Question 1

How deep is Marsa Shoni Bay?

Accepted Answer

A dive magazine that dived the bay in June 2024 gives its maximum as 40 m, but that is the sand outside the reef rather than the dive most people do. The house-reef routes run well shallower, over narrow rocky canyons close to shore and a reef ridge in the 20 m range. Treat 40 m as the floor you could reach if you kept swimming out, not as a target.

Question 2

Is Marsa Shoni Bay a shore dive?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You walk in off the resort's sand beach and swim out over a gently sloping sand bottom, then turn north or south onto the reef. No boat is involved for the house reef, though the same centre runs a zodiac off the beach for short hops and day boats out of Marsa Alam harbour about 20 minutes away.

Question 3

Can you dive Shoni Bay without a guide?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you have at least 30 logged dives and a buddy. ORCA Dive Club Shoni Bay lets qualifying pairs dive the house reef independently, which is the main practical reason to base here rather than day-trip in. Early-morning and night dives are also available but have to be registered with the centre in advance.

Question 4

Is Shoni Bay good for beginners?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It is a walk-in entry off a sand beach into a sheltered bay, the operator describes it as suited to beginners and experienced divers alike, and courses from children's programmes up to professional level are run there. The two things a new diver should respect are the sand outside the reef, which keeps dropping to around 40 m, and the fact that unguided diving here means nobody is watching you.

Question 5

Can you snorkel at Marsa Shoni Bay?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The house reef is shallow where it meets the bay and the resort presents it as a snorkelling site as well as a dive site, with snorkel safaris offered for non-divers. You are limited to the reef arms on either side of the bay; the canyons and the 20 m ridge are diving depth, not snorkelling depth.

Question 6

What will I see at Marsa Shoni Bay?

Accepted Answer

Green turtles, giant moray, blue-spotted ribbontail rays, crocodilefish and lionfish on the sand, peacock cod and other groupers, snappers, batfish, sea goldies over the coral and octopus. A June 2024 magazine trip also logged Napoleon wrasse, large schools of mackerel and three separate oceanic whitetip sharks on the house reef, which is unusual for a shore site. Divers here do not report dugongs.

Question 7

Are there really sharks at Shoni Bay's house reef?

Accepted Answer

It is documented but not routine. A June 2024 TAUCHEN magazine trip to the bay reported three different oceanic whitetip sharks on the house reef, and earlier diver reports from the bay mention small sharks and dolphins. Nothing in the sources suggests this is a reliable shark site; treat it as a possibility on a coast where oceanic whitetips do come inshore, not as a reason to book.

Question 8

Where exactly is Shoni Bay and how do I get there?

Accepted Answer

It is on the Marsa Alam coast, about 25 km and roughly 25 minutes by road from Marsa Alam airport, with Port Ghalib about 20 minutes further north. The bay is fronted by the Shoni Bay Resort with a kilometre of sand beach, and the diving is run by ORCA Dive Club Shoni Bay a short walk from the hotel, so access in practice means staying there or booking through the centre.

Species	How often	Records
Gymnothorax javanicus	occasional	8
Coenobita scaevola	occasional	7
Paracirrhites forsteri	occasional	7
Priacanthus hamrur	occasional	7
Naso elegans	occasional	7
Taeniura lymma	occasional	6
Amblyglyphidodon indicus	occasional	6
Cephalopholis argus	occasional	6
Macolor niger	occasional	5
Papilloculiceps longiceps	occasional	5
Zebrasoma xanthurum	rare	4
Arothron stellatus	rare	4
Pycnochromis dimidiatus	rare	4
Heniochus intermedius	rare	4
Millepora dichotoma	rare	4
Pseudanthias squamipinnis	rare	4
Arothron diadematus	rare	4
Diploprion drachi	rare	4
Balistapus undulatus	rare	3
Bothus pantherinus	rare	3
Malacanthus latovittatus	rare	3
Callyspongia crassa	rare	3
Odonus niger	rare	3
Oxycheilinus digramma	rare	3
Pygoplites diacanthus	rare	3
Rhinecanthus assasi	rare	3
Chaetodon austriacus	rare	3
Chlorurus sordidus	rare	3
Arothron hispidus	rare	3
Bodianus anthioides	rare	3
Gelasimus tetragonon	rare	3
Scorpaenopsis diabolus	rare	2
Halichoeres hortulanus	rare	2
Amblyglyphidodon flavilatus	rare	2
Chaetodon auriga	rare	2
Chaetodon melannotus	rare	2
Chaetodon paucifasciatus	rare	2
Chaetodon semilarvatus	rare	2
Chromis flavaxilla	rare	2
Chromis viridis	rare	2
Dascyllus abudafur	rare	2
Diodon hystrix	rare	2
Fistularia commersonii	rare	2
Flavocaranx bajad	rare	2
Lutjanus bohar	rare	2
Myripristis murdjan	rare	2
Parupeneus forsskali	rare	2
Pterois miles	rare	2
Scarus niger	rare	2
Scolopsis ghanam	rare	2
Siganus luridus	rare	2
Abudefduf vaigiensis	rare	2
Ctenochaetus striatus	rare	2
Chaetodon fasciatus	rare	2
Abudefduf sexfasciatus	rare	1
Carcharhinus longimanus	rare	1
Echeneis naucrates	rare	1
Hyrtios erectus	rare	1
Chromodoris quadricolor	rare	1
Tursiops truncatus	rare	1

Marsa Shoni Bay

Marsa Shoni Bay

The dive

Please note before you go

Access & rules

Certification required

Getting there

Operator

Restrictions

Season

Conditions

Questions & answers

Life recorded at Marsa Shoni Bay

Nearby sites in Port Ghalib

Been here? Log it.