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Nilson Reef
Egypt · reef · beginner
2–24 mbeginnerOWboat entry
Nilson Reef
A small patch reef a six-minute zodiac hop off the Equinox beach, with block tops two metres under the surface.
Max depth2–24 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeboat
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Nilson Reef is a small patch reef about a kilometre off the beach at Three Corners Equinox, on the Abu Dabab stretch of coast north of Marsa Alam. Extra Divers Equinox, the base on that beach, works it as a zodiac dive from the jetty, and the catalogue listing our record was imported from calls it six minutes by speedboat. That puts it in the category of short local hop rather than day-boat destination: it falls inside the base's standard two-dives-a-day arrangement rather than being sold as a paid excursion, which is also why almost nothing is written about it outside the base's own material.
The shape, as the submitting centre describes it, is coral blocks whose upper edges come to within 2 to 3 m of the surface, standing on ground that steps down through roughly 14, 16, 18 and 24 m, with the reef falling to about 10 m on its southern side and about 15 m on its northern. Divers reporting on the base single out the soft coral growth as the reason to go rather than any structure or animal. Nobody else publishes a description of the site, and no SeaLog diver has logged it, so those figures are the centre's own and not something we can check.
One caveat on the marine life. The OBIS record within 1.5 km of this pin is unusually full for a reef this small, around sixty taxa recorded repeatedly rather than once, but that radius also takes in the Equinox house reef and the Um Halhala pins a kilometre away. Read it as the assemblage of this stretch of coast rather than of this one patch. What it contains is northern Marsa Alam reef in good numbers: devil firefish, blackside hawkfish, bluespotted ribbontail rays, sea goldies, twoband anemonefish, day octopus, orbicular batfish, purple and ringed tangs, royal angelfish, titan triggerfish and coral hind, with banded pipefish and banded coral shrimp for anyone diving it slowly.
- Soft coral growth is what divers on the base actually single out
- Coral blocks topping out 2 to 3 m below the surface
- Ground stepping down through roughly 14, 16, 18 and 24 m
- Six minutes by boat from the jetty, inside the standard package rather than a paid excursion
Please note before you go
- Block tops 2 to 3 m under the surface, which is boat-strike depth on a site worked by zodiacs
- No shore route, so you surface where the boat left you
- Only one published description of the site, so brief on the day rather than on this page
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
By zodiac from the jetty at Three Corners Equinox, where Extra Divers Equinox is based; the imported listing puts it six minutes away by speedboat. Zodiac trips of this length are included in the base's standard package alongside house-reef diving, with the longer day-boat runs to Elphinstone, Abu Dabab and the Hamada wreck charged separately. Nitrox is free at this base for certified nitrox divers. There is no shore access to Nilson Reef and no way to reach it independently.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Season
No source gives Nilson Reef a season, so the best months are empty. As a short inshore hop it is on the base's list whenever the zodiacs are running, which is a question of the day's wind rather than the month.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentnot sourced
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range2–24 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsquiet
A short zodiac ride off the Equinox beach to a small reef in shallow water. No source publishes a visibility figure, a water temperature or a current strength for this site, and we have no logged dives here, so none of those are set.
On current: Nothing at all is published about current at Nilson Reef, and we have no logged dives to fall back on, so the level is unset rather than guessed. What can be said is structural: it is a small patch reef close inshore, not an offshore bank standing in open water, and it is run as a short zodiac hop inside a standard dive package, which is not how a base handles a site that is regularly difficult.
Questions & answers
How deep is Nilson Reef?
Twenty-four metres is the deepest figure anyone publishes. The centre listing describes coral blocks standing on ground at roughly 14, 16, 18 and 24 m, with their upper edges only 2 to 3 m under the surface, and the reef falling to about 10 m on the southern side and 15 m on the northern. That is a single source with no independent check, so treat it as the base's briefing rather than a survey.
How do you get to Nilson Reef?
By zodiac from the jetty at Three Corners Equinox, where Extra Divers Equinox is based, on the Abu Dabab stretch north of Marsa Alam. The imported listing puts the ride at six minutes by speedboat. There is no shore route and no way to dive it independently, but short hops like this one are included in the base's standard package rather than charged as an excursion.
Is Nilson Reef suitable for beginners?
The profile suits them. The block tops are 2 to 3 m below the surface, the deepest published ground is 24 m, and the boat ride is a few minutes from the jetty, so the dive can be worked entirely shallow. No operator publishes a certification minimum for it, and the base runs it inside its ordinary daily package rather than as a special trip.
What will I see at Nilson Reef?
Divers on the base single out the soft corals rather than any particular animal. The OBIS records around this pin are the usual northern Marsa Alam assemblage in good numbers: devil firefish, blackside hawkfish, bluespotted ribbontail rays, sea goldies, twoband anemonefish, day octopus, orbicular batfish, purple and ringed tangs, royal angelfish, titan triggerfish and coral hind, with banded pipefish and banded coral shrimp for macro.
