Stella Beach Reef

Stella Beach Reef is the house reef and shore dive site fronting the Stella Di Mare Beach Hotel and Spa in Sharm El Sheikh, on the Gulf of Aqaba coast. The site is accessible directly from the beach with dedicated PADI dive centre support on-site (Desert Rose Diving Center), making it a convenient entry point for hotel guests who want to explore a working Red Sea reef without a boat trip.

Overview

The Stella Di Mare Beach Hotel sits on the Sharm El Sheikh coastline, with coordinates (27.904°N, 34.331°E) placing the reef in the southern Gulf of Aqaba area, within the broader Sharm diving region that also encompasses nearby sites like Naama Bay, Ras Nasrani, and the Tiran reefs. The house reef is accessible directly from the hotel beach, with snorkelling and diving possible in the clear Gulf of Aqaba waters.

The Gulf of Aqaba fringing reefs in this area are characterised by clear, warm water, hard coral formations on the shallower sections, and a steep slope or wall dropping to sandy bottom at depth. Typical marine life in the Sharm area includes parrotfish, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, groupers, moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, and occasional Napoleon wrasse. Turtles are recorded at nearby dive sites.

The site provides an accessible reef experience for guests at the intermediate level, with the dive centre managing conditions and guiding divers through the reef structure.

Dive Profile

• Depth range: 5–25 m (shore access to reef drop-off and slope)
• Entry: Shore dive via hotel beach
• Currents: Gulf of Aqaba fringing reefs here are generally calm with mild currents
• Visibility: 15–25 m (Gulf of Aqaba water clarity is excellent)

Marine Life

Parrotfish, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, groupers, moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, chromis, anthias, and Napoleon wrasse. The reef structure supports both hard and soft corals typical of the northern Gulf of Aqaba.

Site Information

• Location: Stella Di Mare Beach Hotel, Sharm El Sheikh coast, Gulf of Aqaba
• Entry Type: Shore entry
• Site Type: Reef
• Difficulty Level: Intermediate
• Maximum Depth: 25 metres

Sources: Zentacle — Stella Beach Reef, PADI — Desert Rose Diving Center at Stella Di Mare. No detailed site-specific dive descriptions were located for this house reef. Last updated 2026-05-17.