Ras Umm Hesiwa
26.9021°N 33.9970°E · reef
Ras Umm Hesiwa is a cape and reef dive site located in the Safaga area of Egypt’s Red Sea coast, approximately 60 kilometres south of Hurghada. “Ras” means cape in Arabic, and “Umm Hesiwa” is the local place name for this headland. The Safaga area is known for a cluster of accessible offshore reef and wreck diving sites.
Overview
The Safaga region features a mix of fringing reefs, offshore patch reefs, and coral gardens. Ras Umm Hesiwa’s position as a cape means the headland’s profile creates localised current and depth variation that can concentrate fish life, particularly at the tip. Reefs in this zone are characterised by diverse hard and soft coral coverage, good visibility (typically 15–30 metres), and warm water throughout the year.
Marine Life
The broader Safaga area supports a typical mid-Egyptian Red Sea reef community: groupers, Napoleon wrasse, moray eels, barracuda, trevally, and reef sharks (whitetip and grey reef) are standard species. Blue-spotted stingrays, scorpionfish, and lionfish occupy the reef base. Hard and soft coral formations provide habitat for anthias, butterflyfish, wrasse, and damsels. Dolphins are occasionally reported offshore.
Dive Profile
Boat access from Safaga dive operators. The cape structure creates a dive profile that may involve following the reef from a shallow plateau (5–10 m) around the headland tip and down the wall section (15–25 m), using current direction for navigation. Conditions are generally suitable for Intermediate-level divers.
Site Information
- Location: Safaga area, Red Sea, Egypt (approximately 60 km south of Hurghada)
- Entry Type: Shore entry
- Site Type: Reef
- Maximum Depth: 25 metres
- Difficulty: Intermediate
Additional Resources
- Last Updated: 2026-05-17
No site-specific dive sources for “Ras Umm Hesiwa” by that exact name were found in major English-language dive databases. The site is placed in the Safaga area based on coordinates. Description based on regional diving characteristics. General context from: Regal Diving — El Quseir / Safaga, PADI — Diving in Egypt. Last updated 2026-05-17.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
78 verified species observations (61 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1990 and 2011, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Tursiops aduncus · Indian ocean bottlenose dolphin
- Branchiostoma
- Balaenoptera omurai · Omurai's whale
- Stenella longirostris · Spinner dolphin
- Rhincodon typus · Whale Shark
- Nerita sanguinolenta
- Maculastrombus mutabilis
- Nerita quadricolor
- Atactodea striata
- Pirenella conica
- Quadrans sericatus
- Clanculus pharaonius
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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