Reef

Tobia soraya

Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt

Tobia Soraya is three connected chains of ergs meeting in an inverted Y on white sand at 12 to 15 m, joining Tobia Kebir at their northern end. The layout is both the appeal a…

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Type

Reef

Max depth

15 m

Level

All levels

Depth12-15m

LocationAbout thirty minutes east of Safaga.

ConditionsUsually workable, though the moorings take the waves. Current can run strong, particularly down the east side.

Overview

Tobia Soraya is three connected chains of ergs meeting in an inverted Y on white sand at 12 to 15 m, joining Tobia Kebir at their northern end. The layout is both the appeal and the problem: the ergs repeat closely enough that moving between them without a compass is guesswork.

Dive plan

The two southern chains hold the best of it. The eastern chain has a narrow canyon at 11 m and a tunnel at 9 m, both lined with white soft coral. Neither should be swum through: the coral comes off under a careless fin, and exhaled bubbles collecting against the roof will strip it just as effectively. The western chain is broken by three rubble-filled channels that can be crossed shallow at 4 to 6 m, and four mushroom-shaped towers stand at its north end.

What to see

Bluespotted rays on the sand, triggerfish over the ergs, and schools of surgeonfish, bream and bigeye emperors moving between the chains. A large school of bannerfish holds on the east side between the tunnel and the canyon.