Rocky Island: South Coast - Dive site - Egypt

A guide to scuba diving at Rocky Island: South Coast

Dive site: Rocky Island: South Coast

Location: Egypt, Offshore and Deep South

Dive type: Reef dive, boat dive, wall dive, naturist dive

Skill level: Beginners

Visibility: : The under water visibility at the South Coast of the Rocky Island averages at 20 m / 65 ft.

Depth: The maximum depth at The South Coast of the Rocky Island go beyond 50 m / 164 ft, but the average depth at this dive site is no more than 18 m / 60 ft.

Water temperature: The coldest month in the waters around the South Coast of the Rocky Island is February, with water temperatures around 20° C / 68° F. In September – after a long and hot Egyptian summer – the water temperatures are considerably higher, commonly around 27° C / 81° F.

Dive site information: The South Coast of the Rocky Island is the most sheltered side of the island, and if you are an inexperienced diver the south side is a much safer choice than the other sides. The south side also has some of the finest coral growth and most diverse fish life on the island. The South Coast of the Rocky Island has a lot of bays, inlets and fissures. The wall on this coast is generally vertical, but is often intersected by overhangs, ledges and cavelets.

Marine life: The fish population at the South Coast of the Rocky Island is vibrant and diverse, and include many different kinds of fish such as damsels, angelfish, sweatlips, butterflyfish, snappers, Napoleon wrasse, lionfish, anthias, parrotfish, big groupers and a number of different triggerfish species. The South Coast of the Rocky Island features a great deal of different coral species, including lacy Acropora, large Favites and wide-ranging patches of cabbage coral. Soft coral species – such as Dendronephthya – are found all over the south coast, as single heads as well as in bigger patches. If you scuba dive at the more shallow parts of the reef you can see how the sun light from the surface makes the coral heads sparkle and shine in an abundance of colours.