Diving in Safaga and Soma Bay: the dive sites by private boat

Short answer: Safaga and Soma Bay are a diving area first. A private boat takes your group, divers and snorkellers together, to the reefs near the bay or out to the walls offshore. Your captain chooses the sites for the wind and the sea that day.

Planning the trip itself? See a full-day private boat in Safaga or a snorkelling day in Safaga.

Safaga dive sites

• Ras Abu Soma, at the tip of Soma Bay, is about ten minutes by boat from the marina and suits a short trip.
• Tobia Arba’a, known for its coral pillars, is close enough for snorkellers and divers on the same boat.
• Safaga Island and the reefs of Gamul Kebir and Gamul Soraya lie off the town.
• Panorama Reef and Abu Kafan are walls in open sea, about an hour by boat, covered in soft coral. They need a calm day.
• The Salem Express, a ferry that sank on 15 December 1991 with heavy loss of life, lies about 20 km southeast of Safaga. It is treated as a maritime grave: divers stay outside the wreck and take nothing.

When the wind is strong, boats may not be able to leave the bay for the offshore walls. Your captain then picks sheltered sites closer in, and your quote lists the route and the hours.

Divers and snorkellers on one boat

• Tell us each diver’s certification level in your request. Your quote states whether a dive guide, tanks and equipment are included.
• Snorkellers and non-swimmers can come on the same boat. Before you pay, your concierge confirms with the operator in writing that there is a life jacket for every guest, in children’s sizes if children are coming.
• For a beach stop between dives, ask for Utopia Island.

Reef rules

• Boats tie up to mooring buoys instead of dropping anchor on the coral.
• Do not touch or stand on coral, and take nothing from the sea, not even shells.
• Keep your fins and gauges clear of the reef.

When to go

Boats sail all year. In Hurghada, about 53 km to the north, the sea is about 22 °C in February and March and 28 °C in August. The wind blows from the north all year and is strongest from late May to early October, so keep the offshore sites flexible.

Where you board

Boats leave from Soma Bay marina, north of Safaga, or from a jetty in Safaga, named on your quote. Bring your passport or a copy and your dive certification card. If the port authority or your captain stops sailing, you choose a new date or a full refund.

More about the town: private boat trips in Safaga.