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Certification required
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Wadi Lahmy Azur, Housereef
Egypt · reef · beginner
2–35 mbeginnerOWshore entry
Wadi Lahmy Azur, Housereef
A resort jetty onto a sheltered fringing reef: sandy lagoon at 2 to 3 m, then a 10 to 15 m outer wall, open from 06:00 to 21:00.
Max depth2–35 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeshore
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
This is the house reef of the Wadi Lahmy Azur Resort, the far-south end of Egyptian resort diving: Regaldive puts the hotel about 185 km south of Marsa Alam and 5 km south of Hamata, roughly two hours by road from Marsa Alam airport. Orca Dive Club runs the centre on site and the reef is entered from the hotel's own jetty, with equipment carried down to the landing stage for you. Orca's own dive-site list gives the house reef a maximum depth of under 35 m and says it can be dived daily from 06:00 to 21:00, which is what makes it unusual in Egypt: the schedule is yours, not a boat's.
The layout, as Regaldive describes it, runs in three steps out from the beach. First a sandy lagoon at 2 to 3 m, then a gently sloping sandy bottom carrying many coral blocks including some plate corals, then the outer face of the fringing reef, a steep 10 to 15 m wall broken by small caves and overhangs with a mix of hard and soft corals. Orca summarises the same ground as roughly 12 m of sloping steep wall with coral gardens and schooling fish. A small headland shelters the reef from waves, which is why the centre can run it at almost any hour and why the same page recommends it for photography.
OBIS holds about 60 taxa recorded within 1.5 km of this pin, and the mix is what the topography predicts. Parrotfish dominate the counts, bridled, heavybeak and daisy, along with Red Sea surgeonfish, ringed tang, broomtail and Rueppell's wrasse, Picasso and titan triggerfish, royal angelfish, small giant clams set into the coral blocks and blue-spotted ribbontail rays on the sand. Regaldive names blue-spotted rays and juvenile reef fish in the lagoon specifically, which is the shallow end of that same list.
Two house rules shape the dive. Orca requires a dive computer, and any diver with fewer than 30 logged dives must be guided, at a stated 5 euro per guided dive; above that, unguided house-reef diving is sold in packs. The offshore reefs people come to Hamata for, the Fury Shoals group, are not part of this dive: they are boat trips leaving from Hamata port ten minutes away, 45 minutes to 2.5 hours out by day boat or 10 to 40 minutes by speedboat.
- Jetty entry with gear brought to the landing stage, divable 06:00 to 21:00 daily
- Sandy lagoon at 2 to 3 m with blue-spotted rays and juvenile reef fish
- Coral blocks and plate corals scattered over the sand slope
- Outer fringing wall of 10 to 15 m with small caves and overhangs
- Sheltered behind a small headland, so it runs when the boats do not
Please note before you go
- Unguided shore diving is permitted from 30 logged dives, and the site's own operator lists it as going under 35 m: depth control on the outer wall is your responsibility, not a guide's
- Far-south location, about 185 km by road from Marsa Alam, so evacuation and chamber access are a long way off
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Road transfer from Marsa Alam airport, roughly two hours for about 185 km (Regaldive gives around 5 hours 15 from Hurghada). Once there the dive is a walk: down the hotel jetty, with Orca bringing the equipment to the landing stage. Boat diving is a separate programme from Hamata port, a ten-minute transfer from the centre.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Restrictions
The reef sits in front of a private-beach resort and is reached through the hotel's jetty, with the on-site Orca Dive Club controlling gas, gear and access. Every source we read describes it as a facility for resort guests and dive-package clients, and none of them states terms for walk-in or non-resident divers, so treat non-guest access as something to arrange with the centre in advance rather than to assume. Orca's stated rules apply to everyone: a dive computer is compulsory and divers with fewer than 30 logged dives must take a guide at 5 euro per dive. Diving hours are 06:00 to 21:00.
