Dive Red Sea
The liveaboard boat in the deep south of the Red Sea

Southern Red Sea

St John's and the Deep South

As far south as Egypt goes

Ask about this route

The far south, close to the Sudanese border, where the reefs see few boats and the coral shows it. Cathedral caves at Umm Kararim, pinnacles standing in open water at Habili Ali and Habili Gaffar, and the twin remote reefs of Zabargad and Rocky Island. Long crossings, real currents, and the best chance in Egypt of a quiet reef with big fish on it. Dive Red Sea guides plan the crossings around the forecast.

What you dive

  • The cave system at Umm Kararim, St John's Caves
  • Habili Ali and Habili Gaffar, pinnacles in open water
  • Rocky Island, the most remote reef in Egyptian waters
  • Zabargad, its lagoon, its wall and the Khanka wreck

Day by day

The plan below is how the week normally runs. At sea the captain moves it around the wind and the sea state, and on a charter your group decides what stays and what goes.

  1. 1

    Day 1

    Boarding in Port Ghalib

    Aboard in the afternoon, cabins and kit sorted, full safety and route briefing over dinner. Night alongside.

  2. 2

    Day 2

    Check dive and the long run south

    A check dive near Marsa Alam, a second dive to settle the group, then the boat runs south through the night. This is the longest crossing of any route we run.

  3. 3

    Day 3

    Zabargad

    The wall on the north side, the sandy lagoon, and the Khanka wreck lying against the reef. Three dives, then a short hop to Rocky Island.

  4. 4

    Day 4

    Rocky Island

    Two dives on the corners of Rocky, where the current runs and the big fish sit in it. Grey reef sharks, tuna and barracuda are the regulars here. Third dive back at Zabargad.

  5. 5

    Day 5

    St John's Habilis

    Habili Ali and Habili Gaffar: pinnacles rising out of deep water, covered in soft coral, with hammerheads passing in the blue on the early dive.

  6. 6

    Day 6

    St John's Caves

    Umm Kararim, the cave system, with shafts of light through the roof in twelve metres. Gota Kebir and Dangerous Reef for the other two dives, then north overnight.

  7. 7

    Day 7

    Back towards Port Ghalib

    Two last dives on the way north, at Sha'ab Claudia or Elphinstone if the sea allows, then in to Port Ghalib to wash and hang the gear.

  8. 8

    Day 8

    Disembarking

    Breakfast on board and away in the morning, a clear day after your last dive before you fly.

Dive sites on this route

Site names stay in their own form in every language, so this is the list you will hear on the briefings.

St John's CavesUmm KararimHabili AliHabili GaffarGota KebirZabargadRocky Island

When the boat is free

August 29, 2026

Returns Sep 5

Available
Nights
7
Route
Your choice of route
From
Hurghada
Ask about this week

September 19, 2026

Returns Sep 26

Available
Nights
7
Route
Your choice of route
From
Hurghada
Ask about this week

October 17, 2026

Returns Oct 24

Available
Nights
7
Route
Your choice of route
From
Hurghada
Ask about this week

November 14, 2026

Returns Nov 21

Available
Nights
7
Route
Your choice of route
From
Hurghada
Ask about this week

Full charter only: the whole boat goes to one group. Ask us for a price and we will send the quote and what it includes in writing.

The other routes

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Wrecks and Reefs of the North

Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas and Ras Mohammed

The route that made Red Sea diving famous. Cargo ships that went down on Abu Nuhas reef, the SS Thistlegorm with her trucks and motorcycles still in the holds, and the wall at Ras Mohammed where the whole park comes together in one dive. It runs all year, because the islands in the north give shelter when the wind gets up. Dive Red Sea guides know these wrecks and brief every one of them.

7 nights
Hurghada
All year round
20 logged dives and up
SS ThistlegormAbu NuhasGiannis DCarnatic
See this week
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Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone

The offshore reefs, in the blue

The week experienced divers come back for. Three offshore reefs standing alone in deep water, walls that drop past what you can see, and the pelagic traffic that comes with them: grey reef sharks on the plateau, hammerheads in the early blue at Daedalus, and oceanic whitetips patrolling Elphinstone. Currents are real here and the entries are from the tenders, so this one asks for experience. Dive Red Sea guides run the diving, in small groups, from the tenders.

7 nights
Hurghada, Port Ghalib
May to October
50 logged dives and up
Big BrotherLittle BrotherNumidiaAida
See this week
The liveaboard boat on the southern Fury Shoals routeSouthern Red SeaAll levels

Fury Shoals and Sataya

Coral gardens, caves and dolphins

The gentlest week in the south and the prettiest. Fury Shoals is a field of shallow reefs and coral gardens with swim throughs you can take slowly, a small wreck sitting on the coral at Abu Galawa, and the spinner dolphin lagoon at Sataya, where the pod rests through the middle of the day. Calm, shallow and sheltered, which is why it works for a group with mixed experience. Dive Red Sea guides take it at the pace your group actually dives.

7 nights
Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam
March to November
20 logged dives and up
SatayaSha'ab ClaudiaSha'ab MalahiSha'ab Maksour
See this week
All safari routes