Safaga

Safaga ranks 8th on the list of best places to scuba diving in Egypt. It lies about 70 kilometers south of Hurghada and is known for its wall dives, magnificent coral gardens, and the wreck of the Salem Express, a passenger ferry that sank in 1991, killing an estimated 470 people. Ras Abu Soma's dives, as well as the Tobia reefs, popularly known as the 'Seven Pinnacles,' are regarded as some of the greatest in the region. All locations are reasonably accessible by boat, with limited shore diving available depending on whether you stay in Safaga or neighboring Soma Bay.

Panorama Reef, the region's most famous dive site, features beautiful 200-meter-deep walls ideal for drift diving, massive hard and soft coral formations, and sightings of grey reef sharks, barracuda, and schooling jacks. Middle Reef has some of the most exquisite coral gardens in the region, while Abu Kafan offers a comparable, if not more, magnificent experience. The Salem Express is regarded as one of the top wreck dives in the world, a well-known but ominous dive due to the hull's coral encrustation. Makadi Bay, about 30 kilometers north of Hurghada, is also a good option, as it provides a halfway point between Hurghada and Safaga's dive sites, but it is less well known by tourists.

Location: Egypt, on the coast of the Red Sea