Erg Somaya, known to local guides as 'Police Station' for reasons no-one alive remembers, is a coral pinnacle on the offshore (eastern) edge of Big Giftun island. The dive combines a pinnacle in 18 m of water with a fringing wall that drops to 28 m on the seaward side. Soft-coral cover on the windward face is among the best in the Giftun complex. Often paired with Banana Reef as a 2-dive day.
- Depth
- 5-28 m
- Visibility
- 20–25 m
- Season
- Jan - Dec
- Boat ride
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- Open Water+
Topography and dive profile
An oval coral pinnacle 80 m long sitting in 18 m of water, with a fringing wall connecting it to the larger Giftun reef. We drop on the western (sheltered) side of the pinnacle, swim the perimeter, then cross to the wall via a sandy channel at 14 m. The wall faces the open sea and catches the prevailing current · we drift along it for the second half of the dive, ending at the safety stop on the upper plateau.
The pinnacle's eastern face is densely covered with red soft coral and gorgonians. The wall drops cleanly to 28 m at the base. Resident giant napoleon wrasse usually parks at the southern tip of the pinnacle and follows divers on the perimeter swim · they're used to the boats and unbothered.
What you'll see
- ◇Big napoleon wrasse
- ◇Schools of fusiliers
- ◇Soft coral cover
- ◇Lionfish
- ◇Big puffers
Who it suits
PADI Open Water and above. Open Water divers stay above 18 m and skip the wall section to 28 m. The current can pick up to 1 knot on the wall · comfort with mild drift recommended.
When the captain runs this site
Erg Somaya is one of the named Giftun sites the captain may pick on an eastern-rotation daily-dive day (50 minutes by boat). Often paired with Banana Reef or Police Station as the second dive. Daily-dive bookings go through the daily diving page · the captain confirms the morning of based on wind and crowd.