Rules and permits
Fees are collected locally by the dive centre and the two resellers we read do not describe them identically. Regaldive lists, for all trips with Orca Divers, national park fees of 5 euro per person per day plus tax and permissions of 5 euro per person per day, paid locally and non-refundable. Diverse Travel lists a single environmental fee of 5 euro per person per day for boat and speedboat trips, divers and snorkellers alike. Neither states clearly whether the fee attaches to house-reef days with no boat involved. Confirm the current amount and what it covers with Orca at check-in.
Season
Euro-Divers rate spring, March to May, and autumn, September to November, as the best windows in the southern Red Sea, with water from about 22 C in winter to 30 C in summer and visibility often over 20 to 30 m in the calmer months. Because this is a sheltered shore reef rather than an exposed offshore one, the seasonal argument here is about comfort and clarity rather than access: Regaldive notes that winter water this far south stays significantly warmer than in the northern Red Sea, so the reef stays workable all year.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentnot sourced
Surgelight
WaterSalt water
Depth range2–35 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsquiet
A sheltered fringing reef with a lagoon in front of it, entered from a jetty rather than off a boat, so the water is normally flat and the dive is as long as your gas. Depth is whatever you choose between 2 m in the lagoon and the operator's stated site maximum of under 35 m on the seaward side. We have no site-specific visibility measurement; Euro-Divers give 20 to 30 m as typical for the southern Red Sea generally, and a shallow shore reef over sand will usually sit at the lower end of a regional figure.
On current: No operator we read publishes a current rating for this reef. What they do say is that a small headland shelters it from waves, which is the reason Orca can run it at almost any hour and the reason Regaldive recommends it for underwater photography. Treat the sheltering as a wave claim, not a current claim, and ask the centre on the day.
Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How deep is the Wadi Lahmy Azur house reef?
Orca Dive Club, which runs the reef, lists its maximum depth as under 35 m. The recreational shape of the dive is much shallower than that: a sandy lagoon at 2 to 3 m, a gently sloping sand bottom with coral blocks, and then the outer face of the fringing reef, which Regaldive describes as a steep 10 to 15 m wall. Orca's own summary calls it roughly 12 m of sloping steep wall.
Can you shore dive Wadi Lahmy Azur without a guide?
Yes, above a threshold. Orca requires any diver with fewer than 30 logged dives to be guided, at a stated 5 euro per guided dive, and makes a dive computer compulsory for everyone. Divers past that mark can buy unguided house-reef packs; Regaldive quotes ten unguided house-reef dives from around 200 pounds per person excluding rental equipment.
What hours can you dive the house reef?
Orca's own dive-site page says the house reef can be dived daily from 06:00 to 21:00, entered from the hotel's jetty with the equipment brought down to the landing stage. That window covers dawn dives and night dives without a boat schedule, which is the main practical reason to choose this resort over a boat-only base.
Can you snorkel at Wadi Lahmy Azur?
Yes, and it is one of the better answers on this coast. Regaldive points snorkellers at the sandy lagoon in front of the resort at 2 to 3 m, looking for blue-spotted rays and juvenile coral fish, and the jetty puts you straight over it rather than making you cross the shallows from the beach. The reef beyond the sand is where the coral wall starts.
What will you see on the Wadi Lahmy house reef?
OBIS records around 60 taxa within 1.5 km of this pin, led by parrotfish (bridled, heavybeak and daisy), Red Sea surgeonfish, ringed tang, broomtail and Rueppell's wrasse, Picasso and titan triggerfish, royal angelfish and porcupinefish, with small giant clams set into the coral blocks. Blue-spotted ribbontail rays are on the same list and Regaldive names them specifically in the lagoon.
Can you dive here without staying at the resort?
Nothing we read answers this clearly. The reef is in front of a private-beach resort, is entered through the hotel's jetty, and the on-site Orca Dive Club controls gas, equipment and access; every source describes it as a facility for resort guests and dive-package clients. If you are not staying there, arrange it with the dive centre in advance rather than turning up.
Are there park or environmental fees at Wadi Lahmy?
