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Liveaboard Diving in Daedalus
What to Expect on a Daedalus Reef Liveaboard
Due to its remote nature, choosing a liveaboard to Daedalus Reef is necessary to appreciate this amazing dive area fully. East of Marsa Alam, about 80 km/50 miles offshore, Daedalus Reef, also known as Abu Kizan, lies within a marine protected zone. At the center of the reef, the Egyptian Navy built a lighthouse on a small man-made island originating in the 1860s, which was then rebuilt in the 1930s. A long fixed pier stretches from the lighthouse out to the edge of the shallows. This is where most liveaboards moor to keep stable in the open sea. Daedalus is included in numerous Egypt liveaboard itineraries that visit this area.
Daedalus has a large shallow reef with drop-offs at the sides. It varies from a few meters of beautifully clear water to the deepest point for recreational divers at 40 meters/ 130 ft. This means Daedalus has the best of both worlds. On the largely unspoiled reef, there are stunning corals, tropical fish, and Napoleon wrasse for divers to enjoy. In the deeper sections, out in the blue, the pelagics: sharks, mantas, and tuna shoals, can be seen passing through.
For technical divers, other areas are only accessible to those with experience and equipment for going deep. The wreck and debris of the Zealot steamer are very popular for rebreather and side mount diving.
Daily Schedule (example)
Morning - The first dive will normally be a dawn dive. After a quick snack and coffee, you will have a briefing before heading to the dive deck. The deeper dives will be first, and divers will enter directly or by tender boat from the liveaboard. After breakfast, a second briefing will be followed by the second dive. The dive times will vary depending on the depth of the dives and air consumption.
Afternoon - After lunch and a break on board, there will be another two or three dives in the afternoon. These will likely be shallower reef dives where you can look at the coral and anemone city. Sadly, there is no night diving within this marine protected area. This is for conservation and safety; the currents and general conditions can be difficult even during the day.
Daedalus Reef Underwater
The reef is less than a kilometer long and 100 meters wide, with drop-offs all around. The deepest areas of the site are around 40 meters/ft. and currents can be very strong. Visibility is very good despite often rough conditions. Divers can expect between 20 to 30 meters and 65 to 100 ft. The water temperature varies from 24 to 30 degrees 75 to 85 Fahrenheit.
Fortunately, Daedalus is in pristine condition, with soft and hard corals and many tropical reef fish. 'Anemone City,' an entire section of the reef covered with anemone, is a macro photographer's dream.
In deeper waters, the position of Daedalus reef so far offshore makes it ideal for encounters with passing pelagics. Hammerheads and oceanic whitetips are just some of the big sharks you can hope to encounter around Daedalus. In the south of the reef, there is also a chance to see solitary thresher sharks, easily distinguished by their long pointed tails. In the summer, there is also a chance to see whale sharks passing by in the blue.
There is also a wreck at Daedalus Reef, the Zealot, between 80 and 120 meters of water. Not only is there the wreck, but the cargo of iron is scattered down the reef, lost as the ship sank. This steamship sank due to poor navigation in the 1980s and is perfect for technical divers to explore.
Top Tips for Daedalus Reef
- Currents can be strong at Daedalus, but the directions are fairly predictable. Take a compass to stay orientated.
- Remember to check the marine park's rules; many things, such as wearing gloves while diving, are prohibited.
- Be sure to take adequate thermal protection, as currents can make the water feel colder than it is.
- Be aware that there will be a charge to enter marine parks such as Daedalus. The price will depend on how many you will be visiting. It should be paid on the liveaboard.
Getting to Daedalus Reef
Most Egypt liveaboards depart from Port Ghalib near Marsa Alam, the closest mainland harbor. These liveaboards are easily accessible from Marsa Alam airport, which receives frequent flights from several major European airports. Alternatively, Hurghada Airport is a four-hour transfer away from Marsa Alam.
The reef is a 9-hour sail, normally done overnight from the port of departure. Daedalus is part of several itineraries, including the Brothers, Elphinstone, and St. Johns. The number of dives at Daedalus will vary depending on your chosen itinerary.
The distance from shore makes this site exclusively for liveaboard dive boats. This means the reef is in very good condition, and you won't be surrounded by hundreds of other divers daily. Dives can be done directly from the liveaboard, which moors close to the reef's edge, or from a tender.
