SeaLog
Certification required
AOW
Shaabruhr Umm Gamar
Egypt · reef · intermediate
14–40 mintermediateAOWboat entry
Shaabruhr Umm Gamar
The submerged reef south of Umm Gamar island, dived for the scattered Egyptian patrol boat on its southeastern slope.
Max depth14–40 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeboat
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Shaabruhr Umm Gamar is a separate, smaller reef lying south of the island of Umm Gamar, north of Hurghada. It is the tip of an underwater mountain that comes up to just below the surface, so unlike its neighbour there is nothing showing above water. Operators put the recreational range at 14 to 40 m. The west side is a shallow reef wall dropping to about 15 m with a coral garden and a run of small caves and overhangs; the north side is a steep slope that turns into a sheer drop-off and is dived as a drift; the southeastern slope is where the wreck is.
That wreck is an Egyptian patrol boat of uncertain identity, and it is scattered rather than intact. The main debris field sits between roughly 27 and 35 m, with pieces trailing much deeper down the slope; what is actually recognisable is the two engines sitting on top of the wreckage and the rudder. Accounts of how it got there disagree, one version having police hit the reef while chasing smugglers and another a military boat lost on a supply run to Shadwan Island. A school of bannerfish lives on the wreck, and morays, groupers, lionfish, snappers and fusiliers work the debris. Most operators finish the dive shallow on a mushroom-shaped erg.
Off the northeastern tip of the same reef lie two wrecks that are nothing to do with recreational diving: the liveaboard Colona IV, which sank in 1995 and sits at 66 m, and the offshore supply vessel Gulf Fleet No. 31, a 55 m ship lying perpendicular to the reef with its top at 95 m and its stern at 105 m. The Red Sea Wreck Project describes the latter as the deepest tec-rec dive in the Red Sea and firmly a technical dive with surface support. Keep this pin separate from Umm Gamar, 2.3 km north, which is the island reef with the moored south plateau, the three chimneyed pinnacles and the eastern wall, and which carries no wreck.
- Scattered Egyptian patrol boat on the southeastern slope, engines and rudder still recognisable
- Resident school of bannerfish on the wreck
- Shallow west wall down to about 15 m with a run of small caves and overhangs
- North slope and drop-off dived as a drift
- Shallow mushroom-shaped erg used to finish the dive
Please note before you go
- The patrol boat debris runs down the southeastern slope well past recreational depth, with pieces reported to about 110 m
- North side is dived as a drift on a sheer drop-off
- Two technical-depth wrecks, at 66 m and at 95 to 108 m, lie off the same reef and are not recreational dives under any circumstances
- Scorpionfish and stonefish are reported on the reef, and the site is well offshore from Hurghada
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Boat only, from Hurghada, on the same north itinerary that takes in Umm Gamar island about 2 km to the north. The reef does not break the surface, so there is no landmark and no shelter; which side of it you dive is decided on the day from the conditions.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Rules and permits
Boats here moor rather than anchor. HEPCA has installed over a thousand mooring buoys along the Egyptian Red Sea in cooperation with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency to keep anchors and chain off the reef, and states that it takes no money from any national-park, marine-park, environmental-tax or reef-protection fee.
Season
September to November and April to May pair the warmest water with the better regional visibility figures and fewer boats than mid-summer. Visibility matters more here than on a coral-garden site, because a scattered wreck at 27 to 35 m on a slope is a very different dive in 15 m of water than in 35 m.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentmoderate
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range14–40 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsmoderate
A boat day north out of Hurghada, a live drop or a mooring depending on which side the guide picks, and a plan that starts deep on the southeastern slope and finishes shallow on the erg. No operator we read publishes a visibility figure for this reef specifically; the regional month-by-month figures for the Egyptian Red Sea run 25 to 40 m visibility and 21 to 30 C water depending on the season.
On current: The north side is described by operators as a drift along the slope and drop-off, so there is normally something running there, but none of the operator pages we read puts a number or a direction on it. The sheltered west side with its caves and overhangs is the fallback when the north is moving. Two operators give slightly different depths for the patrol boat, about 25 m and about 30 m, while a wreck-diving account puts the main debris field at 27 to 35 m; we have taken the deeper reading, because on a scattered wreck you find the pieces below you, not above.
Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How deep is Shaabruhr Umm Gamar?
Operators put the recreational range at 14 to 40 m. The shallow west wall drops to about 15 m, and the patrol boat debris on the southeastern slope sits mainly between 27 and 35 m, with fragments trailing far deeper. Two operators quote the wreck at about 25 m and about 30 m respectively; we have gone with the deeper figure.
What is the wreck at Shaabruhr Umm Gamar?
An Egyptian patrol boat of unknown designation, lying broken up on the southeastern slope. It is a debris field rather than a ship: the recognisable pieces are the two engines sitting on top of the wreckage and the rudder. Accounts of the sinking disagree, one saying police hit the reef chasing smugglers and another that it was lost on a supply run to Shadwan Island.
Is Shaabruhr Umm Gamar the same as Umm Gamar?
No, and mixing them up is the usual mistake. Umm Gamar is the reef with the crescent island on top, about 2.3 km north, dived off moorings on its southern plateau. Shaabruhr Umm Gamar is a smaller submerged reef that never breaks the surface, and it is the one with the patrol boat wreck. Operators list them as separate sites.
Is Shaabruhr Umm Gamar good for beginners?
The shallow west side, with its coral garden and small caves down to about 15 m, is described by operators as suitable for all levels. The wreck is not: it needs an advanced certification, and one operator says some experience is required before taking the drop-off and the deep wall. If the wreck is the reason you are going, bring the certification for it.
What will I see at Shaabruhr Umm Gamar?
On the wreck, a resident school of bannerfish plus giant morays, groupers, lionfish, snappers and fusiliers working the debris. On the reef, blue-spotted stingrays, crocodilefish, scorpionfish and glassfish, with jacks, tuna, trevallies and barracuda off the drop-off. One operator reports grey reef sharks in the afternoon and occasional eagle rays.
How do you get to Shaabruhr Umm Gamar?
Boat only, on a Hurghada north day trip or liveaboard, usually the same outing that includes Umm Gamar island a couple of kilometres to the north. The reef does not break the surface, so there is no landmark and no lee to hide behind, and which side gets dived is decided from the conditions on the day.
Are there other wrecks at Shaabruhr Umm Gamar?
Two, and neither is recreational. The liveaboard Colona IV sank in 1995 and lies at 66 m. The offshore supply vessel Gulf Fleet No. 31, a 55 m ship built in 1978, lies perpendicular to the northeastern tip of the reef with its top at 95 m and its stern at 105 m. The Red Sea Wreck Project calls it the deepest tec-rec dive in the Red Sea and strictly a technical dive with surface support.
Can you snorkel Shaabruhr Umm Gamar?
No. Nothing here breaks the surface, the published range starts at 14 m, and the wreck that gives the site its name is nearly 30 m down on a slope. It is an offshore reef reached by dive boat, with a drift on the north side, so there is no sensible way to work it from the surface.
Life recorded at Shaabruhr Umm Gamar
52 species within 1.5 km · OBISGymnothorax javanicusoccasional · 5 records
Parupeneus cyclostomusrare · 4 records
Amphiprion bicinctusrare · 3 records
Heniochus intermediusrare · 3 records
Genicanthus caudovittatusrare · 2 records
Amblyglyphidodon indicusrare · 2 records
All 52 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 5 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | rare | 4 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | rare | 3 |
| Heniochus intermedius | rare | 3 |
| Genicanthus caudovittatus | rare | 2 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | rare | 2 |
| Arothron hispidus | rare | 2 |
| Pomacanthus imperator | rare | 2 |
| Flavocaranx bajad | rare | 2 |
| Cheilodipterus macrodon | rare | 1 |
| Chlorurus gibbus | rare | 1 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | rare | 1 |
| Coris aygula | rare | 1 |
| Coris cuvieri | rare | 1 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | rare | 1 |
| Fistularia commersonii | rare | 1 |
| Grammistes sexlineatus | rare | 1 |
| Hipposcarus harid | rare | 1 |
| Lethrinus nebulosus | rare | 1 |
| Linckia multifora | rare | 1 |
| Octopus cyanea | rare | 1 |
| Papilloculiceps longiceps | rare | 1 |
| Paracheilinus octotaenia | rare | 1 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | rare | 1 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | rare | 1 |
| Pterois miles | rare | 1 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 1 |
| Sargocentron diadema | rare | 1 |
| Caesio striata | rare | 1 |
| Caesio suevica | rare | 1 |
| Cheilinus quinquecinctus | rare | 1 |
| Gymnothorax griseus | rare | 1 |
| Oxycheilinus mentalis | rare | 1 |
| Pomacanthus maculosus | rare | 1 |
| Pomacentrus trichrourus | rare | 1 |
| Pycnochromis dimidiatus | rare | 1 |
| Stegastes lacrymatus | rare | 1 |
| Sufflamen albicaudatum | rare | 1 |
| Abudefduf sexfasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Cyclichthys spilostylus | rare | 1 |
| Heterocentrotus mamillatus | rare | 1 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | rare | 1 |
| Scorpaenopsis oxycephalus | rare | 1 |
| Acanthurus gahhm | rare | 1 |
| Anampses twistii | rare | 1 |
| Bodianus anthioides | rare | 1 |
| Cephalopholis argus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | rare | 1 |
| Cheilinus abudjubbe | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Hurghada
Explore all sitesUmm Gamar2.3 km
HurghadaThe crescent island north of Hurghada: moorings on a 14 to 24 m south plateau, three chimneyed pinnacles packed with glassfish, and a wall down the eastern side.
Carless Reef3.2 km
HurghadaAn isolated mid-sea plateau with two pinnacles, a wall that falls past 40 m, and a resident population of giant morays that stopped being shy generations ago.
Poseidon Reef7.8 km
HurghadaThe coral garden on the southern side of Sha'ab El Erg: two ergs, brain-coral fields and a sand bottom at about 11 m, moored inside the horseshoe.
Shaab Iris7.9 km
El GounaA shallow sand plateau studded with coral ergs in the Abu Nugar complex, swum slowly between 9 and 16 m.
El Fanadir, North9.4 km
HurghadaThe exposed northern end of Fanadir's long offshore reef: a coral wall to a sand shelf at 12 m, then a slope that runs parallel to it from 18 m past 30 m.
Manta Point10.0 km
HurghadaThe north point of Shaab El Erg: shallow sand and coral heads inside 16 m, named for the reef mantas that turn up there in February and March.
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