SeaLog
Certification required
OW
Middle Reef Safaga
Egypt · reef · intermediate
0–30 mintermediateOWboat entry
Middle Reef Safaga
A big circular reef east of Safaga dived for its hard coral, with a plateau of sand lanes and coral ridges running half a kilometre east toward Hal-Hal.
Max depth0–30 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeboat
Visibility25 m
The dive
Middle Reef sits offshore east of Safaga, between the harbour and the Hal-Hal reef, and it is a long ride: operators quote anything from 75 minutes to two hours each way. The reef itself is a large circular structure, described by Divers Guide as mushroom-shaped, with dozens of small shallow ergs clustered on its southeast corner and a single erg standing alone in the south at about 20 m. The north and west sides are coral garden dropping away at roughly 30 m; the south side holds caves and tunnels, which is the part operators reserve for experienced divers.
The eastern side is what the site is known for. A wide plateau runs nearly 500 m out toward Hal-Hal, a labyrinth of sand patches and coral ridges that both Blue Submarine and Swiss Wellness Dive Club call one of the most scenic hard coral gardens in the Red Sea, bordered by acropora and brain coral. It is shallow ground and easy to swim, and it is the reason boats make the trip.
The fish are the honest weak point: Swiss Wellness says plainly that the reef is dived more for its corals than for its fish life. What is there is worth having. Parrotfish, triggerfish, butterflyfish and schooling surgeonfish over the coral, morays in the ridges, blue-spotted ribbontail rays on the sand, and out over the plateau edge tuna, Spanish mackerel, giant trevally, juvenile barracuda and black snapper. Turtles are regular. Grey reef and whitetip reef sharks are reported, and Swiss Wellness lists hammerheads in late summer, though nobody sells this as a shark dive.
- Eastern plateau of sand lanes and coral ridges running nearly 500 m toward Hal-Hal
- Hard coral gardens bordered by acropora and brain coral
- Dozens of small shallow ergs on the southeast corner
- Caves and tunnels on the south side for experienced divers
- Tuna, Spanish mackerel, giant trevally and juvenile barracuda off the plateau edge
Please note before you go
- Caves and tunnels on the south side are an overhead environment and are dived only by experienced divers
- Current from the north can go from nothing to very strong, so a drift plan and a surface marker matter
- The site is 75 minutes to two hours offshore, which makes the trip weather dependent and the ride long if the sea gets up
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Day boat from Safaga only. Journey times quoted by operators range from about 75 minutes (Divers Guide) through 80 minutes (Blue Submarine) to 90 minutes or two hours (Swiss Wellness Dive Club), so it is a full-day trip and usually run as two dives. There is no shore access.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Season
Diveable year round, with March to May and September to November the more reliable windows: spring gives the clearest water and autumn holds summer temperatures with easier conditions above the surface, while winter water drops to about 22 C. Late summer is the period Swiss Wellness Dive Club associates with hammerheads here. Because it is a long crossing, wind decides whether the boat goes at all.
Conditions
Visibility25 m
Currentmoderate
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range0–30 m
Environmentreef
Coralrecovering
Crowdsnot sourced
Visibility averages about 25 m here and runs between 20 and 40 m, with water between 23 and 28 C through the year. A normal dive is a drop on the reef, a slow swim over the eastern plateau at 20 m or less among sand patches and coral ridges, and a finish over the shallow ergs. When the northerly is running the same ground is covered as a drift.
On current: Current runs almost constantly from the north and varies enormously: Swiss Wellness Dive Club puts it between mild and howling, and Divers Guide between limited and strong, so plan for either. The reef is large enough that the sheltered side depends on the day, and dives are run as drifts when it is moving. Sources also disagree on depth: Swiss Wellness gives 20 m as the maximum, Blue Submarine 30 m, and Divers Guide 40 m with the south-side caves as the deep part. We have taken 30 m, which is the figure two sources support for where the north and west coral gardens drop away, and noted that the plateau dive most people do is shallower than that.
Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How deep is Middle Reef in Safaga?
Sources give three different maxima: 20 m from Swiss Wellness Dive Club, 30 m from Blue Submarine and 40 m from Divers Guide, the last counting the deep south-side caves. The dive most people do is the eastern plateau at 20 m or less, and the north and west coral gardens drop away at about 30 m. Plan it as a shallow dive unless your guide is specifically taking you into the caves.
What is Middle Reef actually like?
It is a large circular reef with dozens of small shallow ergs on its southeast corner and a single erg standing alone in the south at about 20 m. The east side opens into a plateau that runs nearly 500 m toward the Hal-Hal reef as a labyrinth of sand patches and coral ridges. Two operators independently call that plateau one of the most scenic hard coral gardens in the Red Sea.
How do you get to Middle Reef?
By day boat from Safaga, and it is a long crossing: quoted times run from about 75 minutes through 80 minutes to as much as two hours depending on the operator and the boat. It is a full-day, two-dive trip with no shore access, and because it is well offshore the trip is called off when the wind is up.
