Daedalus Reef

Also known as Abu el-Kizan

An isolated reef in open ocean with a lighthouse on it, sheer walls on every side, and the most reliable hammerhead diving in Egypt.

Depth

10–40m on the walls; the plateaus are deep

Access

Liveaboard only — roughly 90km offshore, with no day-boat access

Best season

May to September for hammerheads; the reef is dived across a longer season but the crossing is rough outside it

Level

Advanced

Conditions

• True open ocean — swell and strong current are the normal condition, not the exception
• Wall dives with no shallow refuge; you drift and the zodiac collects you
• Marine Park permits required; conditions decide whether the boat can moor at all

What you are likely to see

• Scalloped hammerheads, most reliably at the north plateau in summer
• Thresher sharks and oceanic whitetips
• Grey reef sharks in numbers
• An anemone city on the north-west wall that is worth the trip on its own

What to watch out for

• Hammerheads are deep and early. Chasing them below your plan is the single most common way divers get into trouble here, and the sharks do not come shallower because you want them to.
• Currents run hard around the plateaus and there is nothing downstream but ocean. Carry an SMB and know how to deploy it before you need it.
• The crossing is long and exposed. If you are prone to seasickness, this itinerary is a serious commitment.

This is planning information, not a dive briefing or a substitute for one. Conditions change; your guide on the day is the authority. Diving emergency numbers and the coast’s recompression chambers are on our emergency contacts page.