Egypt: Red Sea - Dive Sites - Umm Usk

Umm Usk

Diving

Snorkelling

By Boat

By swimming

By Live-aboard

All Divers

4

4

Yes

Yes

Yes

Location:

Between Gubal and Shadwan islands, in the southern Straits of Gubal

Access:

By day or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada

Average Depth:

18m (60ft)

Maximum Depth:

31m+ (102 ft+)

Average Visibility:

20m (65ft)

This site is a crescent-shaped lagoon. The entrance, on the west side of the reef, is partially blocked by a large, elliptical patch reef, which is the site of most dives here. One dive plan covers the outer reef wall of this patch reef and its southern tip. A second plan concentrates on the north end of the reef, the nearby main reef and a smaller satellite reef to the northwest.

The site's profile throughout is varied, with steep reef wall sections, big heads, bommies, and undercut, mushroom-like pinnacles.

Coral growth is good, with a wide range of hard and soft species. Branching forms here are excellent, with many Acropora variants in table, antler and spreading formations and several other branched species.

Fish life follows the usual local pattern of vibrant reef species, with lots of parrots, wrasse, emperors and surgeons, snapper, fusiliers, angles and butterflies, and nice big grouper. Night dives here will often turn up ghostly squid and cuttlefish, an impressive, other-worldly sight. Another attraction, though not exactly qualifying as fish life, is the frequent appearance of bottlenose dolphins in the lagoon.

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Last Updated: May 29th, 2011