Shaab Hamdallah - Safaga
The Village, off Babi Island, is one of those drift dives we always look forward to. Drop in, and you’re immediately carried along a steep slope, often with a nice push. We’ve had dives here where reef sharks cruise past us from start to finish, a constant presence in the blue. It’s not just the sharks, though; we often see turtles gliding by and big schools of trevally flashing past. The real joy of The Village, for us, is the split personality. While the drift keeps you moving over the corals, the shallow end is a macro playground. We’re always picking out tiny blennies tucked into crevices and spotting Hoeven’s wrasse darting between the branches. We’d suggest you save some air and take your time finning around the coral rocks at the end of the dive. That’s where the Black-banded Gobies and Ambon Pullers hide out. It’s a great site for divers who love the thrill of a drift but also appreciate slowing down for the small stuff. Maximum depth here is a comfortable 16 meters, so there’s plenty of bottom time to enjoy it all.
- Location
- Safaga, Egypt, Red Sea & Middle East
- Coordinates
- 26.630500, 34.068800
- Type
- drift
Best Time to Dive in Safaga
The warmest water temperatures in Safaga occur in August, averaging 29.2°C. The coolest conditions are in March at 22.1°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 23.1°C
- February: 22.3°C
- March: 22.1°C
- April: 22.8°C
- May: 25.0°C
- June: 26.5°C
- July: 27.7°C
- August: 29.2°C
- September: 28.6°C
- October: 27.4°C
- November: 26.7°C
- December: 24.9°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Safaga
- Abu Hamra - 21m
- Abu Kafan - 15-40m (wall)
- Abu Kafan North - 25m
- Abu Kafan South - 25m
- Abu Saaf ED - 21m
- Abu Sawatyr - 19m
- Abu Soma Paradise House Reef (reef)
- Aida
- AIDA - 40m (wreck)
- AL KAHFAIN - 50m (wreck)
- Al Kahfain (Wreck) - 22m (wreck)
- Aluminium - 15-30m (wreck)
- Anemone Garden - 22m (reef)
- Aquarium - 19m
- AQUA SAFARI - 34m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Shaab Hamdallah
- Aquastars Dive Centre & Dive Safaris - ["PADI"]
- Atlantik Diving Center - ["PADI"]
- Club Ras Soma Diving Center
- Coraya Divers
- Coraya Divers Naga Bay - PADI, SSI, CMAS
- Coraya Divers Red Sea
Marine Life in Safaga
Home to 32 recorded species including 22 reef fish, 5 whales & dolphins, 2 seagrass & algae, 1 sharks & rays, 1 sea cucumbers, 1 hard corals.
Notable Species
- Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) - Whales & Dolphins
- White Dolphin (Sousa chinensis) - Whales & Dolphins
- Long-beaked Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) - Whales & Dolphins
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
- Slender grouper (Anyperodon leucogrammicus) - Reef Fish
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) - Sharks & Rays
- Desjardin's Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma velifer) - Reef Fish
- Diagonal Butterflyfish (Chaetodon fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Dapple coris (Coris variegata) - Reef Fish
- Blue Trim Parrotfish (Scarus ghobban) - Reef Fish
- Brownbanded wrasse (Halichoeres scapularis) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Stethojulis interrupta) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Cheilinus trilobatus) - Reef Fish
- Klunzinger's wrasse (Thalassoma rueppellii) - Reef Fish
- Banded thicklip (Hemigymnus fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Bottleneck Sea Cucumber (Holothuria (Thymiosycia) impatiens) - Sea Cucumbers
- Dusky Wrasse (Halichoeres marginatus) - Reef Fish
- Crested Sabretooth Blenny (Petroscirtes mitratus) - Reef Fish
- Bridled Dolphin (Stenella attenuata) - Whales & Dolphins
- Armed Squirrel-fish (Neoniphon sammara) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Shaab Hamdallah
Based on average water temperature of 25.5°C, currents 16 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 26°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories