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Certification required
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Sodfa
Egypt · reef · beginner
8–22 mbeginnerOWboat entry
Sodfa
The slope 500 m northeast of Tower: a sandy shelf at 12 m with coral pinnacles on it, and gorgonians along the drop-off edge around 20 m.
Max depth8–22 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeboat
Visibility20 m
The dive
Sodfa is a stretch of the fringing reef on the Sharm el-Sheikh coast, immediately northeast of Tower and, according to Red Sea Marine Sharm, sitting in front of the Tower Club's floating pontoon. Emperor Divers and Circle Divers both introduce it the same way: the less-visited neighbour of a much more popular site. The name is Arabic for coincidence; Circle Divers records that two of the original Sharm dive guides jumped in here believing they were somewhere else, found the topography identical, and named the place after the mistake.
It is run as a drift from a day boat. The reef ledge tops out shallow, around 8 m where Red Sea Marine Sharm puts the start of the plateau, and gives way to a sandy slope that averages about 12 m. Coral pinnacles stand up off that sand. The slope then rolls over at a drop-off edge, and this is where the sources part company: one Sharm operator puts the edge at 18 to 22 m, Emperor Divers and Circle Divers at 18 to 25 m. Table corals sit on the ridge itself and large gorgonian fans grow along it around 20 m. Two routes are worked from the same slope, one running west toward Tower and one east toward Ras Sodfa, and the guide picks the direction from the day's current; the westbound version can be finished on Tower's plateau.
What you see is the ordinary reef population of the Sharm local coast rather than anything the site is known for on its own. Operators list fusiliers, surgeonfish, triggerfish, anthias, parrotfish, glassfish, Red Sea bannerfish and lionfish along the slope, and the OBIS record within 1.5 km of this pin is consistent with that: Red Sea surgeonfish, Picasso triggerfish, sea goldies, rusty and daisy parrotfish, Red Sea bannerfish, masked puffer and blue-spotted ribbontail ray. Emperor Divers and Circle Divers both claim Sodfa and Tower are a hangout for passing manta rays from March to the end of June, with the occasional whitetip reef shark. Treat that as an operator claim: no other source we read repeats it and there is no manta or whitetip record in the OBIS data for this pin.
- Gorgonian fans along the drop-off edge around 20 m
- Coral pinnacles standing off a sandy slope at about 12 m
- Two drift routes off one slope: west toward Tower, east toward Ras Sodfa
- Quieter than Tower, 500 m away, and often used as its overflow
Please note before you go
- The slope ends in a drop-off; past the ridge there is no bottom within recreational limits, and depth here is self-imposed
- Drift dive with a boat pick-up — you surface away from where you entered, so an SMB is the norm on Egyptian reefs and is required by most Sharm operators
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Day boat from the Sharm el-Sheikh marinas, dived as one of the 'local' reefs along the Hadaba coast rather than as a trip to Ras Mohammed or the Straits of Tiran. Red Sea Marine Sharm places the site in front of the Tower Club's floating pontoon; the catalogue pin is 480 m from Tower and about 2.7 km from Naama Bay. Boats drop you up-current and collect you at the end of the drift.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Rules and permits
Standard Egyptian Red Sea rules apply. Emperor Divers' Egypt FAQ states that under CDWS regulations recreational divers work to 30 m or their certification limit, that divers are asked not to use gloves or carry knives unless specifically required, and that touching, feeding, chasing or riding marine life is not allowed. The ORCA Dive Clubs summary of the CDWS rules adds that Egypt requires a diving medical examination or an on-site medical statement, and that every diver diving independently in a buddy team must carry a signal buoy.
Season
Emperor Divers' seasonal guide makes autumn the strongest recommendation for the Egyptian Red Sea — summer's heat has gone, the water is still warm, and there are fewer visitors — with spring close behind for visibility and reef activity. That is the basis for March to May and September to November here. The site is diveable year-round; winter simply means 22-degree water. The manta window Emperor Divers and Circle Divers describe, March to the end of June, overlaps the spring half of that range, but we could not corroborate it.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentlight
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range8–22 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsmoderate
A normal day is a gentle drift over sand with a reef ledge on one shoulder and open blue on the other. No operator publishes a visibility figure for Sodfa itself; the 20 m we record is the conservative end of Emperor Divers' regional guidance for the Egyptian Red Sea, which reports visibility often exceeding 30 m in spring and holding up well through winter. Water is around 22 degrees in winter and reaches up to about 30 degrees at the height of summer, again per Emperor Divers' seasonal guide for the region rather than any measurement at this pin.
On current: It is dived as a drift and cannot sensibly be dived any other way — Red Sea Marine Sharm states the site has to be made as a drift from a boat. Direction is chosen from the current on the day: west toward Tower, or east toward Ras Sodfa. Every operator we read calls it an easy drift rather than a fast one. Sources disagree on where the slope rolls over: one Sharm operator gives the drop-off edge as 18 to 22 m, Emperor Divers and Circle Divers as 18 to 25 m. We have taken the shallower figure for depth_max_m. Below that edge the reef keeps falling away, so the bottom of this dive is a number you choose, not one you find.
Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How deep is Sodfa?
The reef ledge starts shallow, around 8 m, and a sandy slope averaging about 12 m runs out to a drop-off edge. Sources differ on where that edge sits: one Sharm operator says 18 to 22 m, Emperor Divers and Circle Divers say 18 to 25 m. We use the shallower figure. Past the edge the reef keeps going down, so anything deeper than about 22 m is a depth you choose rather than a bottom you reach.
How do you get to Sodfa?
