Ras Disha

Overview

Ras Disha — also known as Torfa Ras Disha or Disha Malagk — is a sheltered fringing reef in the Makadi Bay area, around 35km south of Hurghada and roughly 90 minutes by boat from the city centre. Its name simply means "fringing reef," and that is exactly what it delivers: a calm, photogenic site tucked into a natural bay, ideal for drift dives and forgiving enough for any level. The glassfish-packed pinnacles make it a favourite for underwater photographers.

The Dive

The site is a shallow plateau with a sandy bottom, broken up by pinnacles and an oval-shaped erg toward the south. In the northwest the plateau narrows to a ledge that gives way to a steep wall, and the whole reef is naturally suited to a relaxed drift. Depths run from about 9m to 18m, so this is an easy, shallow dive — keep the reef on a shoulder and let the current move you past the pinnacles. Those pinnacles are the highlight: their cracks and small caverns are crammed with glassfish, making for excellent photographs, with the hunters that follow the glassfish never far behind. Current can occasionally be strong, which simply makes the drift more fun.

Marine Life

Bannerfish and butterflyfish team up with parrotfish and surgeonfish along the wall, and the sandy seabed is richly colonised with reef life. The glassfish-filled pinnacles are the centrepiece, drawing their predators in close — scorpionfish, stonefish, trevally, lionfish and groupers all hunt here, so slow down and watch the cracks and overhangs.

Good to Know

An easy, all-levels site, especially good for drift diving and macro photography around the pinnacles. Visibility is typically very good, commonly 10-30m. Access is by boat from Hurghada or the Makadi Bay resorts — about 90 minutes out — and the sheltered bay means it often stays diveable when more exposed sites are blown out.