Sinafar Island - Dive site - Egypt

A guide to scuba diving at Sinafar Island

Dive site: Sinafar Island

Location: Egypt, South Sinai

Dive type: Wall dive, reef dive, cave dive

Skill level: Beginner

Visibility: Sinafar Island offers an average visibility around 20 m / 65 ft.

Depth: The typical depth range at the Sinafar Island dive site is 20 to 120 feet / 6 to 37 meters.

Water temperature: The water temperatures at Sinafar Island are subject so seasonal changes. The coldest month for scuba divers is February with water temperatures down around 20° C / 68°F. Summer season brings warmer water temperatures, and by September they will be around 27° C / 81° F.

Dive site information: The southeast end of Sinafar Island is the best for scuba diving. The wall begins at the surface and reaches down to 30 feet / 9 meters, before turning into a slope that ends in a coral reef with sandy canyons. Caves are also common, and one of them begins at 60 feet / 18 meters with an opening decorated in fan corals. This cave reaches down to 50 feet / 15 meters until it turns into a chamber, approximately 10 feet high and 20 feet wide (3 x 6 meters). A chimney is located at the top of this chamber.

Marine life: Several canyons at Sinafar Island have sheer walls totally covered in soft corals of many different colours. You can see some very nice fan corals around one of the cave openings. The chamber mentioned above is filled with sweeper glass fish. Sinafar Island also has a lot of large table corals. At the sandy slope you can see amphorae. According to local folklore they sunk with an ancient ship belonging to the Ottoman Empire, and is filled with mercury.