Banana Reef

Overview

Banana Reef is an easygoing, crescent-shaped reef in the Giftun Strait off Hurghada, named for its curved banana shape and a firm favourite for relaxed drift dives. Shallow, sheltered and rich with life, it suits everyone from first-time open-water divers to old hands looking for a gentle dive with an anemone city, soft-coral pinnacles and a scattering of caves. Locally it also goes by Gota Ben el Gebel or Shaab Farina.

The Dive

The reef is a shallow crescent with an average depth of around 10m, sitting close to Big Giftun in the middle of the strait. A light, steady current lets divers drift the length of the coral wall with minimal effort, which is the natural way to dive it. The northwest holds a spectacular pinnacle blanketed in soft corals, while the northeast side hides some caves packed with marine life, and there are deeper caves down around the 30m region for those who want them. The headline feature is the "anemone city" — a cluster of big anemones, alive with clownfish, on the wall around 14m in the southeast corner. Most of the dive stays comfortably shallow, making for long bottom times and an unhurried pace, with the deeper caves and pinnacle bases available as optional detours. Entries and conditions are generally benign, which is a big part of the reef's all-levels appeal.

Marine Life

The anemone city and its resident clownfish are the postcard image, but the reef is busy throughout: glassfish shoal in the caves and overhangs, eagle rays glide past, and turtles are a regular sight. Angelfish, bannerfish, pufferfish and nudibranchs work the coral wall, and the soft-coral pinnacle in the northwest is a riot of colour and small reef life. It's a gentle, photogenic reef rather than a big-animal site, which is exactly what makes it such a pleasant dive.

Good to Know

Banana Reef is genuinely all-levels — the shallow depth, easy current and sheltered position make it a popular training and check-dive site as well as a fun dive for the experienced. Visibility is typically good, in the 10–30m range. It's a short, easy day-boat trip from Hurghada, frequently combined with the nearby Giftun sites in a two-dive day. There's little to catch you out here, which is rather the point.