Hamda

Overview

Hamda is a quiet plateau dive on the north-east shoulder of Big Giftun Island, an hour out from Hurghada beneath a run of rock formations and a pale pebble beach. It goes by a handful of names — Umm Dom, Stone Beach — but divers come for one thing: a sloping coral plateau bordered by drop-offs that doubles as a busy cleaning station, where the gentle conditions make it accessible while the deeper walls keep it interesting.

The Dive

The heart of the site is a plateau that drops from around 15m to 35m, flanked on both sides by drop-offs that fall away into steep walls reaching toward 50m. Most dives work the plateau and its edges, dipping over the lip to where the wall plunges into the blue before shallowing back onto the coral shelf. Currents at Hamda are usually mild, which keeps it within reach of less experienced divers — though when the flow does pick up, the site turns into a drift that is better left to those who know how to handle it.

Hamda's reputation rests on its role as a cleaning station: small cleaner wrasse set up shop on the plateau and draw a steady stream of larger visitors in to be serviced, so patience at the right spot can pay off with close encounters. The mix of accessible plateau and deeper bordering walls gives the dive a pleasant range, from easy coral cruising to a peek into the blue.

Marine Life

The cleaning station is the draw, pulling in bigger animals to the plateau, while the reef itself holds moray eels, stonefish and scorpionfish in its recesses. Barracuda patrol the edges, turtles and reef sharks pass along the drop-offs, and in season there is an outside chance of a whale shark cruising the blue beyond the wall.

Good to Know

Dived year-round, with the calmest conditions spring to autumn; visibility is often very good, in the 20–40m range. Hamda is reached by day boat from Hurghada, roughly an hour out. The mild current and accessible plateau suit a broad range of experience, but treat any drift dive here as an advanced affair and keep an eye on the depth — the bordering walls drop quickly past recreational limits.