Gotha Abu Diab
24.0424°N 35.6365°E · reef
Gotha Abu Diab (Abu Diab) is a submerged reef in the Fury Shoals reef system, located approximately 4 km north of the Ras Banas peninsula in the southern Egyptian Red Sea. The site is accessible from Hamata and Lahami Bay by RIB, and also visited by liveaboards on passage to the Fury Shoals.
Overview
A roughly oval reef approximately 250 metres long rises from a depth of around 20 metres. The site offers versatile reef diving with highlights at the cave systems to the south and the coral garden along the western wall. Conditions may allow drift diving when current is running, and the site is also suitable for night dives in calm weather.
Marine Life
- Reef fish communities: groupers, wrasse, snappers
- Sharks and pelagic species attracted to the exposed reef position
- Rich hard and soft coral cover on the western coral garden
- Southern cave systems shelter lobsters, moray eels, and smaller reef species
Dive Profile
Boat dive; accessible from Hamata or Lahami Bay (approximately 45 minutes) or by liveaboard. Average depth 20 m, maximum 40 m. Visibility 10–30 m. Moderate currents (1–2 knots) possible. The southern cave system can be dived day or night.
Tips
- The western wall’s coral garden is the most visually rewarding section
- Drift diving is best when current is running — follow guide’s direction
- Night dives reveal cave inhabitants at their most active
Site Information
- Location: Fury Shoals / Hamata area, southern Egyptian Red Sea
- Entry Type: Boat dive
- Site Type: Reef
- Maximum Depth: 40 meters
- Difficulty: Intermediate
Sources: Wannadive – Gotha Abu Diab, redsea-diving.com – Abu Diab, Egypt Liveaboard – Abu Diab Reef. Last updated 2026-05-17.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
12 verified species observations (8 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1994 and 2011, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Tursiops truncatus · Common bottlenose dolphin
- Doridida
- Dendrodoris nigra
- Sebadoris fragilis
- Vasticardium marerubrum
- Gymnodoris subflava
- Pleurehdera stellata
- Discodoris
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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