The gorgonian wall · Small Giftun

Small Giftun A jungle of gorgonians on a wall that never ends

27°11.17′ N · 33°58.94′ E · 18–30 m · 80 min

A plateau, a shelf and then a wall that falls past a hundred metres. The diving happens in the top thirty, which is plenty, because the drop-off here carries gorgonians in numbers that turn the edge into something closer to a forest than a reef. Technical divers come for what is below. Everyone else comes for what grows on it.

18-30 mWorking depth

100 mWall below the edge

80 minFrom central Hurghada

45 mThe tunnel, out of reach

The shape of Small Giftun

Firstly, the moorings sit on the south side of the Giftun police station, on top of a plateau lying between fifteen and twenty-five metres. Notably, that plateau is the whole reason the site works for ordinary divers: it gives you somewhere shallow to start and somewhere shallow to finish.

Then, at the northeastern corner of Small Giftun, the plateau turns into a shelf running north, and the shelf gives way to a steep wall. Notably, that wall is what makes this site famous, and it is the reason technical divers keep coming back to it.

Consequently the site reads differently depending on who you ask. Namely, ask a technical diver and it is a wall past a hundred metres with a tunnel in it. Meanwhile, ask everyone else and it is a drift along an extraordinary garden, in twenty-odd metres of water, with a blue edge on one side.

Three parts, one site

Firstly the plateau, 15 to 25 m, a semi-covered coral garden
Then the shelf at the northeastern corner, widening as it runs south
Also the drop-off itself, which zigzags where the reef turns west
Meanwhile the wall below, past a hundred metres, for technical divers only
Besides those, a lagoon on the map, which snorkellers see from the boat
Finally the tunnel at around 45 m, which is out of recreational reach

Some experience is needed here. Weather reaches this site, the current can be strong, and the wall gives you no shallow ground to retreat onto if the plan goes wrong. Consequently this is not a place to take somebody on their tenth dive.

Snorkellers are welcome, though. The boat ties to a mooring buoy where the current is moderate rather than in the lagoon itself, and snorkelling happens right beside the reef from there. Consequently a group can split: divers take the wall, everyone else stays in the shallows over the coral.

Position	27°11.17′ N, 33°58.94′ E
Depth	18–30 m, over a drop-off past 100 m
Plateau	15–25 m, where the moorings sit
Travel	About 80 minutes from central Hurghada
Conditions	Exposed at times; current can be strong
Level	Experienced, for the wall in particular
Landmark	The Giftun police station, just to the north
Snorkelling	Yes, beside the reef, from the mooring buoy

Small Giftun map: the island south of Hurghada — Map — where Small Giftun sits

Small Giftun site map showing the lagoon, the plateau and the wall — Plan — the lagoon, the plateau at 15 m and the edge at 30 m

Diving Small Giftun as a drift

Generally the drift is the natural choice here, even though the plateau can be reached from the mooring if the conditions argue for it. Above all, let the water decide: this is a site where fighting the current turns a good dive into work.

The route, north to south

18–30 m Drift Experienced

First, you drop in beside a vertical wall and follow the current due south. Then, as you go, the wall gives way to a shelf, and that shelf widens the further south you travel. Consequently the dive opens out rather than closing in, which is unusual and rather pleasant.

Then, where the main reef curves away to the west over the plateau, the drop-off makes a series of turns and the edge takes on a zigzag contour. Notably, that section is where the gorgonians are thickest, so it repays going slowly even though the current is pushing you along.

Watch for

Firstly the current, which sets the whole plan and should be checked first
Then the zigzag corners, where the growth is at its densest
Finally the plateau above you, which is where the dive finishes

The tunnel is not part of your dive. Specifically, fifteen metres below the zigzag section, at around forty-five metres, there is a tunnel through the reef. Certainly it is spectacular, and certainly it is out of reach for recreational divers. Above all, look at it from above if you can, and leave it there.

Diver beside gorgonian fans on the wall at Small Giftun — A diver alongside the fans, which gives you the scale of them.

Large sea fans reaching out from a reef wall into the current — The fans reach straight out from the wall into the current.

School of jackfish in the blue at Small Giftun — A group of jackfish hanging out in the blue water off the edge.

