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Liveaboard Diving in Elphinstone
What to expect on an Elphinstone Reef Liveaboard
Liveaboards to Elphinstone Reef take divers to one of the best-loved dive sites in the Red Sea. Around 30 km/19 miles North of Marsa Alam, the reef is named after the British Admiral George Elphinstone due to his time spent in Egypt during Napoleon's time. It lies just under the surface with only a few small waves to indicate it is even there. From the surface, it looks like a long, yellow oblong under the surface, with a shallow reef and then deep drop-offs to the sides.
Elphinstone is a very popular site for liveaboards running dive safaris in the Red Sea. There will normally be a few dive boats here during the day, although not too many, as this site is only for advanced divers. Choosing an Egypt Liveaboard to visit Elphinstone will allow you to get the first dives of the day before anyone else arrives.
The site offers crystal clear waters, coral and gorgonia just meters under the surface, and a host of beautiful tropical fish. As for the bigger aquatic life, down on the plateaus at either end of the reef, you can encounter oceanic whitetips and hammerheads in the winter months. Mantas and the fierce tiger sharks are more common in the warmer season. Whatever the season, though, Elphinstone is teeming with life and makes a fantastic dive.
Daily Schedule (example)
Morning - The first dive will be early, around 6 am to make the most of the peaceful early mornings. The dive briefing will be before breakfast, but you should be able to grab a quick coffee and snack while the guide fills you in on the reef. The dives will be from a small tender boat, which will drop the divers according to the current direction.
Afternoon - After lunch, there will normally be another two shallower dives. Divers should be careful with their profile since they can be doing five dives a day, leading us onto the night dive! There is no night diving in many of the best dive sites in Egypt, but at Elphinstone, it is allowed. Liveaboards can offer sunset dives on the walls and reefs. This is only for those who feel comfortable, though the depth and currents are not for inexperienced divers.
Elphinstone Underwater
The reef consists of two plateaus at the North and South and one Eastern and one Western wall, each good for seeing different life. The Northern plateau drops down like a set of steps only a hundred meters wide. They begin at 5 meters/16 ft. and sloop to 20 meters/65 ft before a sharp fall to 40. This is a great place to see smaller pelagics, such as giant trevally and reef sharks.
The South Plateau starts around 25 meters/80 ft and slopes gently to 40 meters/130 ft before dropping off at around 45 meters/150 ft. This is the place to see oceanic whitetips passing by with their Pilot fish followers. These beautiful sharks come surprisingly close, making this a unique opportunity for stunning photographs and close encounters. For technical divers with the right training, around 60 meters, a tunnel passes between the two walls called the Elphinstone Arch. The arch is home to an intriguing old fable that a sarcophagus-shaped outcrop of coral contains the remains of an Egyptian pharaoh!
The two walls on either side start at 1 meter and go down into the abyss with hundreds of little ledges and hiding places for all kinds of creatures. Beautiful corals, triggerfish, Napoleon wrasse, and great barracuda are just some of the inhabitants here. Elphinstone seems to have it all between the four sides, and if luck is on your side, there have been sightings of hammerheads and whale sharks there, too.
Top Tips for Elphinstone Reef
- The current here is fairly regular North to South but that isn't guaranteed and it is strong around 2 knots or more so be prepared.
- The site is very popular; later in the day, it can get a little busier; a liveaboard is best as you will get in the water before anyone else.
- Set a depth warning on your computer. No one knows how deep the waters around Elphinstone go; the clear water makes it easier to go deeper than you intended.
Getting to Elphinstone
Egypt Liveaboards to Elphinstone usually depart from Port Ghalib near Marsa Alam or Hurghada. Both have international airports with flights from most major European airports and connecting flights from afield. Transfer between the two takes around four hours and will be an additional charge.
Itineraries vary depending on the departure and length of sailing, but there are certain sites the majority visit. If your trip includes Elphinstone and other sites, you will most likely be heading to Daedalus and the Brothers. Sometimes, you will transit to Elphinstone overnight and arrive early in the morning at the site. Alternatively, there are day boat trips to Elphinstone leaving from Marsa Alam.
Elphinstone Diving Reviews
- 8.9 Fabulous
- 395 Verified Reviews
It was nice, the corals were healthy, but it was a little busy since day trips can also go there.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Blue Pearl
Amazing. 6 sharks on one dive alone.
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Blue Horizon
Found the Oceanic white tip !!!!! 😊👍
Diving Elphinstone in May on the Blue Horizon
Like the others stunning diving, we saw a Thresher Shark in the blue and were surrounded by a giant bait ball for most of the dive it was breath taking
Diving Elphinstone in May on the Blue Horizon
Very strong current and early morning is very crowded. Afternoon dive was peaceful, we had the station alone.
