El Fanadir is a 1.2 km long fringing reef just 25 minutes north of Hurghada marina. The closest 'real reef' you can dive · sheltered from the prevailing north wind by its own length, with dives that suit every certification level. We use it as the standard first-day reef for the daily 2-tank programme and as the open-water training site for new PADI Open Water students. Reliable conditions, healthy coral cover, and turtles on most dives.
- Depth
- 5-25 m
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Season
- Jan - Dec
- Boat ride
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Open Water+
Topography and dive profile
Long fringing reef running roughly north-south. The eastern (offshore) side has a steep wall dropping from 5 to 25 metres with hard coral cover and gorgonians. The western (sheltered) side has a sandy plateau at 8-12 metres dotted with coral heads · perfect for training and the second dive of the day. Two named entry points: 'North Garden' (for the eastern wall) and 'South Plateau' (for the sandy training side).
Most trips do one wall dive and one plateau dive. Bottom time generous because depths are friendly. The southern tip catches occasional current that brings pelagic fish in, otherwise the diving is gentle.
What you'll see
- ◇Resident turtles
- ◇Stingrays
- ◇Octopus
- ◇Glassfish swarms
- ◇Reef fish
Who it suits
All certification levels. The wall dive (15-25 m) suits Open Water and above. The plateau (5-12 m) is where we run PADI Open Water training dives 1-4 and PADI Discover Scuba intro dives. Strong photographers love the consistent visibility for macro work.
When the captain runs this site
El Fanadir is one of the closer reefs the captain may pick on a daily-dive day when conditions favour it (around 25 minutes by boat from the marina). To book a dive day, see the daily diving page · the captain confirms the morning of which sites the boat is heading to.