Elphinstone Reef

Elphinstone Reef is the kind of Red Sea site that every Egyptian Red Sea diver puts on their short list within five minutes of arriving on the Marsa Alam coast. A long, narrow, almost canoe shaped offshore reef sitting a few kilometres out from Marsa Abu Dabbab, Elphinstone is the first serious offshore plateau south of the more touristed Brothers and Daedalus further north. The plateau structure is what makes the site. The reef has a sharp plateau at its northern tip at around 20 metres and a more gently sloping southern plateau that runs from 25 down into the mid 40 metre range before falling away into the open blue. The dive is run exclusively from day boats out of Marsa Alam. Mooring on the reef is not an option and the current sets the day's plan. Entry is a negative drop straight into the down current end, and the dive usually runs across the plateau with the current, either north to south or the other way around depending on the flow. PADI Advanced Open Water with a Deep specialty is the honest baseline, Nitrox 32 is essentially mandatory to make a sensible dive, and a surface marker buoy is non negotiable for the ascent. The fauna is what Elphinstone is famous for. The oceanic whitetip sharks that work the outer blue are the reason most divers make the trip, and the October to December window is when sightings become regular rather than occasional. Longimanus make slow, deliberate passes in the blue and often linger with divers at safety stops, which demands calm, non frightened behaviour rather than cameras jammed into faces. Outside the shark window the plateaus work as a classic Red Sea circuit with schooling fusiliers, jacks, snappers, white tip reef sharks, trevallies and the full softer coral palette that the Red Sea does better than anywhere. Conditions are best from April to November, with the plateau diveable year round when the wind allows.