SeaLog
Certification required
OW
Zerib Kebir
Egypt · reef · beginner
1–35 mbeginnerOWshore entry
MEDIA5 items
Zerib Kebir
One beach entry, five different dives - and canyons that need a guide the first time.
Max depth1–35 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeshore
Visibility20 m
The dive
Zerib Kebir - also written Zereb Kebeir - is a sheltered bay south of El Quseir and one of the best-known shore dives on this coast. The Wonderful Dive centre sits on the beach itself, in Zeina Camp about 180 m from the Rohanou Beach Resort, and the entry is a straight walk-in from the sand or a step off the pontoon, with no long carry.
The bay is really five dives from one entry. North of the pontoon is a drop-off with a coral garden; beyond it, at 27 to 40 m, sits 'Nemo City', a field of anemones that the operator restricts to divers holding at least a 40 m qualification. South of the pontoon the bay shallows into small canyons, and further south the slope opens into large canyons and caves - the operator requires a guide for your first orientation there. Depth figures differ by source: one operator lists the sand slope at 40 m, another gives the site as 1 to 35 m; we record the conservative 35 m. Visibility is published as 20 to 40 m and currents as mild to none, and the shelter means it is dived year round, with water from about 22 C in winter to 29 C in summer.
The occurrence record matches the operators' accounts closely: bluespotted ribbontail ray, two-banded anemonefish, bluespine unicornfish, white-spotted puffer, giant moray, giant clam, bluebarred parrotfish, titan triggerfish and scalefin anthias all recur, plus the macro subjects the site is known for - nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, sea moth and the Red Sea walkman.
- Beach or pontoon walk-in with the dive centre on the sand
- Five distinct areas from one entry: north drop-off, Nemo City, the bay, and canyons and caves to the south
- Nemo City at 27-40 m is anemone field, and needs a 40 m qualification
- Sheltered enough to dive year round; mild to no current
Please note before you go
- Canyons and caves on the southern slope are an overhead environment; the operator requires a guide for the first orientation there
- Nemo City lies at 27-40 m and is restricted to divers with a 40 m qualification
- Easy shore access and no current make it easy to overrun a plan on a deep sand slope
Access & rules
Guide
You may dive this site unguided.
Getting there
Walk-in from the sandy beach, or entry and exit at the pontoon for the north drop-off. The Wonderful Dive centre is on the beach itself, in Zeina Camp about 180 m from the Rohanou Beach Resort, so there is no long carry and no boat needed.
Operator
You can reach the site independently.
Restrictions
Nemo City, the anemone field at 27 to 40 m, requires at least a 40 m qualification. The large canyons and caves on the southern slope require a guide for the first orientation dive. Everything else is open to all levels.
Season
Divable year round thanks to the shelter of the bay; one operator gives April to October as the optimum, with water 22 C in winter and 29 C in summer.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentlight
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range1–35 m
Environmentreef
Coralrecovering
Crowdsnot sourced
Well protected: the operator states the bay can be dived or snorkelled whatever the weather. Mild to no current, visibility published at 20 to 40 m, water from about 22 C in winter to 29 C in summer.
On current: Sources disagree on the maximum: Wonderful Dive and Infinity Diving Safari describe the sand slope reaching 40 m, while Deep South Divers gives the site as 1 to 35 m. We record the conservative 35 m. Visibility is published as 20 to 40 m and we record the low end. Current is described as mild to none. One guide places the site about 40 minutes north of El Quseir, which contradicts both the on-site operator and our own coordinate - the bay is south of the town - so we did not use that placement.
Dives & underwater footage
Questions & answers
How deep is Zerib Kebir?
It runs from about 1 m in the shallow bay down the sand slope. Sources disagree on the bottom: two operators describe the slope reaching 40 m, another gives the site as 1 to 35 m. We record the conservative 35 m. Nemo City, the anemone field on the north side, sits at 27 to 40 m.
Is it a shore dive?
Yes, and an unusually easy one. The Wonderful Dive centre is on the beach itself, in Zeina Camp about 180 m from the Rohanou Beach Resort, so it is a walk-in from the sand or a step off the pontoon with no equipment carry and no boat.
Is Zerib Kebir suitable for beginners?
