The Giftun Islands · Big Giftun and Small Giftun · sit 50 minutes east of Hurghada and host the highest density of dive sites in the area. Six named sites across the two islands (Erg Somaya, Banana Reef, Police Station, Stone Beach, Hamda, Gota Abu Ramada). The main draw is reliable diving for any level in conditions that don't change much across the year. The downside: this is also where every Hurghada day boat comes, so popular sites can have 10+ boats moored on busy days.
- Depth
- 5-28 m
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Season
- Jan - Dec
- Boat ride
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- Open Water+
Giftun Islands
On the chart
Giftun Islands
50 min from the marina
Topography and dive profile
Two main islands surrounded by a complex of fringing reefs, sandy plateaus, and isolated coral pinnacles. Big Giftun has the more developed dive sites on its eastern shore (Erg Somaya, Banana Reef). Small Giftun has the sandy lagoon side (Hamda) and Stone Beach on its western edge. Depth profile across all sites is friendly · 5 to 25 m on average · with the deeper structures (28 m at Erg Somaya's outer pinnacle) reserved for advanced dives.
We run the Giftun sites as our standard daily rotation alongside El Fanadir and Shabrur. The captain picks the specific site each morning based on wind direction and how many other boats are already on the popular sites · we'll move to a quieter alternative rather than crowd onto a busy reef.
What you'll see
- ◇Reef fish in numbers
- ◇Stingrays on sand
- ◇Octopus
- ◇Occasional turtles
- ◇Glassfish
Who it suits
All certification levels. Most of the named sites suit Open Water and above. The deeper Erg Somaya outer pinnacle reaches 28 m and is best run as an Advanced Open Water dive. Beginners run their open water training dives at the shallower Giftun sites (Hamda lagoon, Stone Beach plateau).
When the captain runs this site
The Giftun sites form the captain's standard eastern rotation (50 minutes by boat). On a typical eastern-rotation daily-dive day, two of the named Giftun sites get dived in one boat day. Daily-dive bookings go through the daily diving page · the captain confirms the morning of which two of the Giftun sites the boat is heading to.
Frequently asked
Three reasons. Proximity (50 minutes from the marina · most operators won't run anything further). Reliability (sheltered conditions year-round, suits beginners). And volume (the day-tour snorkel boats also come here, which adds to boat count even though they're not diving). On busy days we time our arrival 90 minutes after the snorkel boats leave so the reef is quieter.
Dive it on day 1 of a multi-day trip · it's reliable, you'll see good fish life, and the boat ride is short. For day 3+ ask the captain about pushing further north (Carless Reef, Umm Gamar) or south (Salem Express area on request) where the diving is wilder. Don't make Giftun your only Hurghada diving experience if you can avoid it.
Erg Somaya for the wall and current. Banana Reef for the soft-coral cover. Police Station for variety (plateau plus mini-wall). Stone Beach for the easy plateau dive. We rotate based on wind and crowd · the captain confirms each morning.
Honest answer: mixed. The shallow plateaus take the worst of the bleaching impact and look patchy in places. The deeper walls (15-25 m) are in much better shape with healthy hard coral cover, dense fish life, and good visibility. The dives feel healthy if you don't fixate on the shallows.