The gorgonian forest

Firstly, across the whole drop-off, huge gorgonians form what is genuinely closer to a jungle than a reef, all of it swaying in whatever the current is doing that day. Meanwhile soft corals push into every gap large enough to take a root, so there is very little bare rock anywhere along the edge.

Then, above the drop-off, the plateau is by contrast a semi-covered coral garden that slopes gently up towards the shallow parts of the wall and the moorings. Frankly it is a different kind of diving in the same forty minutes, and that contrast is the best thing about the site.

Gorgonians are slow and fragile. Namely, a fan this size takes decades to grow and a single fin stroke to break. Therefore keep your distance, watch your trim on the wall, and remember that the current will move you further than you think.

Photography

Specifically, this is a wide-angle site with one macro exception. The fans want width and blue water behind them, whereas the longnose hawkfish sitting inside them wants the opposite. Frankly, bring whichever you prefer and accept that you will wish you had the other.

Napoleon wrasse and a diver over the reef at Small Giftun — Napoleon wrasse are curious here, and come close.

Giant moray out in the open on the reef — Giant morays cruise in the open rather than staying holed up.

Two lizardfish resting on a brain coral on the plateau — Lizardfish sitting still on a brain coral up on the plateau, waiting.

Marine life at Small Giftun

Longnose hawkfish

Namely, sitting motionless inside the gorgonians, using them as a screen while it waits.

Turtles

Certainly occasional rather than reliable, and usually crossing the garden up on the plateau.

Napoleon wrasse

Also over the garden, and generally happy to let a slow diver get reasonably close.

Morays

Meanwhile free swimming along the wall, which beats finding one wedged in a hole.

Pelagics

Notably tuna and barracuda patrol out in the blue, so keep glancing away from the reef.

The fans themselves

Certainly worth counting as marine life. Nothing else on this coast grows them at quite this density.

Lionfish holding station against the coral — Lionfish hold station against the coral and wait.

Red anemone with anemonefish on the shallow reef — Anemones and their fish across the shallow ground.

Coral grouper on the reef at Small Giftun — Coral grouper, common on the plateau and easy to approach.

Planning a dive at Small Giftun

Practical notes

Firstly, check the current before anyone enters, since it decides the whole plan
Then drop north and drift south, letting the shelf widen ahead of you
Also plan the profile around 18 to 30 m rather than chasing the edge deeper
Meanwhile keep the plateau in mind, because that is where the dive ends
Carry an SMB, which any drift over a hundred-metre drop-off deserves
Consequently nitrox is worth having on a profile that sits at thirty
Also snorkellers go in beside the reef from the buoy, which suits mixed groups
Finally, leave the tunnel alone. It is forty-five metres down for a reason

On technical diving here. The wall genuinely is popular with technical divers, and that is a different activity rather than a deeper version of this one. It needs its own training, its own gas and its own team. Nothing on this page is a plan for it.

Useful links

Hurghada east and south — fifteen reefs including Erg Somaya, just north of here.
El Mina — the minesweeper wreck, ten minutes from the harbour.
Safety standards and emergency care — briefings, oxygen and chamber contacts.
Red Sea Liveaboard — safari routes and boats across the Egyptian Red Sea.
Divers Alert Network (DAN) — insurance and emergency guidance.

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Frequently asked questions

How deep is Small Giftun?

Generally 18 to 30 m for the diving, over a drop-off that falls past a hundred. The plateau above sits at 15 to 25.

Can I dive the tunnel?

Frankly, not on a recreational certification. It sits around forty-five metres, which is beyond where that training ends.

What level do I need?

Namely, experience beyond entry level, particularly for the wall. The current and the exposure both argue against bringing a beginner.

Mooring or drift?

Usually a drift, dropping north and running south. The plateau can be worked from the mooring when conditions suit.

What makes it worth the trip?

Above all the gorgonians. Nowhere else on this stretch of coast grows them in anything like the same density.

Can snorkellers come?

Certainly. The boat ties to a mooring buoy where the current is moderate, and snorkelling happens beside the reef from there rather than in the lagoon.

Is it good for photography?

Certainly, though it wants wide angle for the fans. The one macro subject is the longnose hawkfish living inside them.