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Tillis
Hammerheads, nudibranchs, eels, octopus, and more. Other group saw an oceanic whitetip. Beautiful reefs.
Diving Elphinstone in July on the Discovery I
The Longimanus shark was making regular appearances.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Blue
Very busy, vis wasn't very good on that day.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Tillis
Another great reef, but I actually preferred the less famous reefs because of fewer divers.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Ghazala Explorer
Beautiful and healthy corals we’re the highlight
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Blue Storm
2/10. Go deep and maybe see something. Boring!
Diving Elphinstone in October on the JP Marine
Outstanding. Saw the hammerheads at this reef and the oceanic white tips here
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Emperor Elite
We were blessed with lots of shark action.
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Ghazala Explorer
Elphinstone is the most colorful and beautiful reef I have ever seen!
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Tillis
We saw hummerheads and oceanic white tip sharks. Probably the best dives of the whole trip.
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Sea Serpent
We were not able to dive at elfin stone because the current was too bad
Diving Elphinstone in March on the SS Glorious Miss Nouran
Too many Liveaboards at one location, but the diving was great.
Diving Elphinstone in April on the JP Marine
Elphinstone had some of the more colorful reefs and abundant fish than the other sites.
Diving Elphinstone in May on the Emperor Elite
Only 1 dive here but it was still quite pretty, not the best conditions the day we dives though
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Sea Serpent Excellence
Blue water would have been exciting but in the first week of November, there were no sharks present due to higher water temperatures.
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Blue Horizon
Elphinstone never fails! We could dive on top of the reef for several days as the coral is just so fantastic there.
Diving Elphinstone in December on the Blue Seas
We did north en south plateau full of fish
Diving Elphinstone in October on the JP Marine
Longimanus was exciting. Too many divers.
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Sea Serpent Contessa
Elphinstone didn’t have as much of the large wildlife but the coral and small wildlife were awesome.
Diving Elphinstone in October on the JP Marine
Nice dives, but we expected to see more sharks
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Tillis
Very Nice dive site. Lot of marine life
Diving Elphinstone in March on the Blue
Didn't see anything big but the mid morning sunlight made the coral and small aquatic life pop beautifully
Diving Elphinstone in March on the Blue
Elphinstone is the highlight of this trip, especially the southern platue.
Diving Elphinstone in March on the Sea Serpent Contessa
I was once in Elphinstone in May and saw hammerheads. This time the visibility was poor and I saw nothing in the blue.
Diving Elphinstone in April on the JP Marine
Not lucky days, bad visibility
Diving Elphinstone in April on the JP Marine
Excellent, nice corals at a shallow depth, with the potential to see larger fish down deeper if required.
Diving Elphinstone in April on the JP Marine
No big fishes, bad visibility, bad luck this time
Diving Elphinstone in April on the JP Marine
Always nice Elphinstone (not my first time) Would have loved a better visibility and some longimanus sharks, but it was still too early in the season
Diving Elphinstone in April on the JP Marine
One of my all time favourite dive sites. Saw hammerheads.
Diving Elphinstone in April on the Blue Melody
Only one dive because of the weather.
Diving Elphinstone in April on the Ghazala Explorer
This place is amazing - out of the blue came two whale sharks to eat from a fish bowl, escorts by a large longimanus. I will be back there soon.
Diving Elphinstone in May on the Sea Serpent Grand
Amazing! Spotted longimanus
Diving Elphinstone in May on the JP Marine
Over hyped. We saw one oceanic whitetip by the boat. The dives over the reef were below average.
Diving Elphinstone in May on the JP Marine
Also a very beautiful reef, we didn’t have a lot of current which gave us the chance to explore the reef in detail.
Diving Elphinstone in May on the Emperor Elite
There was a gentle and strong current while diving, we also heard oil digging in the ocean that we didn’t enjoy.
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Blue
Absolute Highlight of the tour! Hammer-heads! :-)
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Tillis
Was lovely, sad we didn't see oceanic white tips but we did see hammerheads which are also very cool.
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Tillis
Limited due to the weather
Diving Elphinstone in June on the JP Marine
Great: Hammerheads and grey reefsharks
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Tillis
Excellent, lots of large fish, Hammerheads, Manta, and Eagle Ray
Diving Elphinstone in July on the Sea Serpent Grand
Always nice and we did see hammerheads!
Diving Elphinstone in July on the Tillis
Unfortunately only one hammerhead, but great as always
Diving Elphinstone in July on the Tillis
Very nice, shark and dolphins on the safetystop
Diving Elphinstone in July on the Blue Melody
The sea was very rough in this area
Diving Elphinstone in August on the Discovery I
too many boats even in shoulder season
Diving Elphinstone in August on the Discovery I
Ok, we were unlucky with hammerheads though.
