Abu Ramada South

Overview

Abu Ramada South — often called "the Aquarium" for the sheer density of fish — is the gentle, sheltered side of Abu Ramada Island, an easy reef dive about 60–90 minutes from Hurghada. Calm water, big coral heads on a sandy plateau and a line of pinnacles teeming with glassfish make it one of the most enjoyable and relaxed reef dives in the area, suited to all levels.

The Dive

The site sits on a sandy plateau scattered with huge reefs of hard and soft coral, with a shelf around 12m sloping down to about 20–22m. The standout features are a line of pinnacles standing close together on the sand at roughly 18m — the largest of them packed solid with glassfish and lionfish — and a series of hanging pinnacles and overhangs that shelter giant moray eels. Among the coral heads you'll find a cleaning-station hill and an eel garden as you work north along the reef. The relief from a decayed old wreck lies on the plateau, adding a little structure to explore. Current is usually weak, so this is an unhurried dive that stays comfortably shallow throughout, with plenty of time to hover over the pinnacles and watch the clouds of fish. The easy conditions and shallow profile are exactly what make it such a good site for newer divers and a pleasant cruise for everyone else.

Marine Life

The "aquarium" nickname is well earned: the pinnacles shimmer with dense shoals of glassfish, shadowed by lionfish, and the hanging coral heads house some impressively large moray eels. A coral cleaning station draws a steady parade of reef fish waiting their turn, the eel garden swaying on the sand adds movement, and bannerfish, blue-spotted rays and the usual colourful Red Sea reef community fill out the scene. It's a soft, fishy, photogenic dive rather than a big-animal one.

Good to Know

Abu Ramada South is an all-levels site — gentle current, shallow depth and abundant easy-to-watch life make it a favourite for training, check dives and relaxed fun dives alike. Visibility is typically very good, around 15–30m. It's reached on a short day boat from Hurghada and frequently paired with the more demanding northern side of the same island, letting divers choose their dive by experience and conditions on the day.