BANANA REEF

Depth: 

14-22m

Location and Conditions: 

Around 90 mins from central Hurghada.

Like Turft El Shahed, this site is sheltered from the wind behind the reef so suits most levels of diver.

Overview: 

The moorings are placed on the south side of this crescent shaped main reef enclosing a coral garden and two gorgeous pinnacles. The name is a reference to the reef’s unusual shape.

Dive plan:
The tide funnelling through the area can create a strong current and therefore a drift is the natural way to dive this site. The wall of the main reef is not the best part of this dive, but it’s good to use for navigation by keeping it in visual range.

The coral garden slopes in a northwest direction and turns into a sandy seabed at 22m. The southeast corner, close to the wall on 14m, is home to an anemone city. Straight out from the southwest end of the reef, two beautiful pinnacles smothered with soft corals reach for the surface from a depth of 14-17m.

What to see:
Eagle rays and feather tailed rays swim by regularly over the coral garden, as well as turtles. Hundreds of anemone fish protect their juveniles in the anemone city. Soft corals and gorgonias cover the pinnacles where jackfish, barracuda, groupers and lionfish hunt in schools of silversides and glassfish. This is without a doubt one of the most photogenic sites in the Hurghada area

BANANA REEF Hurghada Dive Site