SeaLog
Certification required
AOW
Sha’ab Maksur
Egypt · reef · advanced
5–40 madvancedAOWliveaboard entry
Sha’ab Maksur
A 1.5 km sliver of reef standing alone 28 km off Hamata, walled all round, with a plateau at each end and nothing between them but blue.
Max depth5–40 m
Required leveladvanced
Entry typeliveaboard
Visibility25 m
The dive
Sha'ab Maksur is the outermost reef of the Fury Shoals, lying on its own about 28 km (17 miles) off Hamata on the far southern Egyptian coast. It is a narrow reef roughly 1.5 km long, walled on every side, and the walls run down to a seabed at around 100 m. The name means broken, or cut, and operators tie it to the shape of the southern end. Divers who know Elphinstone recognise the layout immediately: a long thin reef with a shallow plateau off each tip and sheer drop-offs down both flanks.
The south plateau is the one you dive first, because the only mooring on the reef is at the southern tip and it fits a handful of boats. The wall drops to about 18 m and opens onto a coral-covered shelf that runs south, deepening to roughly 38 to 40 m before the ground falls away almost vertically past 100 m. Two pinnacles rise off this plateau to within about 6 m of the surface, which is where groups hang their safety stop. The north plateau is the same idea and slightly deeper, starting around 22 m and running out to 40 m before the drop continues past 90 m. It is also the most exposed part of the reef, and boats only put divers on it when the sea is flat.
The two long sides are wall drifts, generally milder than the tips, run from a zodiac and finished back near the mooring. One operator logs the set as north-westerly in the morning swinging north-easterly by midday. The reef is too big to see in one dive and boats commonly run two or three here.
What you look for is out in the water rather than on the coral: schooling barracuda, grey reef and whitetip reef sharks, and scalloped hammerheads which are the reason a lot of people come. Oceanic whitetips turn up on the exposed side, turtles and dolphins are regular, mantas are seasonal and whale sharks are reported in late spring and early summer. The plateaus themselves are covered in soft coral and gorgonians with sea goldies over them, and the reef holds the usual southern Red Sea residents: sohal surgeonfish in the wash, giant moray, titan triggerfish, twinspot snapper and lunar fusilier.
- Isolated 1.5 km reef walled all the way round, closest thing in the Fury Shoals to Elphinstone
- South plateau from 18 m to about 38 m, with two pinnacles topping out near 6 m for the safety stop
- North plateau 22 to 40 m, dived only when the sea is flat
- Schooling barracuda and, in luck, scalloped hammerheads
- Wall drifts down both long sides, milder than the tips
Please note before you go
- Strong current on an isolated offshore reef with no lee except the reef itself
- The north end is fully exposed to the open sea and is only diveable in calm conditions
- Both plateaus end in a near-vertical drop past 90 to 100 m; it is easy to overshoot depth chasing something in the blue
- Only one mooring, at the southern tip, so a diver who drifts off the reef is a long way from the boat
- Oceanic whitetip sharks are among the pelagics reported here
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Boat only, 28 km offshore. Most divers arrive on a Fury Shoals liveaboard out of Hamata or Port Ghalib; day boats also run to it from the southern coast, and diving is from the boat or a zodiac. There is a single mooring at the southern tip with room for a few boats, so the south plateau is the default first dive.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Restrictions
Mooring is limited to the southern tip and there is space for only a few boats. Operators require advanced certification. Access to the north plateau depends entirely on sea state.
Season
Diveable all year, best in summer. Water is 27 to 29 degrees July to October and drops to 20 to 22 in winter, and the settled summer sea matters more than the temperature because the north plateau is only dived when it is flat. Whale sharks are reported in late spring and early summer.
Conditions
Visibility25 m
Currentstrong
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range5–40 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsmoderate
Open-ocean conditions with the reef as the only shelter. Diving is possible year-round but summer is the settled season; water runs about 20 to 22 degrees in winter and 27 to 29 degrees from July to October. The only operator publishing seasonal visibility for this reef gives 25 to 35 m in the first months of the year and much more in autumn; that same page's reef dimensions disagree with every other source, so take 25 m as the working figure and expect better.
On current: The reef stands alone in open water and current is the defining condition here; operators describe it as often strong and the site as unsuitable for beginners. The long east and west walls are the milder option and are dived as drifts. The exposed north end is only dived when the sea is calm, and that call belongs to the skipper, not the group. One operator logs the flow as north-westerly in the morning turning north-easterly around midday, which changes which side is the lee.
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Questions & answers
How deep is Sha'ab Maksur?
The reef is walled all round down to a seabed near 100 m, but the diving happens on two plateaus. The south plateau starts around 18 m and slopes to roughly 38 m before dropping almost vertically past 100 m; the north plateau runs from about 22 m to 40 m before continuing beyond 90 m. Forty metres is the practical floor.
