Umm Gamar North

Overview

Umm Gamar — "Mother of the Moon" in Arabic — is an isolated, crescent-shaped reef built on an underwater mountain off North Hurghada, capped by a small island and falling away in walls on its eastern and western flanks. The northern end is the deeper, wilder character of the site: a string of dramatic coral pinnacles rising off the sand where the wall meets the open water, drawing in passing pelagics. It is a boat dive, around 90 minutes from Hurghada, and a long-standing favourite for divers who want big topography and a chance of sharks without leaving the day-boat range.

The Dive

The reef runs north–south with a plateau at each tip; the northern plateau and its pinnacles are the headline here. Three large coral towers stand close together off the northern point, riddled with chimneys and swim-throughs that thread up toward the surface, with the sheer eastern and western walls dropping away alongside. The dive typically starts with a swim out to the pinnacles — often against the current — then works the towers and the wall edge before drifting back. Most of the action sits in the 15–25m band around the pinnacles and plateau; set a sensible recreational floor near 30m and admire the wall falling away into the deep blue rather than chasing it down.

Current at the exposed northern end can be moderate to strong and is what makes the site exciting, so this is an Advanced Open Water dive for divers comfortable in moving water and with good buoyancy around the pinnacles.

Marine Life

The pinnacles and walls are thick with soft and hard coral and busy with reef fish — anthias, angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish and resident giant morays in the cracks. Turtles, batfish and Napoleon wrasse work the coral gardens, and the open water off the northern point is where Umm Gamar earns its reputation: white-tip reef sharks patrol the drop-offs and, on a good day, grey reef sharks and other pelagics sweep past the wall. Eagle rays and tuna are regular visitors to the blue.

Good to Know

North Hurghada dives year-round and is most comfortable April to November, with water from around 21°C in winter to 28°C in summer; visibility is usually excellent at 20–40m. The site sits offshore, so it is a full day-boat trip of roughly 90 minutes each way, and the exposed northern pinnacles reward divers who can handle some current. Pair it with the gentler southern plateau for a classic two-dive day on the reef.