SeaLog

The Cave

Egypt · reef · intermediate

1–25 mintermediate
MEDIA5 items

The Cave

A canyon that starts in the back reef and takes seven to ten minutes to swim before it opens onto sand and coral blocks on the seaward side.

reefcaveswim-throughboatshoresand
© OpenStreetMap
Max depth1–25 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typenot sourced
Visibilitynot sourced

The dive

The Cave is the dive name for El Masduda (also written Masdoda), a stretch of fringing reef about 4 km north of the Coraya Bay resort strip and roughly 11 km north of Port Ghalib. Snorkeling Report places it at 25.6340 N, 34.5874 E, which is this pin. The feature it is named for is a canyon that begins in the shallow back reef and cuts out through the reef body: SeaHorse Diving Club describes swimming it for seven to ten minutes, through closed and open sections, before it opens on the seaward side.

Past the exit the bottom is sand with hard-coral blocks scattered across it. Snorkeling Report measures the reef top at 1 to 4 m and more than 10 m at the foot of the drop-off; SeaHorse gives 25 m as the maximum for the dive. The fish Snorkeling Report records here are sea goldies in numbers on the coral slopes, Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish, threadfin butterflyfish, Sohal surgeonfish and spot-fin porcupinefish, with barracuda deeper. OBIS occurrence records within 1.5 km of the pin add bluespotted ribbontail ray, tentacled flathead and tasselled scorpionfish, each on a single record, so the marine-life picture here rests on thin sampling.

How you get in is the one thing the two sources do not agree on. SeaHorse Diving Club lists the water entry as from shore, booties required, and sells the site as a half-day of two guided dives with transfers. Snorkeling Report says entry is from the boat and that there is no shore access, with the trip run as a ten-minute speedboat hop from the Coraya Bay jetty. Either way it is an operator-run dive on an undeveloped, resort-controlled piece of coast, and the canyon is an overhead: SeaHorse classes the dive itself as shallow and cavern.

  • The back-reef canyon: 7-10 minutes of swimming, closed and open sections, exiting on the seaward side
  • Hard-coral blocks scattered over sand beyond the canyon exit
  • Reef top at 1-4 m, foot of the drop-off below 10 m, dive maximum 25 m
  • Sea goldies in numbers, Sohal surgeonfish, Red Sea raccoon and threadfin butterflyfish

Please note before you go

  • Overhead environment: the canyon has closed sections and takes 7-10 minutes to swim, so there is no direct ascent to the surface throughout it (SeaHorse Diving Club classes the dive 'shallow, cavern')
  • Moderate current is documented in the area by Snorkeling Report, on a stretch of coast with no shore facilities and no independent access

Access & rules

Mandatory requirements

Getting there

About 4 km north of the Coraya Bay resort strip and roughly 11 km north of Port Ghalib. Snorkeling Report describes it as a ten-minute speedboat run from the Coraya Bay jetty, with tours run by Coraya Divers at the Iberotel Lamaya Hotel for about EUR 15 per person (2020 pricing). SeaHorse Diving Club instead sells it as a half-day two-dive excursion with transfers included (EUR 120 per person listed) and records the water entry as from shore, booties required. Ask the centre you book with which of the two applies to your trip.

Operator

Access to the site runs through a local operator.

Restrictions

Both documented routes to the site run through a dive centre: Coraya Divers from the Coraya Bay jetty, or a transfer with an operator such as SeaHorse Diving Club. No source read describes independent access, a permit, a quota or a closure for this pin.

Season

None of the sources read gives site-specific seasonality for El Masduda, so no best months are set here rather than borrowing the general Marsa Alam season. The canyon entrance sits in the back reef and is therefore the sheltered part of the dive in any weather; the exposure is on the seaward side.

Conditions

Visibilitynot sourced
Currentmoderate
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range1–25 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsnot sourced

A short boat run, or a drive with an operator, out to an undeveloped stretch of reef coast. The canyon starts in the shallow back reef, so the entry side is sheltered; the seaward side is open Red Sea, where Snorkeling Report reports moderate current can run while SeaHorse rates it low. None of the sources read gives a visibility figure, a surge description or a water temperature for this pin.

