South Abu Ramada is the shallow, terraced end of the Abu Ramada reef, about an hour out. Coral towers stand off a plateau that steps down from 5 to 20 m, there is a garden eel colony in the sand, and the remains of a small safari boat lie in about 5 m of water · which puts a wreck within reach of a diver on their fourth dive.
- Depth
- 5-20 m
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Season
- Jan - Dec
- Boat ride
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- All levels
South Abu Ramada
The plan of the reef
On the chart
South Abu Ramada
60 min from the marina
Topography and dive profile
A plateau that terraces down from around 5 m to 20 m, with coral towers standing off it and clean sand between. The sand holds a garden eel colony, which is the thing to approach slowly · get it wrong and the whole field disappears before you arrive.
The south face is known for morays out swimming in the open rather than sat in holes, which is unusual enough to be worth the trip on its own. Blue-spotted stingrays settle on the sand, anthias cloud the towers, and the small safari boat wreck at about 5 m sits shallow enough to spend the whole safety stop on.
What you'll see
- ◇Garden eels
- ◇Swimming morays
- ◇Blue-spotted stingrays
- ◇Anthias
- ◇Coral towers
Who it suits
Every level. Nothing here needs to go past 20 m, the current is usually mild and the terraced profile means you drift shallower as the dive goes on rather than deeper. The wreck at 5 m makes it a good first wreck for someone who has only just qualified.
When the captain runs this site
About an hour out, one of the three Abu Ramada sites. Often paired with the deeper northern plateau as the shallow second dive of the day. Standard 2-tank day rate.