Yes, collected locally by the dive centre, but the published amounts do not match. Regaldive lists national park fees of 5 euro per person per day plus tax and permissions of 5 euro per person per day, applicable to all trips with Orca and non-refundable. Diverse Travel lists a single environmental fee of 5 euro per person per day for boat and speedboat divers and snorkellers. Confirm the figure and whether it applies to house-reef-only days at check-in.
When is the best time to dive Wadi Lahmy Azur?
Because this is a sheltered shore reef rather than an exposed offshore one, it works all year and the choice is about comfort. Euro-Divers rate spring, March to May, and autumn, September to November, as the best windows for the southern Red Sea, with water from about 22 C in winter to 30 C in summer. Regaldive notes that winter water this far south stays significantly warmer than in the northern Red Sea.
Life recorded at Wadi Lahmy Azur, Housereef
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 10 recordsBalistoides viridescensoccasional · 8 records
Scarus frenatusoccasional · 28 records
Chlorurus gibbusoccasional · 24 records
Acanthurus sohaloccasional · 18 records
Cheilinus lunulatusoccasional · 17 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Scarus frenatus | occasional | 28 |
| Chlorurus gibbus | occasional | 24 |
| Acanthurus sohal | occasional | 18 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | occasional | 17 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | occasional | 17 |
| Naso unicornis | occasional | 16 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 16 |
| Abudefduf sexfasciatus | occasional | 15 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 13 |
| Flavocaranx bajad | occasional | 12 |
| Scarus niger | occasional | 12 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | occasional | 12 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 12 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | occasional | 12 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | occasional | 11 |
| Cetoscarus bicolor | occasional | 11 |
| Arothron hispidus | occasional | 11 |
| Hipposcarus harid | occasional | 11 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 10 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | occasional | 10 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 10 |
| Balistoides viridescens | occasional | 8 |
| Naso elegans | occasional | 8 |
| Arothron diadematus | occasional | 8 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | occasional | 8 |
| Diodon hystrix | occasional | 8 |
| Acanthopagrus bifasciatus | occasional | 8 |
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 7 |
| Caesio lunaris | occasional | 7 |
| Cephalopholis miniata | occasional | 7 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 7 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 7 |
| Chaetodon larvatus | occasional | 7 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | occasional | 7 |
| Lutjanus bohar | occasional | 7 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | occasional | 7 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | occasional | 7 |
| Siganus stellatus | occasional | 7 |
| Hemigymnus melapterus | occasional | 7 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | occasional | 6 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 6 |
| Mulloidichthys flavolineatus | occasional | 6 |
| Lethrinus harak | occasional | 6 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | occasional | 6 |
| Dascyllus abudafur | occasional | 6 |
| Chromis viridis | occasional | 6 |
| Caesio striata | occasional | 6 |
| Cephalopholis argus | occasional | 6 |
| Stegastes nigricans | occasional | 6 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 5 |
| Pycnochromis dimidiatus | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | occasional | 5 |
| Pomacanthus imperator | occasional | 5 |
| Amanses scopas | occasional | 5 |
| Chromis flavaxilla | occasional | 5 |
| Cirripectes castaneus | occasional | 5 |
| Coenobita scaevola | occasional | 5 |
| Halichoeres marginatus | occasional | 5 |
| Neoglyphidodon melas | occasional | 5 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | occasional | 5 |
Nearby sites in Hamata
Explore all sitesHabili Orca0.4 km
HamataUm El Sheikh0.5 km
HamataThe mangrove and lagoon island of the Qulaan group off Hamata, worked as the last snorkelling stop of the day.
Siyle Island0.6 km
HamataThe largest of the four Qulaan islands off Hamata: a white-sand island inside a national park, snorkelled far more often than it is dived.
Zabargad House Reef2.3 km
HamataThe jetty reef at the Zabargad resort in Hamata: giant stride off the end, wall and overhangs, deep water within a fin's length of the coral.
Shaab Ini2.4 km
HamataShaab Zabargad3.6 km
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