Gulf of Aqaba · Nuweiba dive sites
Nuweiba Shore diving, a sunken buoy and easy house reefs on the Sinai coast
Gulf of Aqaba · 3 dive sites · 8–20 m · all shore entries
The Nuweiba dive sites are quieter and gentler than most of Egypt. You walk in from the beach, the reef starts a few fin kicks away, and the depths stay comfortable. Because of that, this stretch of the Gulf of Aqaba suits check-out dives, night dives and anyone travelling with people who do not dive.
What makes the Nuweiba dive sites different
Firstly, Nuweiba is not a liveaboard destination and it does not try to be. Instead it offers relaxed shore diving with short surface swims and easy navigation. Consequently divers who want long bottom times, night dives and no boat schedule at all keep coming back.
Then there is the shape of the coast. Namely the reef starts a few fin kicks from the sand, which is why not one of these three sites needs a boat, and why a dive can be decided on twenty minutes before it happens.
Meanwhile the depths stay modest throughout. Specifically almost everything here sits between eight and twenty metres, so gas lasts unusually well and no-stop limits are rarely the thing that ends the dive.
What you are diving
- Firstly Abu Lou Lou, the house reef off the Hilton beach, down to 20 m
- Then the Sinker, a sunken buoy sitting at 8 m with coral-covered chains
- Also Mo, two pipelines running out to 18 m over sand and seagrass
- Meanwhile beach snorkelling over the same reefs, for the non-divers
- Finally the seagrass in the shallows, which repays a slow safety stop
Wind is the one variable that matters. Since most sites are shore entries, a windy afternoon stirs the sand and drops visibility quickly. Therefore dive early when wind is forecast, because a still morning clears to twenty metres and more.
This is a good place to be rusty. Calm water, light current and clear navigation make these ideal check-out dives after a break. Consequently many people use Abu Lou Lou as the first dive of the holiday before going anywhere more demanding.
| Site | Entry | Depth | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Lou Lou | Shore, Hilton beach | To 20 m | House reef, lionfish, night diving |
| The Sinker | Shore, wade in | 8 m | Sunken buoy and coral-covered chains |
| Mo | Shore | 18 m | Twin pipelines and a small reef |
The three Nuweiba dive sites
Generally the day is built around the wind rather than a schedule, since there is no boat to catch. Above all, if the morning is still, get in while the water is clear. For a boat dive, Ras Amira sits half an hour up the coast and is covered on the Taba dive sites page.
Abu Lou Lou
Firstly, Abu Lou Lou runs straight off the beach at the Hilton. It is the local house reef, dropping to about twenty metres, and on a calm day visibility passes twenty metres as well. Because the entry is so simple, it works perfectly as a check-out dive at the start of a trip.
Then there is the reason divers call it lionfish city, and the name fits. Alongside them you will find the usual Red Sea residents. Above all, this is a first-class night dive, and if Olin the resident dolphin passes through, the dive turns into something else entirely.
Watch for
- Firstly the lionfish, which are the reason the site has its nickname
- Then morays and the rest of the usual Red Sea residents
- Also Olin, the resident dolphin, which is luck rather than a plan
- Finally the reef after dark, which is when this site is at its best
Best use. First dive of the holiday, refresher dives, and night diving without having to arrange a boat.
The Sinker
Meanwhile this one is really two dives in one. First you wade off the beach until the water reaches roughly two metres, then you drop down and swim out to the reef. Keeping the reef on your left shoulder, go a little deeper until two lines appear, rising from the seabed.
Those lines lead to the Sinker itself: an old Israeli buoy that went down by mistake, either because the depth was measured wrong or because it was dropped in the wrong place. It now sits at eight metres.
Notably the buoy is the strange part. Divers’ bubbles collect underneath it and turn the underside into a mirror, while the chains running to the seabed are wrapped in soft coral with lionfish hanging around them.
Watch for
- Firstly the two lines rising from the seabed, which are your route in
- Then the underside of the buoy, where bubbles pool into a mirror
- Also the chains, which carry the soft coral and the lionfish
- Finally the reef on the way back, easy to see when the water is clear
Do the safety stop on the way home. Once you have circled the chains up to the buoy, head back towards the reef and fin in shallow. In calm conditions it is an easy dive; in wind it is not worth doing at all.
Mo
Mo lies north of the Coral Hilton, just past Outer Hilton Reef and the Sinkers. An Israeli desalination plant was built here but never used, and two pipelines still run from the beach out into eighteen metres of water.
Since this is a shore dive, wind decides the day. When it blows, visibility suffers. On a clear day, however, the pipelines are covered in soft coral and surrounded by lionfish.
