Daedalus, Zabargad & Rocky Island

Dive areas you may visit on this itinerary:

Zabargad Island

The island of Zabargad is an amazing dive spot. It is characterised by an enormous mountain reaching out of the water, surrounded by a lagoon and circling reef. There are a couple of wrecks and a great variety of corals and reef fish. 

The island’s walls, shallow plateaus and pinnacles are surrounded by clouds of red anthias; not forgetting the wreck off the east coast and the friendly groupers that are attracted to the area along with other pelagic species. 

Rocky Island

Nearby, Rocky Island hosts a fringing reef that circles the entire perimeter of the island, dropping steeply to astonishing depths, although the most interesting features and life are found above 12m. The island’s walls are adorned in forests of soft corals and gorgonian fans. White-tip sharks can often be observed sleeping under huge overhangs, coupled with sightings of mantas and other species of shark, this a very popular dive spot.

Please note these islands are controlled by the Egyptian military, and access can be revoked at any time.

Typically, liveaboard itineraries to Rocky & Zabargad also take in some of the other popular dive sites of the southern Red Sea, such as Daedalus, Elphinstone, St John’s or Fury Shoal.

Elphinstone reef is a Red Sea legend. One of the most beautiful reefs, with its north and south plateau’s covered in hard and soft corals and visiting pelagic, this truly is an awesome reef.

Daedalus is a huge reef is surrounded by a sheer wall and strong currents allowing for fantastic drift diving. The hard corals grow to huge sizes but make sure you also keep an eye on the blue!

St John’s Reef is one of the most renowned diving locations in the Red Sea. The area is a collection of small reefs with stunning hard and soft corals and a marine life to boot. Expect to encounter grey reef and silver-tip sharks, with a little luck, schools of hammerheads as well as the impressive and inquisitive bumphead parrot fish, schools of jacks, barracuda and sometimes, mantas.

With its diversity of sites, Fury Shoal offers something for everyone. The colourful reefs are home to a wealth of marine life including reef fish, Napolean wrasse and anemones with a number of patrolling shark species often observed and dolphins a plenty.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: You must be an Advanced Open Water diver or equivalent and have logged a minimum of 30 dives to join this safari.