---
title: Erg Somaya
type: Reef dive site
location: Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt
coordinates: 27.19610023498535, 33.983699798583984
max_depth_m: 60
published: 2023-11-25T21:59:56.557Z
updated: 2026-09-06T15:02:17.249Z
tags: Erg Somaya, Reef, Red Sea, Dive site, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/diving/dive-sites/erg-somaya
---

# Erg Somaya

## Quick facts

- **Type:** Reef
- **Location:** Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt
- **Coordinates:** 27.19610023498535, 33.983699798583984
- **Max depth:** 60 m
- **Depth notes:** 5-60m+
- **Level:** Advanced

## Good to know

- Snorkeller-friendly reef top
- Best for advanced divers
- Wall / drop-off
- Drift dive
- Pinnacles

## Overview

Erg Somaya sits immediately north of the police station on Small Giftun, where the vertical wall below the island flattens into a shelf. An erg rises off that shelf to within 5 m of the surface, and further north the shelf gives out and the wall resumes, steeper, with two coral towers standing clear of it.

## Location

About 75 minutes from central Hurghada.

## Conditions

On the exposed east side of Small Giftun. The deeper sections need experience.

## Dive plan

The site works equally well from the mooring or as a drift. The coral towers on the wall north of the shelf carry soft corals and gorgonians and reach out into open water.

The shelf itself is gently sloping sand, and its northeast corner holds a chimney entered at 30 m and exited at 22 m. The erg runs from 5 m down to between 9 and 15 m, which puts the richest part of the site at safety stop depth.

## What to see

Barracuda, snapper, jacks and tuna pass along the wall. The towers hold clouds of anthias and silversides and most of the butterflyfish species found in the area. The chimney is packed with glassfish, and the erg itself is covered in invertebrates.

## Species recorded here (1)

- Yellowfin Tuna (*Thunnus albacares*)

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*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/diving/dive-sites/erg-somaya)*
*Updated: September 6, 2026*