Diving Elphinstone in August on the Discovery I
Great, with plenty of longimanus action
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Sea Serpent Grand
Very good saw the Longimanus there
Diving Elphinstone in September on the JP Marine
Excellent! I think the 1 1/2 years pandemic has done the reef and its inhabitants good
Diving Elphinstone in September on the SS Glorious Miss Nouran
Nice reef but it didn't meet my expectations.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Emperor Asmaa
The current was very strong so we only went for one dive here staying close to the reef that was full of fish.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Andromeda
The current was very strong so we only went for one dive here staying close to the reef that was full of fish.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Andromeda
Ausgezeichnet, Hammerhaie!
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Blue Horizon
Very good, lots of oceanic white tip sharks.
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Discovery I
Good - nice different dives and less peole
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Discovery II
Good dives. One longimanus made a quick pass. Still a beautiful reef.
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Discovery II
Nice place to explore corals and small fishes, we've met there a shark on first day of safari!
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Emperor Elite
Great. Saw Longimanus and school of hamerheads
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Blue Seas
Nice, I've not seen the hammer head
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Tillis
Great! We saw a school of hammerheads twice!
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Tillis
to much waves on, no diving possible
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Emperor Asmaa
We did only two dives here, beautiful reef but didnt see so much nbig stuff.
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Tillis
Excellent - Oceanic White Tips on both dives.
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Ghazala Explorer
Great, close up encounters with sharks But of a shame the boat decided to only do two dives here and move to a close reef at midday, could really have done with staying for dive 3 and 1st dive the following day
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Blue Horizon
Okay, lots of divers in the water and only 1 dive
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Blue
Quite a lot of current on the firt dive so not for the faint hearted!
Diving Elphinstone in November on the JP Marine
Great dive with oceanic white tip
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Discovery II
am Elphinstone immer viel Wildlive
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Discovery II
Very crowded that day. Few sharks.
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Sea Serpent Contessa
Thoroughly enjoyed, good vis reef in good condition lots of sealife
Diving Elphinstone in December on the Blue
Perfect, habe Seen longimanus
Diving Elphinstone in December on the Tillis
Lots of Drift! No sharks when we were there.
Diving Elphinstone in December on the Hammerhead I
Beautiful reef and great vis!
Diving Elphinstone in March on the Discovery II
Very very nice aquatic life, high chance to see hammerhead sharks, insane reef wall- so much life in it
Diving Elphinstone in March on the JP Marine
Pretty uneventful. One Grey Reefshark. No Longis. Still the wall is always impressive, with lots of massive fish schools flushing us.
Diving Elphinstone in March on the Discovery II
Hammerhead and nice wrecks. What more do you want
Diving Elphinstone in April on the Sea Story
Great, we saw several different sharks (silk, thresher, hammerhead, longimanus)
Diving Elphinstone in April on the MY Odyssey Liveaboard
Same as The Brothers, crowded lots of boats at the dive site, nice corals but no pelagics around.
Diving Elphinstone in May on the Discovery II
A bit overcrowded with divers but a good challenging dive
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Sunshine
The least favorite but still great. Very crowded dive site 40+ divers in the water with lots of boat around. We only did one dives and ended up moving to a different location
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Discovery II
Again, amazing. The corals and fish life are both incredible
Diving Elphinstone in June on the Discovery II
Poor visibility, only one dive.
Diving Elphinstone in June on the SS Glorious Miss Nouran
Great drift dive with hammerhead shark and lots of stunning coral
Diving Elphinstone in July on the Sea Serpent Contessa
Some strong currents- good opportunity to see pelagics
Diving Elphinstone in July on the Sea Serpent Contessa
particularly challenging, we hit a sudden, very fast down current which was a bit hairy but the dive guide was excellent. Dive 2 had to be relocated to a totally different site as conditions were too tough.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the JP Marine
This is a very beautiful reef and we saw a hammerhead shark come right up to the reef, which is apparently quite unusual for them.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Ocean Lovers
Disappointing because no sharks :( but nice barracudas schools and reef.
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Tillis
Very crowded with other divers. Saw some turtles
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Blue Seas
Only did one dive there but loved the plateau
Diving Elphinstone in September on the Discovery I
One of the most beautiful reefs we have seen so far.
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Serenity
It's a nice reef with interesting marine life, but pretty crowded.
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Tillis
no hammerheads, but 2 huge napoleons on north plateau too many divers in the water (appr. 100 at the same time) south plateau turtle, longimanus and dolphins, also here too many divers in the water
Diving Elphinstone in October on the Sunshine
Calm waters, nice reef, very crowded
Diving Elphinstone in November on the Discovery I
Nice Reef, no big stuff, turtles
Diving Elphinstone in January on the Tillis
Maybe because of low season but felt kind of overrated
Diving Elphinstone in January on the Tillis