Carless Reef

Careless Reef is one of the Hurghada region's most distinctive and rewarding offshore dives — a pair of submerged pinnacles 10 kilometers northeast of Hurghada that rise from 30 meters to within 6 meters of the surface, their current-swept tops supporting one of the Egyptian Red Sea's highest densities of moray eels. Divers commonly encounter a dozen or more giant, honeycomb, and snowflake morays in a single dive, making the reef a must-visit for photographers and marine-life enthusiasts. The two pinnacles are connected by a sand plateau at 25 meters. Divers typically descend onto the pinnacles' tops at 6-10 meters and spiral down around the sides, observing the extraordinary moray population sheltering in the myriad coral crevices. The pinnacles are cloaked in hard corals, gorgonian fans, and soft corals, and current-driven drift dives between the two pinnacles reveal dramatic wall profiles with black coral trees and fan colonies reaching two meters across. Beyond the morays, the reef hosts exceptional marine life. Napoleon wrasse and groupers patrol the reef edges, schools of bigeye trevally and barracuda pass through, and the occasional reef shark or eagle ray cruises the blue. Schools of anthias, bannerfish, and fusiliers create a constant shimmer of movement, and at the sand plateau between the pinnacles, bluespotted stingrays, crocodile fish, and garden eels reward slow exploration. Currents can be strong, making this an Advanced Open Water dive. The site is reached by day boat from Hurghada in roughly 45 minutes, and is typically combined with other offshore reefs on a full-day trip. Visibility regularly exceeds 25-30 meters, and water temperatures range from 22°C in winter to 29°C in summer. Best conditions run March through November, though the reef dives well year-round for those comfortable with mild winter conditions.