated minimum at both Nemo and 4EVERSEA, and 4EVERSEA notes the site is sheltered from wind and chop, which is what makes it an option on days when the exposed offshore reefs south of Safaga are unworkable. Ducks Safaga runs it as a night dive.
This is one pin in a dense inshore cluster: Tobia Soraya, Tobia Nos, Gamul Kebir and Tobia Kebir are all within 1.5 km, and operator descriptions of the group blur together. What is specifically Gamul Soraya rather than its neighbours is the small round outline, the pinnacle field on the south side, and the garden eels on the sand between them.
- Red Sea garden eel colony on the sand at about 14 m
- Soft-coral pinnacles off the south side, the deepest and best-grown part of the site
- Small enough to circle in one dive
- Runs as a night dive with Safaga centres
- Sheltered when the offshore reefs are blown out
Please note before you go
- Devil firefish and camouflaged scorpionfish sit on the pinnacles and on the sand between them
- Open-water boat dive with no shore to swim to; you surface where the boat can find you
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Day boat from Safaga, 30 to 40 minutes depending on the centre; 4EVERSEA places it about 20 minutes north of Safaga Island and also runs it by zodiac. There is no shore access and no facilities on site. It is on the standard rotation of most Safaga centres, so it does not need a special charter.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Season
March to May and September to November are the reliable windows for the Egyptian Red Sea, combining warm water with the calmest seas and the best visibility. Safaga water is coolest in February and March at about 22.5 C and warmest in August at about 29.4 C, so a 5 mm suit is the sensible default outside high summer. Because Gamul Soraya is sheltered it stays divable in winter when the offshore Safaga reefs are wind-bound, which is exactly why it appears on so many bad-weather rotations.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentlight
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range5–16 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsmoderate
A calm, shallow, warm dive. The reef sits on protected ground north of Safaga Island, so it usually escapes the chop that closes the exposed sites further out, and operators describe conditions as light. Water runs from about 22.5 C in February and March to 29.4 C in August. Bottom time is limited by gas rather than depth.
On current: 4EVERSEA describes Gamul Soraya as calm and sheltered from wind and chop, which is consistent with its position on the protected ground north of Safaga Island. Diving-top rates it a level 2 site rather than level 1, one step above its neighbour Gamul Kebir, so it is not always slack. No operator we read gives a measured current figure, and the numbers circulating on dive-spot directories are not attributed; treat anything beyond 'usually light' as unverified and check the briefing.
Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How deep is Gamul Soraya?
Shallow. Nemo Dive Club and Diving-top both give a maximum of 16 m, while 4EVERSEA quotes a 5 to 20 m range, so plan on the conservative 16 m. The hard coral top of the reef sits at about 5 to 7 m and the garden eels on the sand are at roughly 14 m. Depth is not the limiting factor here; gas is.
Is Gamul Soraya suitable for beginners?
Yes. Both Nemo Dive Club and 4EVERSEA give Open Water as the minimum certification, and 4EVERSEA describes the site as sheltered from wind and chop. Diving-top rates it a level 2 site, one step above the easiest reefs in Safaga, so it is a beginner dive rather than a training-pool one. It also works as an early dive in a Safaga week to settle buoyancy.
How do you get to Gamul Soraya?
By boat only. Safaga dive centres quote 30 to 40 minutes from town, and 4EVERSEA places the reef about 20 minutes north of Safaga Island and runs it by zodiac as well as day boat. There is no shore entry, no mooring facilities on site, and no reason to charter privately because it sits on most centres' standard rotation.
Can you snorkel Gamul Soraya?
You can float over it, but it is a poor use of a boat trip. The hard coral top is at 5 to 7 m and visible from the surface, but the soft-coral pinnacles and the garden-eel colony that make the site worth diving sit at 14 to 16 m on the south side and cannot be worked on breath-hold from a day boat. If you only snorkel, Safaga has closer inshore options.
What will you see at Gamul Soraya?
Dense schooling reef fish is what operators consistently report: yellowfin goatfish, Red Sea bannerfish, several butterflyfishes including bluecheek and crown, glassfish packed into the pinnacle crevices, and grouper. A Red Sea garden eel colony holds the sand at about 14 m. Devil firefish, longfin spadefish, moray, blue-spotted stingray and octopus are all recorded here; eagle rays, barracuda and turtles are occasional passers rather than reliable.
Is there current at Gamul Soraya?
Usually light. 4EVERSEA describes the site as calm and sheltered, which fits its position on the protected ground north of Safaga Island, and it is one of the reefs Safaga centres fall back on when wind closes the exposed offshore sites. No operator publishes a measured figure, and the current numbers you see on dive-spot directories are unattributed, so take the briefing over anything you read.