Can you snorkel at Nilson Reef?
The depths would allow it, since the tops of the coral blocks sit only 2 to 3 m under the surface. The obstacle is access: nothing connects the reef to the shore, so you would need a place on the base's zodiac, which runs as a dive boat rather than a snorkelling trip. Ask the base rather than assuming.
Is there current at Nilson Reef?
Nobody publishes a figure and we have no logged dives here, so we have left it unset rather than invent one. The structural argument is mild: this is a small patch reef close inshore rather than an offshore bank in open water, and a base does not put a regularly difficult site inside its standard two-dives-a-day package. Take the briefing on the day as the answer.
How well documented is Nilson Reef?
Barely. Exactly one published description of the site exists, submitted by a dive centre to the catalogue our record was imported from, and one German diver community page confirms the name, the zodiac access and the soft corals. There is no second account of the topography, no visibility or temperature record, and no SeaLog logged dive. Every number on this page traces back to that single listing.
When is the best time to dive Nilson Reef?
There is no published season, so the best months are left blank here. As a short inshore zodiac hop, the site is available whenever the base's boats are running, and that is decided by the wind on the morning rather than by the month you book. The base runs two dives a day year round.
Life recorded at Nilson Reef
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 10 recordsBalistoides viridescensoccasional · 5 recordsGymnothorax javanicusrare · 3 records
Pterois milesoccasional · 17 records
Paracirrhites forsterioccasional · 13 records
Pseudanthias squamipinnisoccasional · 9 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Pterois miles | occasional | 17 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | occasional | 13 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 10 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | occasional | 9 |
| Arothron diadematus | occasional | 9 |
| Bodianus anthioides | occasional | 8 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 8 |
| Corythoichthys flavofasciatus | occasional | 8 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 8 |
| Dascyllus trimaculatus | occasional | 7 |
| Platax orbicularis | occasional | 7 |
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 7 |
| Octopus cyanea | occasional | 7 |
| Canthigaster margaritata | occasional | 6 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | occasional | 6 |
| Papilloculiceps longiceps | occasional | 6 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 6 |
| Lutjanus kasmira | occasional | 6 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 5 |
| Cephalopholis miniata | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon lineolatus | occasional | 5 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | occasional | 5 |
| Chromis viridis | occasional | 5 |
| Echeneis naucrates | occasional | 5 |
| Fistularia commersonii | occasional | 5 |
| Hemimycale arabica | occasional | 5 |
| Ostracion cubicum | occasional | 5 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | occasional | 5 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | occasional | 5 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 5 |
| Balistoides viridescens | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | occasional | 5 |
| Variola louti | occasional | 5 |
| Epinephelus fasciatus | rare | 4 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | rare | 4 |
| Epibulus insidiator | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon auriga | rare | 4 |
| Stenopus hispidus | rare | 4 |
| Acanthaster benziei | rare | 4 |
| Oxycheilinus digramma | rare | 4 |
| Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 4 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | rare | 4 |
| Naso unicornis | rare | 4 |
| Hipposcarus harid | rare | 4 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | rare | 4 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 4 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | rare | 4 |
| Pomacanthus imperator | rare | 4 |
| Dascyllus abudafur | rare | 4 |
| Acanthurus sohal | rare | 4 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | rare | 4 |
| Fromia ghardaqana | rare | 3 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | rare | 3 |
| Grammistes sexlineatus | rare | 3 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | rare | 3 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | rare | 3 |
| Rastrelliger kanagurta | rare | 3 |
| Scolopsis ghanam | rare | 3 |
Nearby sites in Marsa Alam
Explore all sitesOm halhalla1.1 km
Marsa AlamA shallow drift past a field of pinnacles that dive guides call an aquarium - and do not offer to snorkellers.
Three Corners Equinox House Reef1.1 km
Marsa AlamA 900 m resort fringing reef worked from the beach: a guide rope south to the blocks by the jetty, a zodiac drop for the better northern half, and a seagrass meadow in the middle of the bay.
Abu Dabab Garden2.1 km
Marsa AlamThe coral garden inside the dugong bay: shore entry, blocks from 2 m down, and a seagrass meadow you are not allowed to kneel on.
Abu Dabab South2.5 km
Marsa AlamThe southern house reef of the Abu Dabab seagrass bay - the same bay as our Marsa Abu Dabab and Abu Dabab Garden records, under a third name.
Marsa Abu Dabab2.7 km
Marsa AlamThe seagrass bay with the green turtles, the rare dugong and an entry ticket - shore diving 34 km north of Marsa Alam.
Abu Dabab I3.6 km
Marsa AlamReef one of the Abu Dabbab chain: a coral garden on sand with a shallow canyon, and the one of the group operators sell least.
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