On current: The two sources disagree. SeaHorse Diving Club rates the current at this site low; Snorkeling Report warns that moderate currents can occur in the area even on otherwise good days. Taking the conservative of the two, plan for moderate. Neither source gives a direction, a tidal pattern, or a seasonal variation for this pin.

Dives & underwater footage

Cavern Diving in Marsa Alam Egypt · Coffee Then Travel
Exploring the caves of St. Johns (Red Sea), Liveaboard Emperor Asmaa · Emperor Divers
Scuba diving in Marsa Alam | Caves | Secret Beach | Egypt · Peter Popovič
Marsa Alam 2009, Samadi Cave dive · Eric-Jan Bruin
The Cave 2011 · campestrin79
HRG November 2010 - Diving the Cave · Turtle-Pictures

Questions & answers

How deep is The Cave (El Masduda) in Marsa Alam?

SeaHorse Diving Club gives 25 m as the maximum depth for the dive. The reef top itself is shallow: Snorkeling Report measures 1 to 4 m over the reef, dropping past 10 m at the foot of the drop-off. Most of the dive is spent shallow, in and around the canyon, rather than deep.

Where is The Cave and how do you get there?

It sits about 4 km north of the Coraya Bay resort strip, roughly 11 km north of Port Ghalib on the Marsa Alam coast. Snorkeling Report describes it as a ten-minute speedboat run from the Coraya Bay jetty with Coraya Divers, based at the Iberotel Lamaya Hotel. SeaHorse Diving Club instead runs it as a half-day two-dive excursion with transfers and lists the entry as from shore, booties required, so the two sources disagree on entry and you should confirm with your centre.

Is The Cave a real cave dive, and do I need cave training?

SeaHorse Diving Club classes the dive as 'shallow, cavern', not cave. The canyon runs from the back reef out through the reef body with closed and open sections and takes seven to ten minutes to swim, so there are stretches with no direct route to the surface. No source read specifies a required certification, but treat it as an overhead dive: go with a guide who knows the route, and carry a torch.

Can you snorkel The Cave?

You can snorkel the outside of the reef but not the canyon. Snorkeling Report rates the reef top and the drop-off as a spot for intermediate snorkellers reached by boat from Coraya Bay, and warns that moderate currents occur. SeaHorse Diving Club, describing the dive itself, marks the site as not suitable for snorkelling, which is a fair verdict on the overhead section.

Is there current at El Masduda?

The two sources disagree. SeaHorse Diving Club rates the current here low, while Snorkeling Report warns that moderate currents can occur in the area even in otherwise good conditions. Plan for the conservative of the two. The canyon entrance in the back reef is the sheltered part of the dive; the exposure is on the seaward side.

What will I see at The Cave?

Snorkeling Report records sea goldies gathering in numbers over the coral, Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish, threadfin butterflyfish, Sohal surgeonfish and spot-fin porcupinefish, with barracuda in the deeper water. Beyond the canyon exit the ground is sand with hard-coral blocks scattered over it. OBIS occurrence records within 1.5 km of the pin also list bluespotted ribbontail ray, tentacled flathead and tasselled scorpionfish, but only one record each, so this pin is thinly sampled.

Do I need a permit or a dive centre to dive The Cave?

No permit or quota is described for this pin in any source read. Both documented ways in run through a dive centre, either Coraya Divers from the Coraya Bay jetty or an operator such as SeaHorse Diving Club with a road transfer, so in practice you book it rather than arrive independently. There are no facilities at the site itself.

Life recorded at The Cave

6 species within 1.52 km · OBIS
Taeniura lymmarare · 1 records
Cephea cephearare · 1 records
Cuapetes tenuipesrare · 1 records
Glossodoris hikuerensisrare · 1 records
Papilloculiceps longicepsrare · 1 records
Scorpaenopsis oxycephalusrare · 1 records

Nearby sites in Port Ghalib

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The hard-coral garden of the five Torfet Ali reefs, ten minutes north of the Port Ghalib marina, dived one way along a drop-off into blue water.

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