How do you get to Sha'ab Maksur?
By boat only. The reef sits about 28 km (17 miles) off Hamata, at the outer edge of the Fury Shoals, and most divers reach it on a liveaboard out of Hamata or Port Ghalib. There is a single mooring at the southern tip with room for only a few boats, so the south plateau is normally the first dive of the visit.
Is Sha'ab Maksur suitable for beginners?
No. Operators rate it medium to difficult and ask for advanced certification. The reef is isolated in open water, current is often strong, both plateaus end in a near-vertical drop past 90 m, and the north end is only dived when the sea is calm. It is a site for divers who are already comfortable drifting a wall and deploying an SMB.
What will I see at Sha'ab Maksur?
Out in the blue: schooling barracuda, grey reef and whitetip reef sharks, scalloped hammerheads with luck, oceanic whitetips on the exposed side, plus turtles and dolphins. Mantas are seasonal and whale sharks are reported in late spring and early summer. On the reef itself expect soft coral and gorgonians with sea goldies, sohal surgeonfish, giant moray, titan triggerfish, twinspot snapper and lunar fusilier.
Is there current at Sha'ab Maksur?
Often, and it is the reason the site is graded advanced. The reef stands alone offshore with nothing to break the flow. The two long walls are the milder option and are dived as drifts, while the exposed north plateau is only put in the plan when the sea is flat. One operator records the set running north-west in the morning and north-east by midday.
Can you snorkel Sha'ab Maksur?
Only in a limited way, and only from a boat. The reef top and the two pinnacles near the southern mooring come up to about 6 m, which is snorkellable in calm water. Everything the reef is known for sits 18 m and deeper on the plateaus or out in current, so this is a scuba site that happens to have a shallow corner.
When is the best time to dive Sha'ab Maksur?
Diving runs all year but summer is the settled season, roughly May to October. Water is 27 to 29 degrees from July to October and drops to 20 to 22 degrees in winter. Sea state matters more than temperature here, because the north plateau is off the table whenever it is rough.
How many dives do you need to see the whole reef?
More than one. The reef is around 1.5 km long and one operator says up to three dives are needed to cover it. In practice a boat will dive the south plateau off the mooring, then one of the long walls as a drift, and add the north plateau only if the sea allows.
Life recorded at Sha’ab Maksur
41 species within 2.36 km · OBISGymnothorax javanicusrare · 1 recordsTriaenodon obesusrare · 1 recordsTursiops truncatusrare · 1 recordsBalistoides viridescensrare · 1 records
Scarus ferrugineusrare · 4 records
Arothron diadematusrare · 2 records
All 41 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Scarus ferrugineus | rare | 4 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 2 |
| Scorpaenopsis oxycephalus | rare | 2 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | rare | 2 |
| Genicanthus caudovittatus | rare | 2 |
| Cephalopholis argus | rare | 2 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | rare | 2 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | rare | 1 |
| Lutjanus bohar | rare | 1 |
| Millepora dichotoma | rare | 1 |
| Myripristis murdjan | rare | 1 |
| Ocypode saratan | rare | 1 |
| Pearsonothuria graeffei | rare | 1 |
| Phyllacanthus imperialis | rare | 1 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | rare | 1 |
| Sargocentron spiniferum | rare | 1 |
| Stenella longirostris | rare | 1 |
| Triaenodon obesus | rare | 1 |
| Tursiops truncatus | rare | 1 |
| Anampses twistii | rare | 1 |
| Balistoides viridescens | rare | 1 |
| Caesio lunaris | rare | 1 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | rare | 1 |
| Cirripectes castaneus | rare | 1 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | rare | 1 |
| Epibulus insidiator | rare | 1 |
| Flavocaranx bajad | rare | 1 |
| Heniochus intermedius | rare | 1 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | rare | 1 |
| Pseudodax moluccanus | rare | 1 |
| Scarus frenatus | rare | 1 |
| Acanthurus sohal | rare | 1 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | rare | 1 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | rare | 1 |
| Scarus psittacus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | rare | 1 |
| Chromis viridis | rare | 1 |
| Coenobita scaevola | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Hamata
Explore all sitesSha’ab Claudio4.7 km
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Malahi Reef5.0 km
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Habili Ganna5.1 km
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Gota Sataya6.6 km
HamataA free-standing gota in the eastern Fury Shoals, ringed by sand at about 20 m, dived for the coral garden along its northern flank.
Abu Galawa Kebir Wreck8.2 km
HamataA 1935 Chinese harbour tug lying against the reef in 5 to 18 m, so overgrown that on one side you cannot tell the hull from the coral.
Sataya Reef West9.6 km
HamataThe western arm of the Sataya horseshoe: hard coral garden, then open sand studded with blocks worth searching slowly.
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