Yes for most of it. The bay is sheltered, the current is described as mild to none and the operator opens the site to all levels. Two exceptions: Nemo City at 27 to 40 m needs a 40 m qualification, and the big canyons and caves on the southern slope need a guide for your first orientation.
What is Nemo City?
It is the northern area of the reef between roughly 27 and 40 m, carpeted in anemones with their clownfish. Because of the depth the operator restricts it to divers holding at least a 40 m qualification, so it is not part of a first dive here.
What is the visibility and water temperature?
Published visibility is 20 to 40 m; we record the conservative 20. Water runs from about 22 C in winter to 29 C in summer, with April to October given as the optimal window, though the shelter of the bay makes it divable year round.
What will I see?
Bluespotted ribbontail ray, two-banded anemonefish, bluespine unicornfish, white-spotted puffer, giant moray, giant clam, bluebarred parrotfish, titan triggerfish and scalefin anthias all recur in the occurrence record. The site is also known for macro - nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, sea moth and the Red Sea walkman - with turtles, eagle rays and reef sharks reported occasionally.
Is the site north or south of El Quseir?
South. The operator based on the beach places the bay south of the town and our own coordinate agrees. One dive guide describes it as about 40 minutes north of El Quseir; we have not used that, because it contradicts both.
Life recorded at Zerib Kebir
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 18 recordsGymnothorax javanicusoccasional · 12 recordsBalistoides viridescensoccasional · 9 recordsSepioteuthis lessonianarare · 4 records
Amphiprion bicinctusoccasional · 15 records
Naso unicornisoccasional · 15 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 18 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 15 |
| Naso unicornis | occasional | 15 |
| Arothron hispidus | occasional | 15 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 12 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 10 |
| Balistoides viridescens | occasional | 9 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | occasional | 9 |
| Fistularia commersonii | occasional | 9 |
| Arothron diadematus | occasional | 9 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | occasional | 9 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 8 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 8 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 8 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | occasional | 7 |
| Epibulus insidiator | occasional | 7 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | occasional | 7 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | occasional | 7 |
| Tripneustes gratilla | occasional | 6 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 6 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | occasional | 6 |
| Oxycheilinus digramma | occasional | 6 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | occasional | 6 |
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 6 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 6 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | occasional | 6 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | occasional | 6 |
| Cyclichthys spilostylus | occasional | 5 |
| Callyspongia crassa | occasional | 5 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | occasional | 5 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | occasional | 5 |
| Naso elegans | rare | 4 |
| Epinephelus tauvina | rare | 4 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon auriga | rare | 4 |
| Scolopsis ghanam | rare | 4 |
| Caesio striata | rare | 4 |
| Sepioteuthis lessoniana | rare | 4 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | rare | 4 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | rare | 4 |
| Mulloidichthys flavolineatus | rare | 4 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | rare | 3 |
| Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus | rare | 3 |
| Myripristis murdjan | rare | 3 |
| Bodianus anthioides | rare | 3 |
| Acanthurus sohal | rare | 3 |
| Pardachirus marmoratus | rare | 3 |
| Arothron stellatus | rare | 3 |
| Scarus fuscopurpureus | rare | 3 |
| Dascyllus abudafur | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | rare | 3 |
| Sufflamen albicaudatum | rare | 3 |
| Cephalopholis miniata | rare | 3 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | rare | 3 |
| Aluterus scriptus | rare | 2 |
| Siganus luridus | rare | 2 |
| Diodon hystrix | rare | 2 |
| Rastrelliger kanagurta | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in El Quseir
Explore all sitesZerib Soraya0.9 km
El QuseirA one-way drift through a gently sloping hard-coral garden south of El Quseir, dropped by zodiac and picked up at an agreed time, ending over garden eels in the bay it is named for.
El Mohgar2.1 km
El QuseirEl Makhroga3.0 km
El QuseirTorfa Sabaa3.7 km
El QuseirSoug Bohar5.0 km
El QuseirA shore dive you enter by dropping through a hole in the reef flat and following a rope out, at kilometre 15 south of El Quseir.
Novotel Housereef9.3 km
El QuseirA hotel jetty, a reef straight off it, and almost no published numbers.
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