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Near Garden
Egypt · reef · beginner
5–25 mbeginnerOWboat entry
Near Garden
The first and shallowest of the Gardens north of Naama Bay: a pinnacle-studded wall that rolls into a sand-and-coral slope, usually drifted north.
Max depth5–25 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeboat
Visibility25 m
The dive
Near Garden is the closest of the Gardens chain to Naama Bay, roughly a 15 minute boat ride north from the jetty, and it sits on the headland between Naama Bay and Middle Garden. Most operators describe the group as three sites, Near, Middle and Far Garden, worked from the same day boats; some Sharm centres count a fourth, Fiddle Garden, on the same stretch of coast. Near Garden is the one you get on a check dive, a course dive or the last dive of the day, precisely because it is the shortest run out.
The profile is simple. A reef wall runs down to about 8 to 10 m, then eases into a slope that reaches a drop-off at 18 to 20 m, with a flat bottom carrying large fan corals at around 22 m and a sandy ledge falling away to about 25 m. Beyond that the plateau keeps inclining toward 30 m, which operators say is not worth pushing to. The wall is lined with coral pinnacles packed with glassfish, red anemones, shrimps and cleaning stations, and the biggest gorgonians stand out into the flow near the corner, where the current is strongest.
It is normally run as a drift with the regular northward current, though how much water is moving is the one thing sources disagree on. Camel Dive and Circle Divers both describe a regular north-setting current and dive it as a drift; Red Sea Marine calls the Gardens shielded from wind and current and uses the site for training. Plan for some flow at the corner and treat a flat day as the exception.
Life is the ordinary Red Sea fringing-reef cast plus a few reasons to keep looking out into the blue. Operators report moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, hawksbill turtles and the occasional whitetip reef shark on the deeper plateau, napoleon wrasse in daylight, and manta rays over the shallows between March and the end of June. Emperor Divers rates it as a night dive, with flashlight fish over the sandy ledge after dark.
- Pinnacles at 14 to 16 m stacked with glassfish and red anemones
- Large gorgonian fans on the drop-off at about 22 m
- Manta rays reported over the shallows March to end of June
- Rated for night diving, with flashlight fish on the sandy ledge
- Shortest boat run of the Gardens, 15 minutes from Naama Bay jetty
Please note before you go
- Current setting north, strongest at the corner of the reef
- Fire coral on the shallow reef flat
- Boat traffic on a busy day-boat site north of Naama Bay
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Day boat from the Naama Bay jetty, about 15 minutes north. Dived either from a mooring or as a drift depending on conditions, so the boat usually follows and picks up down-current.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Rules and permits
The Gardens sit north of Naama Bay, outside the Ras Mohammed park boundary. Emperor Divers attaches a 5 EUR national-park entry fee, paid locally, to its Ras Mohammed sites and does not list that fee against the Gardens.
Season
Autumn, September to November, pairs the warmest retained water with settled surface conditions and lighter crowds. Spring, March to June, is the window operators name for manta rays over the Gardens and the season when visibility is most often above 30 m. December to February is divable and clear but the surface is at its choppiest.
Conditions
Visibility25 m
Currentmoderate
Surgelight
WaterSalt water
Depth range5–25 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsbusy
Sinai water runs about 22 C at the February low and up to roughly 28 to 30 C in July to September. Visibility on Sharm's local reefs is commonly in the 20 to 30 m band and often better than 30 m in spring. Winter, December to January, brings the choppiest surface and can shorten the day-boat programme.
On current: Sources disagree. Camel Dive Club and Circle Divers describe a regular current setting north and dive the site as a drift, with the flow strongest at the corner where the gorgonians sit. Red Sea Marine describes the Gardens as sheltered from wind and current and uses them for training dives. Take the conservative reading: expect moving water at the corner and a drift profile, and be ready for the boat to pick you up down-current.
Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How deep is Near Garden?
The wall runs down to about 8 to 10 m, then slopes to a drop-off at 18 to 20 m with large fan corals on a flat bottom near 22 m. A sandy ledge falls away to roughly 25 m, and the plateau keeps inclining toward 30 m, which Red Sea Marine says is not worth pushing to. Most recreational profiles here sit between 5 and 25 m.
How do you get to Near Garden?
It is a boat dive, about 15 minutes north from the Naama Bay jetty on a Sharm day boat. It is the shortest run of the Gardens chain, which is why it often ends up as the check dive or the last dive of the day. Depending on conditions the boat either moors or drops you for a drift and picks you up down-current.
Is Near Garden good for beginners?
Yes. Camel Dive Club describes it as suited to all levels and Red Sea Marine uses the Gardens for training dives and courses, so Open Water is enough. The one caveat is the current at the corner of the reef, which is the strongest water on the site, so a first drift here is best done with a guide.
Can you snorkel Near Garden?
You can, but you only see the reef flat and the top of the drop-off, about 2 m over the flat and 10 m at the edge. Snorkeling Report advises entering Garden Bay from the pontoons rather than walking over the coral, notes the reef is damaged in the busiest central stretch, and warns that moderate current can run even on a calm day. Everything below the drop-off, including the gorgonians, needs a tank.