When is the best time to dive Gamul Soraya?
March to May and September to November give the Egyptian Red Sea its calmest seas and best visibility, and the water in Safaga runs from about 22.5 C in February and March up to 29.4 C in August. Because the reef is sheltered it stays divable through the windy winter months when the offshore Safaga reefs are not, so it is a reliable winter fallback with a 5 mm suit.
Can you night dive Gamul Soraya?
Yes. Ducks Dive Center Safaga lists it as well suited to night diving, and the shallow depth and small circumference make it straightforward after dark: the reef can be circled in about 50 minutes. Expect the glassfish and the crevice-dwellers to be the draw, with octopus and moray out on the sand and the pinnacles.
Life recorded at Gamul Soraya
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 5 recordsGymnothorax javanicusrare · 4 recordsSepioteuthis lessonianarare · 2 records
Pseudanthias squamipinnisoccasional · 7 records
Monotaxis grandoculisoccasional · 6 records
Parapercis hexophtalmaoccasional · 5 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | occasional | 7 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | occasional | 6 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | occasional | 5 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 5 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 5 |
| Callyspongia crassa | occasional | 5 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 4 |
| Bodianus anthioides | rare | 4 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | rare | 4 |
| Taeniamia fucata | rare | 4 |
| Grammistes sexlineatus | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | rare | 4 |
| Hipposcarus harid | rare | 4 |
| Cheilodipterus macrodon | rare | 4 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | rare | 4 |
| Amblyeleotris steinitzi | rare | 4 |
| Dascyllus abudafur | rare | 4 |
| Eviota marerubrum | rare | 3 |
| Dascyllus marginatus | rare | 3 |
| Epinephelus tauvina | rare | 3 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | rare | 3 |
| Heniochus intermedius | rare | 3 |
| Hologymnosus annulatus | rare | 3 |
| Istigobius decoratus | rare | 3 |
| Lethrinus nebulosus | rare | 3 |
| Chromis viridis | rare | 3 |
| Pterois miles | rare | 3 |
| Pione mussae | rare | 3 |
| Pomacanthus maculosus | rare | 3 |
| Pseudobalistes fuscus | rare | 3 |
| Mulloidichthys vanicolensis | rare | 3 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | rare | 3 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | rare | 3 |
| Cheilinus quinquecinctus | rare | 3 |
| Octopus cyanea | rare | 2 |
| Crella (Grayella) cyathophora | rare | 2 |
| Sepioteuthis lessoniana | rare | 2 |
| Bothus pantherinus | rare | 2 |
| Caesio lunaris | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 2 |
| Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus | rare | 2 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | rare | 2 |
| Ecsenius aroni | rare | 2 |
| Epibulus insidiator | rare | 2 |
| Eviota guttata | rare | 2 |
| Fusigobius neophytus | rare | 2 |
| Gorgasia sillneri | rare | 2 |
| Inimicus filamentosus | rare | 2 |
| Mulloidichthys flavolineatus | rare | 2 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 2 |
| Sargocentron caudimaculatum | rare | 2 |
| Sufflamen albicaudatum | rare | 2 |
| Tursiops aduncus | rare | 2 |
| Abudefduf sexfasciatus | rare | 2 |
| Nausithoe punctata | rare | 1 |
| Chromodoris quadricolor | rare | 1 |
| Siganus rivulatus | rare | 1 |
| Siganus luridus | rare | 1 |
| Tridacna maxima | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Safaga
Explore all sitesTobia Soraya0.9 km
SafagaThree chains of linked coral ergs meeting in an inverted Y on white sand at 12 to 15 m, with a tunnel and a canyon on the eastern arm.
Tobia Nos1.1 km
SafagaThe middle block of the Tobia chain: one gorgonian-hung pillar and a scatter of smaller ergs between Tobia Kebir and Tobia Soraya.
Gamul Kebir1.2 km
SafagaA U-shaped reef half an hour out of Safaga with three pinnacles off the north end and seagrass in the lagoon.
Tobia Kebir1.5 km
SafagaThe big one of the Tobia reefs: a long north-south reef with ergs off its southern end, a channel to cross, and a glassfish cave at about 10 m.
Safaga Soraya2.5 km
SafagaTobia Island2.5 km
SafagaThe sand island at the south end of the Tobia Hamra reef, with a gentle coral slope off the beach, a garden-eel field in the deep sand and dolphins that come in on the snorkellers.
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