Shaab Abu Ramada (The Aquarium)

The dive

First, the name. This pin sits at 27.1435, 33.9501, which is the reef the Hurghada fleet calls Gota Abu Ramada and nicknames the Aquarium; Wannadive place that reef at 27 deg 8.394' N, 33 deg 57.212' E and Zentacle log the same water under the name Sha'ab Abu Ramada. Abu Ramada Island and its own dive sites, including Erg Abu Ramada or Camel Reef on the island's east side and the Abu Ramada North pin in this catalogue, lie 2 to 4 km northeast and are separate dives. If a guide offers you Abu Ramada, ask which one.

The reef itself is an oval sitting on a flat sandy bottom south of Hurghada, in the sheltered water between Giftun Island and the mainland. Nothing about it is dramatic: the interest is in the coral ergs standing off the main reef on open sand. Funny Divers count three large pinnacles 15 to 20 m off the east side alongside a coral garden, and two ergs about 20 m off the west side, the northern one carrying three separate peaks. Most of the diving happens between 5 and 15 m, and divers logging the site report an average around 12 m against a maximum of 16 m. Outside the reef the sand keeps falling and passes 40 m, but there is no reason to go there.

Because it is shallow, sheltered and normally under a knot of current, it takes a long, slow, one-tank circuit and it works as a first open-water dive, a night dive and a snorkel from the same boat. A diver logging three dives here in May 2026 recorded 24 C, mild current picking up a little around the edges, clouds of anthias, schooling yellowfin goatfish, glassfish under the overhangs, several morays, lionfish tucked into ledges and stingrays sitting on the sand between the coral mounds. The east side has large brain corals and juvenile barracuda; the west ergs occasionally get eagle rays; the anchorage on the south side is the least interesting part of the reef.

The cost of all that is company. This is one of the most heavily used day-boat reefs in the Hurghada area, and Wannadive's contributors flag August and September as overcrowded, with nesting triggerfish that will defend a patch of sand against a diver. Winter and rougher days are quieter.

• Three large ergs standing 15 to 20 m off the east side, with a coral garden alongside
• Two ergs about 20 m off the west side, the northern one with three peaks
• Stingrays on the open sand between the coral mounds
• Glassfish under the overhangs and anthias over the tops
• Shallow enough for a long circuit, a night dive and a snorkel on the same trip

Conditions

A sheltered reef with light current and a moored day boat overhead. Wannadive's contributors log visibility in the 10 to 30 m band, so 20 m is the fair expectation rather than the best day. Sources disagree on how far out it is: Wannadive class it as under 30 minutes by boat while Funny Divers say 60 to 90 minutes from central Hurghada, which likely reflects different departure ports, so budget for the longer figure. A diver logged 24 C in May 2026.

On current: Normally light. Wannadive's logged entries put it under 1 knot, Funny Divers describe it as usually calm with little current, and a May 2026 trip report calls it mild but notes it picks up a little around the edges of the reef. The reef is sheltered by its position between Giftun Island and the mainland, which is why it is used as a training and check-out site. Sources give no reason to expect anything stronger, but the outer sand does fall away past 40 m, so keep the reef on one side.

Dives & underwater footage