Elphinstone Reef
A long, narrow offshore reef running north-south, with sheer walls on its east and west faces and a plateau at each tip. The northern plateau is carpeted in soft coral, and the reef is famous for oceanic whitetip sharks, with hammerhead, grey reef and silky sharks also reported, plus napoleon wrasse and barracuda. Strong currents are common, and the walls drop far beyond recreational depth.
Facts
- Region: Southern Red Sea – Egypt
- Area: Marsa Alam & Elphinstone
- Depth: 10–40 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: strong
- Type: reef, wall, drift, pinnacle
- Coordinates: 25.3067, 34.8612
- Highlights: oceanic whitetip shark, hammerhead sharks, grey reef shark, silky shark, soft coral, napoleon wrasse, barracuda, anthias, dolphins
- Tips: Experienced divers only (many guides recommend 50+ dives); the plateaus and the south plateau mooring are the usual focus, and an arch reported around 55 m is beyond recreational limits.