Daedalus Diving Reviews
- 8.9 Fabulous
- 465 Verified Reviews
OK, but overly crowded with many ships, many divers everywhere!
Diving Daedalus in September on the JP Marine
Not much to see on this trip for our group. Too many other boats in the area
Diving Daedalus in April on the Blue Melody
Beautiful. A coral landscape that looked like a “fantasy land”, can’t even describe in words.
Diving Daedalus in May on the Emperor Elite
Really enjoyed the diving here and the chance to go on land to the lighthouse
Diving Daedalus in May on the Emperor Elite
My favorite dive site out of all of them great reef and the conditions were perfect
Diving Daedalus in May on the Blue Horizon
Absolutely amazing, 1st and 3rd dive we saw hammer heads and all black manta ray
Diving Daedalus in June on the Tillis
Mostly stayed in the blue looking for hammerheads. Had a few passes, and the other group got a great experience surrounded by about 20 beautiful hammerheads.
Diving Daedalus in July on the Discovery I
I liked the walls of coral here best, manta, hammerheads
Diving Daedalus in August on the Golden Dolphin III
This by far was the best place on the trip. Best coral walls, 6 dives 6 hammer heads. Everything was incredible here.
Diving Daedalus in September on the Tillis
Excellent, lots of hammerheads.
Diving Daedalus in October on the Blue Storm
And epic and unique shark encounter that made the trip memorable
Diving Daedalus in October on the Blue Melody
2/10. Go deep and maybe see something. Boring!
Diving Daedalus in October on the JP Marine
Got to see a hammerhead and manta!
Diving Daedalus in October on the Alia
Amazing! Saw school of Hammerheads! 🤙🏼
Diving Daedalus in October on the Discovery II
The corals and fish were so colorful. Great diving site
Diving Daedalus in November on the Emperor Elite
Clear Warm waters, beautiful corals, great dives
Diving Daedalus in November on the Ghazala Explorer
Daedalus had a beautiful reef as well as Hammerheads. I could have stayed at Daedalus for a whole week, but was so glad that we got to stay for 2 days!
Diving Daedalus in November on the Tillis
The diving here was excellent, the current was much more fun to drive in
Diving Daedalus in March on the SS Glorious Miss Nouran
Too many Liveaboards at one location, but the diving was great.
Diving Daedalus in April on the JP Marine
Daedalus was underwhelming for the corals but we did see a few hammerheads and a manta.
Diving Daedalus in May on the Emperor Elite
Loved it. Nice to climb the lighthouse.
Diving Daedalus in May on the Ghazala Explorer
good. Saw hammerheads and lots of pipefish which are my personal small stuff favorite.
Diving Daedalus in June on the Blue Storm
Great, plentiful sharks and nice pinnacle/wall dives
Diving Daedalus in October on the JP Marine
We did not see the hammer heads this time but maybe next time they will be there!
Diving Daedalus in December on the Blue Seas
Excellent! Hammerhead and Manta!
Diving Daedalus in April on the Blue Horizon
Hammerheads are always nice
Diving Daedalus in April on the Blue
Good, Hamerhead and Manta rays
Diving Daedalus in April on the Sea Serpent Grand
Very nice, we saw a manta doing loops in the water anf many hammerheads
Diving Daedalus in May on the Blue Storm
Unfortunately we only saw one shark but it was incredible
Diving Daedalus in May on the Blue
An incredible experience diving with hammerheads.
Diving Daedalus in June on the Blue
Another great dive site, we see hammerhead sharks, a manta up close and a thresher shark in the distance.
Diving Daedalus in June on the Tillis
Amazing! Mantas and schooling hammerheads!
Diving Daedalus in July on the Discovery II
Great wall dives, pretty crowded at times
Diving Daedalus in July on the Blue Melody
great dive site, 8-10 hammerheads + mantas + grey reef shark. awesome dive site
Diving Daedalus in July on the JP Marine
excellent, big fish action
Diving Daedalus in July on the JP Marine
This was the best of the diving in my opinion as it was a level everyone enjoyed, the groups got smaller as some were able to dive unguided
Diving Daedalus in August on the Discovery I
Ok, we were unlucky with hammerheads though.
