 Elphinstone reef on the surface of the water | ||
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| Elphinstone Reef · شعاب الفينستون Shāʿāb Abū Ḥamrāʾ · شعاب أبو حمراء | ||
| Governorate | Red Sea | |
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| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
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The Elphinstone Reef, Arabic:شعاب الفينستون, Shiʿāb / Shaʿāb Alfīnstūn, English: Elphinstone Reef, tooشعابشبرور أبو حمراء, Shaʿāb / Schabrūr Abū Ḥamrāʾ, is a platform coral reef about 750 meters long that lies about 9 km east of the coast of the Red sea in the south Egypt, 26 kilometers north of the city Marsā ʿAlam, is located. The reef in the south of Egypt certainly offers the opportunity to observe large fish, but due to the current conditions it is one of the most demanding spots for scuba divers.
background
The reef was founded on December 18, 1827 by Robert Moresby (1795–1854) discovered when he came across the 600 meter long, spindle-shaped reef to map the Red Sea. This has now been named after John Elphinstone, 12th Lord Elphinstone (1764-1813), his son John Elphinstone, 13th Lord Elphinstone (1807-1860), later governor of Madras and Bombay has been.
On January 6, 2007, an accident occurred on the reef in which a group was carried away by strong currents. Four divers have been missing since then, only one was able to swim to the shore as he swam towards the Badawia Resort, about 15 kilometers away, and reached the beach there.[1]
getting there
The journey can only be made by ship. This is on day trips from Ḥamāṭa, Marsā ʿAlam or Port Ghalib from or on diving safaris possible. The anchor points are in the south of the reef.
Tourist Attractions
The Elphinstone Reef is around 750 meters long in total. Without the plateaus at the northern and southern tips, the length is 450 meters. The reef top is about 0.5 to 1 meter deep. The steep walls on the east and west sides drop to depths of over 80 meters.
At the plateau at the northern tip, the drop is shallower and takes place in several stages to a depth of about 40 meters, from which a steeper drop occurs at the reef edge. At the southern tip, after a steep drop, the plateau begins at a depth of around 20 meters. On the west side of the reef there are several cave cuts at depths of 30 to 40 meters. The best known is the tunnel known as "Arch", which is already too deep for recreational divers and has already claimed victims.
The current runs from north to south and splits at the northern tip of the reef. The current is usually very strong, so you should stay close to the reef when diving. Due to these current conditions, dives are only suitable for experienced divers and night dives are not possible. The flow conditions over the southern plateau are difficult. The current mostly comes from the west over the plateau and is often so strong that you cannot dive over the plateau from the east.
Diving opportunities exist on the plateau at the northern tip or starting from the northern tip along the reef sides. Due to the light conditions, the east side is more suitable in the morning, the west side in the afternoon.
The reef is particularly known for its rich biodiversity. The reef is covered with numerous soft and hard corals. There is an increased likelihood of meeting large fish such as the deep-sea whitetip shark, the gray reef shark, and less often the hammerhead shark on the reef.
Kitchen and accommodation
Accommodation and meals are z. B. offered on the safari boats.
literature
- : India Directory, Or, Directions for Sailing to and from the East Indies, China, Australia, Cape of Good Hope, Brazil, and the Interjacent Ports; Vol.1. London: W. H. Allen, 1836, P. 282.
- : Diver’s Atlas Southern Red Sea: Dive site descriptions for liveaboards and day trips. Vienna: Seainsight, 2011, ISBN 978-3-9503160-0-1 . Dive site 1-2-4.
Individual evidence
- ↑Tauchresort rejects responsibility for diving accidents. Tauchsport.de, January 18, 2007, accessed June 24, 2015.