Is there current at Middle Reef?
Almost always, and it comes from the north. Swiss Wellness Dive Club describes it as varying from mild to howling and Divers Guide from limited to strong, so it is genuinely unpredictable rather than reliably gentle. When it runs, the plateau is dived as a drift; when it does not, the same ground is swum. Ask at the briefing which side of the reef is sheltered on the day.
Is Middle Reef good for beginners?
The plateau part is. Divers Guide rates the site for all levels and Blue Submarine puts it in the middle of its difficulty scale, and the coral gardens are shallow, open and easy to swim. The caves and tunnels on the south side are a different dive, an overhead environment that both sources reserve for experienced divers, and the northerly current can be strong enough to make the day harder than the grade suggests.
What will I see at Middle Reef?
Mostly coral: acropora, brain coral and hard coral ridges across the plateau. For fish, expect parrotfish, triggerfish, butterflyfish and schooling surgeonfish, morays in the ridges and blue-spotted ribbontail rays on the sand, with tuna, Spanish mackerel, giant trevally, juvenile barracuda and black snapper off the edge. Turtles are regular and grey reef and whitetip sharks are reported, with hammerheads listed in late summer. Swiss Wellness is blunt that the reef is dived for its corals rather than its fish.
Can you snorkel Middle Reef?
In principle yes, since the ergs and the eastern plateau are shallow and Divers Guide notes the calm water suits snorkelling. In practice it is 75 minutes to two hours offshore on a dive boat, so you only reach it as part of a diving day rather than on a snorkelling trip. Visibility over the plateau averages about 25 m, which makes the coral easy to see from the surface.
Life recorded at Middle Reef Safaga
51 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmarare · 2 records
Chlorurus gibbusoccasional · 5 records
Halichoeres hortulanusrare · 3 records
Arothron diadematusrare · 3 records
Pseudanthias taeniatusrare · 3 records
Pseudobalistes fuscusrare · 3 records
All 51 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Chlorurus gibbus | occasional | 5 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | rare | 3 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 3 |
| Pseudanthias taeniatus | rare | 3 |
| Pseudobalistes fuscus | rare | 3 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | rare | 2 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | rare | 2 |
| Taeniura lymma | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon trifascialis | rare | 2 |
| Heterocentrotus mamillatus | rare | 2 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | rare | 2 |
| Hologymnosus annulatus | rare | 1 |
| Lutjanus ehrenbergii | rare | 1 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | rare | 1 |
| Neopomacentrus miryae | rare | 1 |
| Novaculichthys taeniourus | rare | 1 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | rare | 1 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 1 |
| Pedum spondyloideum | rare | 1 |
| Plectorhinchus gaterinus | rare | 1 |
| Pseudodax moluccanus | rare | 1 |
| Ptereleotris evides | rare | 1 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | rare | 1 |
| Scarus frenatus | rare | 1 |
| Siganus luridus | rare | 1 |
| Tridacna maxima | rare | 1 |
| Tridacna squamosa | rare | 1 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | rare | 1 |
| Gnatholepis caudimaculata | rare | 1 |
| Caesio striata | rare | 1 |
| Plectropomus marisrubri | rare | 1 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 1 |
| Stegastes lacrymatus | rare | 1 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | rare | 1 |
| Acanthurus sohal | rare | 1 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | rare | 1 |
| Pomacentrus trichrourus | rare | 1 |
| Pycnochromis dimidiatus | rare | 1 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | rare | 1 |
| Amblyeleotris steinitzi | rare | 1 |
| Anampses twistii | rare | 1 |
| Calcinus rosaceus | rare | 1 |
| Cephalopholis miniata | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon auriga | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | rare | 1 |
| Chromis viridis | rare | 1 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | rare | 1 |
| Dascyllus trimaculatus | rare | 1 |
| Fusigobius neophytus | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Safaga
Explore all sitesUm Hal Hal (Shaab Quais)1.1 km
SafagaTwo ergs at the edge of a plateau 400 m southeast of Middle Reef, with a wall dropping away at 30 m and a current that keeps divers out of the water most days.
Abu Kafan North5.2 km
SafagaThe north end of Safaga's narrow offshore pinnacle: a negative entry onto a 25 m plateau, then a drift northeast to the eastern drop-off.
Panorama Reef, Safaga5.6 km
SafagaThe main Panorama dive: a mooring on the sheltered southwest corner, an anemone field and a gorgonian drop-off on the south plateau, and a wall under it.
Abu Kafan5.6 km
SafagaA 300 m sliver of reef standing up out of deep water off Safaga, with a plateau at each end and a wall between them that goes down past 100 m.
Abu Kafan South5.9 km
SafagaThe south end of the Abu Kafan reef: a mooring dive out past a large erg that meets the main reef at 18 m, and the end that still runs when the north drift does not.
Panorama Reef North6.2 km
SafagaThe north plateau of Panorama Reef: a one-way drift off the beacon end, with a northerly current that decides whether the dive happens at all.
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