You might wonder how this tiny speck on the charts – a three hundred meters finger-like stretch of reef, just twenty to forty meters wide, could be such an attraction.  

This sliver of reef runs approximately north-south. The middle section can usually be seen from the surface breakers as it lies barely concealed below the surface at a depth of just one to two meters .  However the reef descends down to an arrowhead point at around 40 meters at its’ southern most point while the northern section descends in steps to around 42 meters .  

Go any further north or south and you descend near vertical cliffs. Similarly the east side is also an almost perpendicular drop off while the west is less steep and slightly sandier with a number of overhangs and small caves.

Since its’ first mention in the first ship log records in 1827, no one has known quite how deep the surrounding waters are –

“Distant from the Egyptian shore about three leagues,” noted Captain Denton of the British navy, “It is steep and at a distance of half a mile no ground at one hundred fathoms.”

All that can be said is that the depth descends to several hundred meters into the deep blue – making for an eerie but beautiful contrast with the reef’s many colorful coral types, especially the purple and pink soft corals and graceful red gorgonians – their tentacles moving slowly in the strong sea currents.  

There is also the dangerously enticing sarcophagus archway at a depth of 52 to 65 meters near the southern tip of the reef.   Legend maintains that one of Egypt’s Pharaohs lies buried here, and you can just make out in the dim light the shape of a sarcophagus shaped mass encrusted in coral.  However you should not descend this deep without your professional guide’s approval.  This type of depth far from the shoreline is only for very advanced and experienced divers.

Marginally more accessible are two pinnacles of coral on the northern plateau at around 42 meters depth but most divers would be better advised not to descend below 30 meters which is sufficient to explore most of the reef’s length.   Visibility is generally good at an average of 20 metres.