Then, after fifteen or twenty minutes on the pipeline, the guide takes a bearing and leads you across to a small reef with hard and soft corals, grouper and the usual Red Sea life. Afterwards finish at around five metres and spend the safety stop looking through the seagrass for tiny critters.
Watch for
- Firstly the two parallel pipelines, which are the whole navigation plan
- Then the soft coral on them, and the lionfish that live around it
- Also the small reef across the sand, with grouper on the edges
- Finally the seagrass at five metres, which is where the critters are
Navigation tip. The pipelines are the reference. Follow them out, and follow the guide’s bearing across to the reef. Nothing else here gives you a line that clear.
Marine life at the Nuweiba dive sites
Above all, this is a coast for small things seen well rather than big things seen briefly. Certainly there are grander reefs further south, and equally there are few where you can go back three times in a day and keep finding more.
Lionfish
Namely in numbers, which is how Abu Lou Lou earned its nickname. Also around the Sinker’s chains and along the pipelines at Mo.
Morays
Also on the house reef, which is unusually convenient given you walk to it from the beach.
Grouper
Meanwhile on the edges of the small reef at Mo, across the sand from the pipelines.
Dolphins
Notably Olin, the resident at Abu Lou Lou. Frankly luck rather than a plan, but it turns an ordinary night dive into something else.
Soft coral
Certainly worth counting. It wraps the Sinker’s chains and the pipelines at Mo, which is what makes both worth swimming out to.
Seagrass critters
Above all at Mo, in the shallows at five metres. Consequently the safety stop is the most interesting part of that dive.
Lionfish do not move out of your way. Namely they hold station rather than fleeing, and their spines carry venom, so the risk here is backing into one or putting a hand down beside it. Therefore look before you settle anywhere, and give them room rather than expecting them to give you room.
A short history of Nuweiba
Two Bedouin tribes have long lived along this coast: the Tarabin to the north, and the Muzeina roughly eight kilometres to the south. Their presence still shapes the town today.
After the Six-Day War, while Israel held the peninsula, a town was established about one and a half kilometres south of Tarabeen under the Hebrew name Neviot. Once the Israelis withdrew, it grew steadily.
Nuweiba Port followed, some seven kilometres further south, and a small town grew up around it. Car ferries now sail daily to Aqaba in Jordan with Arab Bridge Maritime, which makes this the natural crossing point for anyone combining Sinai with Petra.
The castle is worth a look as well. Built in 1893 on the remains of a much older fortification, it sits close to the shore and takes only a short visit.
Planning a dive at the Nuweiba dive sites
Practical notes
- Firstly dive early if wind is forecast for the afternoon
- Then carry a torch, because the shallow reefs reward a night dive
- Also expect light weighting, especially in a shorty
- Meanwhile pack booties, since most entries cross sand and shallow rock
- A shorty suits the warm months; a full 5 mm from late autumn to spring
- Also agree the exit point before anyone gets in
- Finally leave time for the seagrass at Mo, which is the best part of it
This suits mixed groups better than most of Egypt. Beach snorkelling covers the same reefs, the castle and the desert fill a morning, and the ferry puts Petra within reach for a day. Consequently a week fills itself even when only half the party dives.
Useful links
- Taba dive sites — the neighbouring region an hour up the coast.
- Red Sea conditions and planning guide — visibility, salinity, weighting and current.
- Safety standards and emergency care — briefings, oxygen and chamber contacts.
- Talk to our team — combining Nuweiba with a liveaboard week.
- Chamber of Diving and Watersports (CDWS) — the Egyptian regulator for dive centres.
- Divers Alert Network (DAN) — insurance and emergency guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Nuweiba dive sites suitable for beginners?
Yes, and unusually so. Shallow depths, shore entries and light current make this one of the easiest places in Egypt to dive.
What is the Sinker?
An old Israeli buoy that sank by accident and now rests at eight metres. Bubbles collect under it like a mirror, while soft coral covers the chains below.
Do I need a boat?
No. Abu Lou Lou, Mo and the Sinker are all entered from the beach. For a boat dive, Ras Amira is half an hour up the coast towards Taba.
Is night diving possible?
Very much so. Abu Lou Lou is a first-class night dive, and because it is a shore entry, no boat has to be arranged.
What affects visibility?
Wind, mostly. Calm mornings give twenty metres or more, whereas a breezy afternoon stirs sand into the shallows.
Can non-divers enjoy Nuweiba?
Easily. Beach snorkelling over the same reefs is excellent, and the ferry to Aqaba puts Petra within reach for a day trip.
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