Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Gota Abu Ramada

No items found.
View all
Austin Tuwiner
June 2, 2026

In May of 2026, I dove Gota Abu Ramada as the first dive of the All Star Scuba Scene liveaboard, a week-long Red Sea cruise.

It made such a strong first impression that I ended up diving the site three times over the trip, including a night dive.

These were some of the most beautiful coral gardens I have ever seen in my life. Divers and guides call this site "The Aquarium," and in my opinion it earns the name.

Gota Abu Ramada is a sheltered coral reef sitting south of Hurghada, between Giftun Island and the mainland. The reef is shallow, mostly between 5 and 15 meters, built from coral mounds (ergs) that rise off a sandy bottom and drop away into bright blue water.

Dive Log · Hurghada, Egypt
Gota Abu Ramada
⏱ Garmin Descent Mk3i
Max Depth
38 ft / 12 m
Avg Depth
22 ft / 7 m
Dive Time
43:16
Water Temp
75.2 °F / 24 °C
Reef Red Sea Egypt
◎27.139141, 33.954255

The Dive

This is an easy day-boat dive. The crossing from Hurghada is short and calm.
Most of the good stuff sits between 5 and 15 meters.

Because the reef is shallow and protected, it works as a relaxed first dive of the day or a gentle second dive.

That means long bottom times and an easy safety stop right over the reef instead of staring at blue.

Visibility is usually excellent and current is mild. It can pick up a little around the edges, but for the most part it is a hover-when-you-want kind of dive.

The coral here is dense and healthy. Color everywhere you look!

Marine Life

Clouds of orange and pink anthias hang over every coral head, parting and re-forming as you glide past.

Schools of yellowfin goatfish work the reef in formation, with parrotfish, butterflyfish, and the odd curious wrasse mixed in.

Look closer and the reef keeps giving. Glassfish packed into the overhangs and lionfish tucked into the ledges.

I spotted multiple moray eels peering out of cracks across the dives, sometimes two or three on a single pass.

Stingrays rested on the sand between the coral mounds, and on the night dive the reef felt like a completely different place after dark.

Best Time to Visit

Diving runs year-round here, but April–June and September–November give you the sweet spot of warm water, great visibility, and calm crossings.

High summer gets hot topside, with surface temperatures climbing fast, but the water stays comfortable.

Winter visibility can dip a little after a storm, but the site still dives well.

Let's Dive Together

👋 It's Divemaster Austin

I'm inviting you to Dive Club, my global scuba diving community.

What you’ll find inside:

🤿 Dive meetups & group trips
‍
🌍 Top dive sites shared by community members

⚙️ Gear tips & technique discussions

🤝 Diver's who’ve already linked up IRL

See you there!

Join Dive Club

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Austin Tuwiner

I'm a PADI Divemaster based in South Florida.

With over a decade of diving experience, I help readers become better divers, buy their next piece of gear, and plan their dream dive vacation!

Hear Austin's Story

Related Articles

Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Jackfish Alley

In May 2026, I scuba dove Jackfish Alley in Ras Mohamed National Park, Egypt, a reef channel with 100 ft visibility, two penetrable caves, and a satellite reef covered in marine life, hard, and soft corals.

Everything I Saw Diving Umm Gamar

Umm Gamar is a horseshoe-shaped reef 10 miles offshore from Hurghada with a shallow coral plateau at 20 to 30 ft and a wall dropping past 100 ft. On my dive I hit 100 ft visibility, spotted clownfish, titan triggerfish, royal angelfish, and multiple lionfish on the pinnacles. Water temp was 77°F with little to no current.

Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Shark & Yolanda Reef

A complete dive guide to Shark and Yolanda Reef at Ras Muhammad National Park, Egypt, covering the Yolanda wreck, a vertical wall dropping over 800 meters, and a marine life list including barracuda, turtles, and titan triggerfish."

Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Gubal Island in Hurghada, Egypt

n May 2026, I scuba dove Gubal Island in Hurghada, Egypt — a shallow barge wreck is the main highlight of the dive, surrounded by reef walls, with a Zodiac pickup at the surface after the dive.

Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg) in Hurghada, Egypt

In May 2026, I scuba dove Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg) in Hurghada, Egypt, a beginner-friendly reef known for pristine corals, bottlenose dolphins and 100-foot visibility.

Scuba Diving the Saint-Didier Shipwreck

A wreck dive on the Saint Didier in Antalya, Turkey with Kaleiçi Divers — Turkey's largest shipwreck, a Vichy French supply ship sunk by the British in 1941 with original cargo still inside the hull.

Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Gubal Island in Hurghada, Egypt

n May 2026, I scuba dove Gubal Island in Hurghada, Egypt — a shallow barge wreck is the main highlight of the dive, surrounded by reef walls, with a Zodiac pickup at the surface after the dive.

Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg) in Hurghada, Egypt

In May 2026, I scuba dove Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg) in Hurghada, Egypt, a beginner-friendly reef known for pristine corals, bottlenose dolphins and 100-foot visibility.

Everything I Saw Diving Big Brother Island (El Ikwha)

A complete dive guide to Big Brother Island in Egypt's Red Sea, covering the Numidia and Aida wrecks, dive stats, and marine life from a May 2026 trip aboard the Allstar Liveaboard Scuba Scene.

Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Small Brother Island

In May 2026, I scuba dove at Small Brother Island in Egypt's Red Sea, a remote liveaboard-only reef with pristine walls, a shark cleaning station, and 80 feet of visibility.

Everything I Saw Scuba Diving Jackfish Alley

In May 2026, I scuba dove Jackfish Alley in Ras Mohamed National Park, Egypt, a reef channel with 100 ft visibility, two penetrable caves, and a satellite reef covered in marine life, hard, and soft corals.