Arba reef
24.3083°N 35.4500°E · reef
Arba Reef is a coral reef dive site in the deep south Red Sea, positioned near the Hamata / Wadi El Gemal area (lat 24.31, lng 35.45). The Arabic word “arba” means “four,” possibly referring to the reef’s shape or a group of four reef structures. The site sits within the general range of the Wadi El Gemal National Park diving area.
Overview
The coordinates place Arba Reef in the southern Red Sea, south of Marsa Alam, in a region characterised by limited dive traffic and pristine reef conditions. The surrounding area — including the Wadi El Gemal National Park — is documented to feature colossal table corals and abundant marine life, with approximately 450 coral species and over 1,200 fish species in the broader national park ecosystem. No specific documentation for Arba Reef as a named dive site was found in English-language dive sources; this entry appears to be a locally-known reef.
Site Information
- Location: Southern Red Sea, Hamata / Wadi El Gemal area, Egypt
- Entry Type: Shore entry
- Site Type: Reef
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Maximum Depth: 25 meters
Additional Resources
- Last Updated: 2026-05-17
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
34 verified species observations (25 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1994 and 2010, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Syngnathidae · Pipefishes
- Saurida gracilis · Slender Lizardfish
- Tursiops truncatus · Common bottlenose dolphin
- Stenella attenuata · Pantropical spotted dolphin
- Fowleria isostigma
- Sousa chinensis · Chinese white dolphin
- Stenella longirostris · Spinner dolphin
- Doryrhamphus excisus · Bluestripe Pipefish
- Fowleria variegata
- Negaprion
- Tursiops aduncus · Indian ocean bottlenose dolphin
- Helcogramma obtusirostris
Scientific survey records skew toward sampled taxa (molluscs, corals) and do not reflect what you are guaranteed to see on a dive.
Source: OBIS (obis.org), aggregated Darwin Core occurrence records.
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