Diving Daedalus in August on the Discovery I
Unfortunately didn’t see hammerheads
Diving Daedalus in August on the Blue Horizon
Had the Chance to 3-5m Manta 😃
Diving Daedalus in August on the Golden Dolphin IV
Excellent: hammerheads and mantas - nothing more to wish for
Diving Daedalus in September on the Sea Serpent Grand
a little disappointing in contrast to previous trips. Maybe too many Boots in Daedalus
Diving Daedalus in September on the SS Glorious Miss Nouran
Beautiful offshore Reef with a lot of pelagics to bei spotted.
Diving Daedalus in September on the Emperor Asmaa
Ausgezeichnet, Weißspitzen-Hochseehaie!
Diving Daedalus in September on the Blue Horizon
6 hammerheads on one dive early in the morning.
Diving Daedalus in October on the Discovery II
Saw a group of Hammer Shark in close distance.
Diving Daedalus in October on the Tala
Awesome, OWT's, multiple Scalloped Hammerheads and mantas made this the pick of the itinerary
Diving Daedalus in October on the Blue Melody
Great diving with many hammerhead sharks
Diving Daedalus in October on the Ghazala Explorer
Saw Longimanus, huge Napoleon fishes, gigantic mantaray, barracudas…
Diving Daedalus in October on the Blue Seas
Amazing. Great spot to see sharks
Diving Daedalus in October on the Ghazala Explorer
The best in the whole trip. Plenty of sharks!
Diving Daedalus in October on the Tillis
Amazing! A lot of hammerheads, oceanic white tips, manta rays and amazing reef!
Diving Daedalus in November on the Tillis
6 dives on Daedalus with Hammerheads on most of them.
Diving Daedalus in November on the Ghazala Explorer
Lots of into the blue with varying success. Three dives were quite boring because we didn't see anything, but one had a Manta Ray and a White Tipped Shark in quick succession!
Diving Daedalus in November on the JP Marine
Amazing dive with hammerheads
Diving Daedalus in November on the Discovery II
18 hammerheads and some thresher sharks.
Diving Daedalus in November on the Sea Serpent Contessa
Excellent - sharks, sharks
Diving Daedalus in December on the JP Marine
Hier waren wir zwei Tage und recht lange nach Haien Ausschau gehalten. Das Tauchen in 25 bis 35m Tiefe führte zum recht schnellen Luftverbrauch bei vielen Mittauchern (mich nicht ausgeschlossen), so dass diese etwas kurz ausfielen. Auch meistens im Blue-Water. Schliesslich wurden wir belohnt. Ein Schwarm aus 8 Hammerhaien kam an uns vorbei und hat sich auch kurz interessiert gezeigt. Ansonsten gab's auch hier mal kleinere oder etwas größere Rief-Haie und einen mittelgroßen Longimanus. Später abends, als das Boot stand (am Daedalus waren wir 2 Tage) konnten wir mehrere Haie um uns vom Deck aus im Wasser beobachten. Auch ein tolles Erlebnis. (Danach wusste ich ganz genau, warum man abends aus der Sauna nicht direkt ins Meerwasser zum Abkühlen springen sollte ;-))
Diving Daedalus in March on the Sea Story
We saw a pack of 12 hammerheads and a small silky in the surface
Diving Daedalus in March on the Discovery II
Other groups saw hammerheads but not ours, unfortunately. Daedalus shark-hunting was a bit exhausting, but I just skipped the 3rd dive on these two days.
Diving Daedalus in March on the Sea Story
I could only make one dive in this spot but it's beautiful for big fish, sharks, deep dives
Diving Daedalus in March on the JP Marine
Sadly big nemo didn’t get the memo to turn up but the corals were stunning
Diving Daedalus in April on the Sea Story
Bad weather conditions but nice dive with little current
Diving Daedalus in April on the Alia
Great. no current. No sharks though.
Diving Daedalus in April on the Discovery II
For me Deadalus was the best. We also had a shark swimming around the boat in the evening.
Diving Daedalus in April on the Tillis
Great, we had 6 dives there on our tour and saw hammerheads on 3 of the dives 🤩
Diving Daedalus in April on the MY Odyssey Liveaboard
Schöne Tauchgänge und wenig auf andere Taucher gestoßen
Diving Daedalus in April on the Discovery II
Nice Napoleon and 1 (only) hummerhead shark
Diving Daedalus in May on the Ghazala Explorer
Close-up hammerhead, grey reef shark, lionfish, napoleon, baracuda.