By day boat from the Sharm el-Sheikh marinas, as one of the local reefs on the Hadaba coast. Red Sea Marine Sharm places it in front of the Tower Club's floating pontoon, and the pin sits about 480 m from Tower. There is no shore entry described by any operator we read, and the dive is a drift, so the boat drops you up-current and picks you up at the end.
Is Sodfa good for beginners?
Yes, within reason. Circle Divers rates it beginner and one Sharm operator lists it for all levels, and the profile that matters is the sandy shelf at about 12 m rather than the drop-off. The catch is that it is a drift with a boat pick-up, so a new diver should be comfortable being carried along and surfacing away from where they started.
Can you snorkel Sodfa?
Not usefully. No source describes snorkelling here, the site is reached and worked as a boat drift, and the two things it is known for — pinnacles on the sand and gorgonians on the ridge — sit between 12 and 22 m. From the surface you would be over a sandy slope. If you want to snorkel this coast, ask an operator for a site chosen for it.
What will I see at Sodfa?
Ordinary Sharm reef life rather than a headline animal. Operators list fusiliers, surgeonfish, triggerfish, anthias, parrotfish, glassfish, Red Sea bannerfish and lionfish along the slope, and the OBIS records near this pin add Red Sea surgeonfish, Picasso triggerfish, sea goldies, rusty and daisy parrotfish, masked puffer and blue-spotted ribbontail ray. The gorgonian fans on the ridge around 20 m are the thing the site is actually named for in briefings.
Are there manta rays at Sodfa?
Emperor Divers and Circle Divers both write that Sodfa and Tower are a hangout for passing mantas from March to the end of June, with the occasional whitetip reef shark. The two pages use near-identical wording, so treat it as one operator claim rather than two independent ones, and nothing in the OBIS record for this pin supports it. Do not book the dive expecting mantas.
When is the best time to dive Sodfa?
Spring and autumn. Emperor Divers' seasonal guide for the Red Sea rates autumn best overall — the summer heat has gone, the water is still warm, and there are fewer visitors — with spring close behind for visibility, which it says often exceeds 30 m. The site is diveable all year; winter just means water around 22 degrees.
Is there current at Sodfa, and which way does the dive run?
There is enough current to make this a drift, and Red Sea Marine Sharm says the site has to be dived that way from a boat. Two routes come off the same slope: west toward Tower, or east toward Ras Sodfa, and the guide picks the direction from the current on the day. Every operator we read calls it an easy drift rather than a demanding one.
Life recorded at Sodfa
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmarare · 4 recordsBalistoides viridescensrare · 3 recordsRhincodon typusrare · 2 records
Thalassoma rueppelliioccasional · 11 records
Ctenochaetus striatusoccasional · 9 records
Scarus ferrugineusoccasional · 9 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Thalassoma rueppellii | occasional | 11 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | occasional | 9 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | occasional | 9 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 8 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 8 |
| Acanthurus sohal | occasional | 8 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | occasional | 8 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 7 |
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 7 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 7 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | occasional | 7 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | occasional | 7 |
| Arothron diadematus | occasional | 7 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | occasional | 6 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 6 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | occasional | 5 |
| Fistularia commersonii | occasional | 5 |
| Neoniphon sammara | occasional | 5 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 5 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | occasional | 5 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | occasional | 5 |
| Cephalopholis argus | occasional | 5 |
| Scarus niger | occasional | 5 |
| Pycnochromis dimidiatus | occasional | 5 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | occasional | 5 |
| Acanthurus nigrofuscus | rare | 4 |
| Balistapus undulatus | rare | 4 |
| Chromis flavaxilla | rare | 4 |
| Coris aygula | rare | 4 |
| Epinephelus tauvina | rare | 4 |
| Hipposcarus harid | rare | 4 |
| Myripristis murdjan | rare | 4 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | rare | 4 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | rare | 4 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 4 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | rare | 4 |
| Taeniura lymma | rare | 4 |
| Epinephelus fasciatus | rare | 4 |
| Mulloidichthys vanicolensis | rare | 4 |
| Arothron stellatus | rare | 3 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | rare | 3 |
| Alticus magnusi | rare | 3 |
| Plectorhinchus gaterinus | rare | 3 |
| Abudefduf sexfasciatus | rare | 3 |
| Cetoscarus bicolor | rare | 3 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | rare | 3 |
| Cantherhines pardalis | rare | 3 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | rare | 3 |
| Balistoides viridescens | rare | 3 |
| Naso elegans | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon lineolatus | rare | 3 |
| Grapsus tenuicrustatus | rare | 2 |
| Chromis viridis | rare | 2 |
| Grammistes sexlineatus | rare | 2 |
| Rhincodon typus | rare | 2 |
| Cephalopholis miniata | rare | 2 |
| Scolopsis ghanam | rare | 2 |
| Siganus luridus | rare | 2 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | rare | 2 |
| Dascyllus trimaculatus | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in Sinai
Explore all sitesTower0.5 km
SinaiA vertical fault in the Hadaba wall. You dive the top 30 m of a canyon that carries on past 120.
Anar Dive Center house reef1.4 km
SinaiA dive centre's own shore entry onto the Hadaba wall, the near-vertical stretch of Umm Sid coast operators dive as Pinky Wall.
Amphoras2.0 km
SinaiA sand slope off Sharm's southern coast where the cargo of a 17th-century Turkish ship still lies in the coral heads.
Naama Bay2.7 km
SinaiThe resort bay itself: a walk-in sand slope, seagrass and coral blocks that Sharm teaches half its divers on.
Naama Bay - Kanabesh2.7 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.
Turtle Bay2.8 km
SinaiA sandy plateau south of Amphoras, drifted north or south depending on the current, with glassfish pinnacles and rays parked on the sand.
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