Siyul Kebira
27.5587°N 33.8833°E · reef
Siyul Kebira (“Big Siyul”) is an island reef in the northern Red Sea, located approximately 1.5 hours north of El Gouna. It offers four to five distinct dive spots around the island, ranging from shallow coral gardens and lagoons to steep walls and drift sections. It is a well-documented dive site in the North Hurghada / El Gouna dive region.
Overview
Siyul Kebira has a highly varied reef profile. The northern side features a sheer wall with strong — occasionally vicious — currents, making it best suited to drift diving. The eastern and southern flanks drop to a plateau with shallow pinnacles rising from the sand. The diversity of terrain allows the same island to offer both mellow reef dives and demanding drift wall dives depending on conditions and dive entry point.
Marine Life
The reef’s upper section hosts bannerfish, angelfish, and snapper. Macro life on the plateau includes stonefish, scorpionfish, frogfish, sweetlips, and moray eels. Larger animals reported include dolphins, whitetip reef sharks, and occasional sea turtles. Schools of reef fish are abundant in the shallower lagoon zones.
Dive Profile
Depth ranges from 10 m (shallow lagoon areas) to 30 m (wall base). Best drift diving is along the northern wall. Mooring dives are also possible on calmer days from the eastern or southern sides. Current conditions on the north wall require intermediate to advanced experience. Water temperature was recorded at approximately 23°C in cooler months.
Tips & Safety
- Multiple dive spots around the island — worth doing two different sides in one trip
- Northern wall current can be extremely strong; check conditions before committing
- Suitable for all levels on the southern/eastern plateau; advanced experience needed for the north wall drift
Site Information
- Location: North Hurghada / El Gouna area, Red Sea, Egypt — ~1.5 hours north of El Gouna by boat
- Entry Type: Shore entry
- Site Type: Reef
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Maximum Depth: 30 meters
Additional Resources
- Last Updated: 2026-05-17
Sources: Ilios Dive Club – Siyul Al Kebir, Dive Trek – Siyul Al Kebira, PADI – Siyul Kebira. Last updated 2026-05-17.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
40 verified species observations (20 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1990 and 2012, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Tursiops aduncus · Indian ocean bottlenose dolphin
- Tursiops · Bottlenose dolphins
- Tylosurus choram
- Stenella attenuata · Pantropical spotted dolphin
- Trachinocephalus myops
- Oxycheilinus digramma
- Rhincodon typus · Whale Shark
- Ablennes hians
- Lethrinus nebulosus
- Parupeneus cyclostomus
- Grampus griseus · Risso's dolphin
- Coris aygula
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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