Diving Daedalus in May on the Discovery I
Gorgeous, shark,shark and shark amazing coral reef and all the marine life you can immagine
Diving Daedalus in May on the Tillis
Same as The Brothers and Elphinstone, crowded lots of boats at the dive site 12 while we were there (250+ divers) 24 zodiacs running over the dive site. Nice corals though. Thankfully we did spot some hammerheads at this divesite.
Diving Daedalus in May on the Discovery II
Great walls and nice to visit the lighthouse on the reef
Diving Daedalus in June on the Sunshine
Lucky us: 7 Hammerhead Sharks on the 1st dive :-)
Diving Daedalus in June on the Golden Dolphin III
Very good, and nice to go to visit the Lighthouse
Diving Daedalus in June on the Sea Serpent
My favorite spot. Saw Hammerheads and Manta Ray. Deep dives.
Diving Daedalus in June on the Discovery II
Saw many hammerheads, the highlight
Diving Daedalus in June on the Discovery I
Fantastic reef. Hammerhead nearly all dives, Napoleon, Tuna, Baracuda, really a even for pelagic.
Diving Daedalus in June on the SS Glorious Miss Nouran
Not that great.. troublesome currents and not the best visibility.
Diving Daedalus in July on the Red Sea Aggressor IV
This was the site where we saw the most in terms of large pelagics. The diving conditions were fairly calm
Diving Daedalus in July on the Blue
Wall dive with hammerheads and mild current
Diving Daedalus in July on the Sea Serpent Contessa
Lots of pelagics, the reef was populated at shallower depths and anemone gardens. Milder currents than the other reefs but still strong in places
Diving Daedalus in July on the Sea Serpent Contessa
Best sites! Hammerheads and oceanic white tips
Diving Daedalus in July on the Tillis
What a pity, a kind of shame to have done these 3 dives with a poor visibility. It remains from my part, one of the famous diving sites into the Red Sea to meet some pelagic species !
Diving Daedalus in July on the Hammerhead II
Spijtig dat we niet veel hamerhaaien gezien hebben. Was dan liever een dag naar een andere locatie gaan duiken
Diving Daedalus in August on the JP Marine
El mejor lugar para encontrar al tiburón martillo.
Diving Daedalus in August on the Blue Seas
Insane we had many hammerheads and the reef was amazing
Diving Daedalus in August on the Discovery II
very good. best of the three for me! Great variety of marine life & the place we saw the Hammerheads!
Diving Daedalus in September on the JP Marine
Very impressive to dive such close with up to 8 hammerhead sharks
Diving Daedalus in September on the Ocean Lovers
We really enjoyed Deadulus and were ecstatic, when we bumped into a group of 7 hammerhead sharks at 30 meters! We also saw a sea turtle here at about 4-5m and watched it nibble on the reef for good 10 minutes.
Diving Daedalus in September on the Ocean Lovers
The best !! Amazing dives. Mantas, hammerheads. Best memories
Diving Daedalus in September on the Tillis
Beautiful site, saw mantas & longimanus!!!
Diving Daedalus in September on the Blue Seas
Great site. Lots of other boats but that can't be helped
Diving Daedalus in October on the Golden Dolphin
Fab swimming with sharks ! Good experience
Diving Daedalus in October on the Blue Storm
Amazing, lots of longimanus, napoleons etc
Diving Daedalus in October on the Sea Serpent
A real thrill with deep blue water dives to encounter pelagic fish.
Diving Daedalus in October on the Serenity
no hammerhead schools and appr. 20 safari boats. last dive with longimanus during safety stop huge napoleon on south plateau
Diving Daedalus in October on the Sunshine
Nice relaxed diving in the blue, again not much luck in encoutering sharks
Diving Daedalus in November on the Discovery I
Place to try, some strange current happend, going sometimes up.
Diving Daedalus in November on the Red Sea Aggressor IV
No big fish but what a walldive.. Corals are still healthy here..
Diving Daedalus in December on the Red Sea Aggressor IV
Challenging and enjoyable.
Diving Daedalus in December on the Ocean Lovers
Longimanus, Manta, no Current
Diving Daedalus in January on the Tillis