---
title: El Fanadir South
type: Reef dive site
location: Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt
coordinates: 27.2952, 33.8318
max_depth_m: 25
published: 2023-11-25T21:59:56.557Z
updated: 2026-08-08T12:57:50.701Z
tags: El Fanadir South, Reef, Red Sea, Dive site, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/diving/dive-sites/el-fanadir-south
---

# El Fanadir South

## Quick facts

- **Type:** Reef
- **Location:** Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt
- **Coordinates:** 27.2952, 33.8318
- **Max depth:** 25 m
- **Depth notes:** 0-12m main reef leading to a sheer drop-off at 20-25m
- **Level:** Advanced
- **Rating:** 3.0 / 5

## Good to know

- Snorkeller-friendly reef top
- Suitable for beginners
- Best for advanced divers

## Overview

Fanadir is a long narrow reef just north of Hurghada. It can be dived on the south end, on the east side or in good weather, on the north end. The illustration shows the east side, which is the most popular as it is protected from the weather by a slight curve in the reef. It is marked by 4 low lying rocky islets. A shallow hard coral wall slopes (at about 60°) to a sandy ledge at 12m. This sandy ledge is about 50m wide and narrows as you head northwards. At 20-25m, it drops off to greater depth.

## Location

Around 60 mins from central Hurghada.

## Conditions

Current comes from the north and is usually mild. The south end and east side are protected from northerly or northwesterly winds (most of the time).

## Dive plan

The drop-off is naturally sandy, devoid of coral and fairly depressing. Don't waste your time here, you should be shallow, heading out at 12-15m and returning at 3-4m. In fact, the shallower the better. There is a small but very photogenic coral block at 14m and just north of the islets. It has glassfish, cardinal fish, soft corals, etc. and usually a resident stonefish. 100m north of here are some impressive gorgonians.

## What to see

This place is crawling with pipefish. They must provide food for the stonefish, scorpionfish and hump-back scorpionfish which abound. If you had to choose any one site to look for stonefish, this should be it. Near the surface is teeming with silversides and occasionally small packs of tuna and jacks cruise by hunting them. Other residents include snowflake morays, yellow mouth morays, octopus and lots of lionfish. There have also been reports of frogfish, guitar sharks, mantas, and even a hammerhead at this site.

## Species recorded here (7)

- Egyptian Sea Star (*Gomophia egyptiaca*)
- Red Sea Silverside (*Hypoatherina golanii*)
- Reef Stonefish (*Synanceia verrucosa*)
- Tasseled Scorpionfish (*Scorpaenopsis oxycephala*)
- Whitespotted Guitarfish (*Rhinobatos punctifer*)
- Yellow-edged Moray (*Gymnothorax flavimarginatus*)
- Yellowfin Tuna (*Thunnus albacares*)

---

*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/diving/dive-sites/el-fanadir-south)*
*Updated: August 8, 2026*