Is there current at Near Garden?
Usually yes, and it normally sets north, which is why the site is commonly dived as a drift. The flow is strongest at the corner of the reef where the biggest gorgonian fans stand out into it. Sources are not unanimous: Red Sea Marine calls the Gardens sheltered from wind and current, so treat a flat day as the exception rather than the plan.
What will I see at Near Garden?
The pinnacles hold glassfish, red anemones with twoband anemonefish, shrimps, blennies and Christmas tree worms, and there are large gorgonian fans on the drop-off. Operators report moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, hawksbill turtles, napoleon wrasse and the occasional whitetip reef shark on the deeper plateau. Records from the pin also cover the usual Red Sea reef cast: sohal surgeonfish, masked puffer, bluecheek butterflyfish, sea goldies and giant clams.
When is the best time to dive Near Garden?
March to June is the window operators name for manta rays over the Gardens, and spring visibility is often above 30 m. September to November gives the warmest retained water with settled surface conditions. December to February stays clear but the surface is choppiest and water drops to around 22 C.
Is Near Garden worth a night dive?
Emperor Divers specifically rates it as a night dive, helped by the very short boat run from Naama Bay and the sandy ledge that slopes away to 25 m. Flashlight fish are the named attraction after dark. Because the site normally has a north-setting current, a night dive here still wants a guide and a boat pickup plan.
Life recorded at Near Garden
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 19 recordsCheilinus undulatusoccasional · 14 records
Chaetodon fasciatusoccasional · 31 records
Abudefduf vaigiensisoccasional · 30 records
Zebrasoma desjardiniioccasional · 30 records
Acanthurus sohaloccasional · 29 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 31 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | occasional | 30 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 30 |
| Acanthurus sohal | occasional | 29 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | occasional | 27 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | occasional | 26 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 26 |
| Arothron diadematus | occasional | 25 |
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 24 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | occasional | 21 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | occasional | 20 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 19 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | occasional | 19 |
| Scarus niger | occasional | 19 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | occasional | 17 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 17 |
| Cephalopholis argus | occasional | 16 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 16 |
| Balistapus undulatus | occasional | 16 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 16 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 15 |
| Arothron hispidus | occasional | 14 |
| Cheilinus undulatus | occasional | 14 |
| Chlorurus gibbus | occasional | 14 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | occasional | 14 |
| Hipposcarus harid | occasional | 13 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | occasional | 13 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | occasional | 12 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | occasional | 11 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | occasional | 11 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | occasional | 10 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 10 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | occasional | 10 |
| Scarus frenatus | occasional | 9 |
| Fistularia commersonii | occasional | 9 |
| Naso elegans | occasional | 9 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | occasional | 9 |
| Scarus fuscopurpureus | occasional | 9 |
| Epibulus insidiator | occasional | 8 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | occasional | 8 |
| Acanthurus nigrofuscus | occasional | 8 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | occasional | 8 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | occasional | 8 |
| Diodon hystrix | occasional | 8 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | occasional | 7 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | occasional | 7 |
| Plectorhinchus gaterinus | occasional | 7 |
| Pomacanthus imperator | occasional | 6 |
| Aetobatus ocellatus | occasional | 6 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 6 |
| Oxycheilinus digramma | occasional | 6 |
| Cirrhitus pinnulatus | occasional | 6 |
| Caesio lunaris | occasional | 6 |
| Myripristis murdjan | occasional | 6 |
| Naso unicornis | occasional | 5 |
| Scolopsis ghanam | occasional | 5 |
| Mulloidichthys flavolineatus | occasional | 5 |
| Caranx melampygus | occasional | 5 |
| Aluterus scriptus | occasional | 5 |
| Siganus rivulatus | rare | 4 |
Nearby sites in Sinai
Explore all sitesMiddle Garden0.5 km
SinaiThe middle of Sharm's three Gardens: a hard-coral wall that flattens at about 10 m onto a 20 m wide sand road running parallel to the shore, with pinnacles either side.
Fiddle Garden0.6 km
SinaiThe Garden some Sharm operators list and others leave out: a sheltered mooring between two coral pinnacles, with broken amphorae at 8 m.
Far Garden1.4 km
SinaiThe far end of the Gardens chain north of Naama Bay: coral towers rising almost to the surface off a narrow plateau, then a wall dived as a drift.
Naama Bay1.7 km
SinaiThe resort bay itself: a walk-in sand slope, seagrass and coral blocks that Sharm teaches half its divers on.
Naama Bay Jolie Ville2.0 km
SinaiThe hotel house reef in the middle of Naama Bay: where Sharm does its check dives and its courses.
Naama Bay - Kanabesh2.1 km
SinaiOne of the hotel-beach entry points onto the Naama Bay reef, not a separate dive: the same sandy bay, seagrass and pinnacles everyone in Naama walks into.
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