Gota Sataia 2

Gota Sataia 2 is the second pinnacle in the Sataia reef group, positioned just north of Gota Sataia 1 in the southern Egyptian Red Sea off Wadi Lahami. The two sites are typically dived together, with this northern pinnacle offering slightly different topography and marine life.

Overview

Gota Sataia 2 sits marginally deeper than its companion, with the reef crown at 6–10 meters and flanks dropping to around 20 meters before levelling off on the sandy seafloor. The two pinnacles together form a pair that liveaboard operators pair as consecutive dives. The second pinnacle has a more pronounced north–south elongation compared to the rounder first, creating a longer wall to explore along the eastern face. Soft corals and large sea fans are again the visual highlight, and the slightly deeper profile of the crown means more intermediate divers tend to find it a manageable challenge after the first pinnacle.

Site Information

• Location: Southern Egyptian Red Sea, offshore Wadi Lahami area
• Entry Type: Boat dive
• Site Type: Reef
• Difficulty Level: Intermediate
• Maximum Depth: 20 meters
• Typical Visibility: 25–35 meters
• Current: Moderate; may differ in direction from Sataia 1
• Best Time: October to May

Marine Life

The marine life mirrors that of Sataia 1 closely, but the slightly deeper crown and longer eastern wall tend to concentrate more larger reef fish. Big groupers and humphead wrasse are resident. The eastern wall — when current is running along it — attracts barracuda and jacks hanging in the flow. Turtles appear regularly on both pinnacles. The sandy flanks between the two pinnacles host garden eels and bluespotted stingrays resting on the sea floor. Nighttime diving here (for liveaboard groups) reveals hunting octopus and lobsters emerging from the reef.

Dive Profile

Follow a similar plan to Sataia 1 but focus more time on the elongated eastern face. Descend to the deeper base, traverse the eastern wall at 15–20 meters, then ascend the wall and finish the dive on the reef crown at 6–10 meters. The transition zone between the two pinnacles — an area of sandy seafloor at 20 meters — is worth crossing if gas permits to look for rays and sand-dwellers.

Entry and Exit

Liveaboard or day-charter access matching Sataia 1. The boat typically moves between the two pinnacles during the surface interval. Deploy an SMB for ascent in open water. Confirm the mooring side with the boat crew before descending, as current direction may differ from the first dive.

Tips and Recommendations

• Dive this site immediately after Sataia 1 for comparison — each pinnacle has its own character
• The eastern wall in current is excellent for large pelagic encounters
• The inter-pinnacle sandy area at 20 meters is a good spot for rays
• Night diving from a liveaboard moored here is worthwhile for crustacean and octopus activity
• As with all remote sites, conservative gas management is essential

Safety Considerations

Identical considerations to Gota Sataia 1 apply. Deploy an SMB before every ascent. The remote environment makes self-rescue the first line of defence in any incident. Dive conservatively. Note that the current direction may reverse between the first and second dive due to tidal cycle changes.

Photography

The elongated eastern wall makes excellent landscape-orientation wide-angle compositions. Barracuda and jacks in open water above the wall create dramatic pelagic sequences. On calmer days, the sandy inter-pinnacle zone photographs well in natural light from above.

Sources: Divezone - Red Sea, Dive the World - Egypt Red Sea, Red Sea Scuba Diving, PADI - Diving in Egypt. Last updated 2026-04-04.