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Daedalus & St. John’s
8 days / 7 nights · Port Ghalib Marina → Port Ghalib Marina · Advanced
● DEEP SOUTH · PORT GHALIB · ADVANCED
Daedalus & St. John's
Two of Egypt’s most extraordinary offshore dive destinations in one week. Hammerheads and open-ocean sharks at Daedalus, then south to St. John’s Reef — the most complex and biodiverse coral system in the Egyptian Red Sea.
7 NIGHTS
BOTH ENDS · MARINA
TOTAL DIVES
MIN. CERTIFICATION
MIN. CERTIFICATION
DEPTH RANGE
CURRENTS BY SITE
ELPHINSTONE INCLUDED
NITROX 32% INCLUDED
ROUTE OVERVIEW
Sharks Offshore, Coral in the South.
This route pairs two very different dive experiences. Daedalus is an isolated offshore seamount — all drift dives, strong currents, open-water sharks and pristine walls that see almost no traffic. St. John’s is the opposite: a complex inshore reef system with channels, lagoons, caves, coral gardens and a completely different pace of diving. Together in one week they cover most of what makes the southern Red Sea exceptional.
St. John’s Reef is the largest protected reef system in the Egyptian Red Sea, near the Sudanese border. It has multiple named dive sites within it — Bluff Point, Fireplace, Aquarium, Inner Coral Garden, Dangerous Reef, The Abyss — each with its own character. Two full days here is barely enough to scratch the surface. Night dives inside the reef system are exceptional — the coral comes fully alive after dark.
Check dives on Day 2 are at Abu Dabbab — calm, sheltered, sea turtles and rays before the offshore crossings. Elphinstone comes in on Day 7 for the final two dives on the return to Port Ghalib.
🦈 Daedalus Reef — 6 dives, 2 days. Hammerheads, grey reef sharks, silvertips, pristine offshore walls.
🌊 St. John’s Reef — 6+ dives, 2 days. Egypt’s most complex coral system. Channels, caves, walls, lagoons.
🦈 Elphinstone — final dives Day 7 on the return to Port Ghalib. Oceanic whitetips year-round.
🌙 Night dives — anchor reef near Daedalus (×2), St. John’s lagoon (×2).
🐠 Biodiversity — St. John’s has more coral species per square metre than almost anywhere in the Red Sea.
Diver Requirements
Advanced Open Water Diver with 30+ logged dives. Daedalus requires strong current experience — all dives are drifts. St. John’s is more varied: some sites are calm and suitable for all AOWD divers, others have strong currents (Dangerous Reef, The Abyss). Your guide assesses conditions on each dive. Certifications, logbook and insurance checked before departure on Day 2.
What's Included
✓ Free Nitrox 32% — all fills
✓ 12-litre tanks, weights & belts
✓ Dive guide on every dive
✓ Full-board halal open buffet
✓ Soft drinks & fresh juices
✓ Airport transfers from Marsa Alam (RMF)
○ Marine park fees not included
○ Equipment rental on request
🚫 No night dives at Daedalus Reef (HEPCA). Night dives on this route: coral heads at anchor near Daedalus (×2), St. John’s lagoon (×2).
DIVE SITES
Offshore Sharks. Inshore Coral. Nothing In Between.
Daedalus and St. John’s are about as different as two Red Sea sites can be — which is exactly what makes this week work.
Elphinstone Reef
30km south of Port Ghalib · Day 7 (final dives)
Check dives on Day 2 and final dives on Day 7. South plateau has oceanic whitetips year-round — early morning gives the best encounters before day boats arrive from Marsa Alam. North plateau for hammerheads in season. Soft coral walls on both sides. One of the best reefs in Egypt used here as a practical bookend to a week of deep south diving.
Daedalus Reef
52nm east of Marsa Alam · Days 3 & 4
Egypt’s most remote reef — 52 nautical miles offshore, rising from 500m. Six dives across two days: north tip for hammerheads in the converging current, east and west walls for pristine hard coral and permanent shark activity. Grey reef, oceanic whitetip and silvertip sharks. Almost no other dive boats. The lighthouse has been manned since 1863. Night dives at anchor outside the park zone.
St. John's — Bluff Point & Fireplace
St. John’s Reef system · Day 5
Bluff Point is the exposed outer wall of St. John’s — a drift dive with barracuda schools, grey reef sharks and gorgonian fans in the current. Fireplace is named for the orange and red soft corals packed into a crevice at 15–25m that glow like embers when lit by a torch. Two very different dives on the same reef showing how much variety St. John’s contains within a single day.
St. John's — Aquarium & Lagoon
St. John’s Reef system · Day 5 & nights
The Aquarium section is a sheltered channel inside the reef system — shallow, calm, extraordinary diversity. Over 300 coral species have been recorded in the St. John’s system, and the Aquarium section gives you access to a large portion of them in a single dive. By night the lagoon transforms: sleeping turtles, cuttlefish hunting, moray eels active and Spanish dancers visible. The best night dive in the St. John’s system.
St. John's — Inner Coral Garden & Dangerous Reef
St. John’s Reef system · Day 6
Inner Coral Garden is exactly what the name says — massive coral formations in a protected channel, virtually no current, extraordinary hard coral coverage. Dangerous Reef lives up to its name with stronger currents and a higher shark encounter rate — grey reef sharks work the channel consistently. Two dives that sit next to each other geographically but feel completely different underwater.
St. John's — The Abyss
St. John’s Reef system · Day 6
A vertical wall on the outer edge of St. John’s that drops from 10m to beyond recreational limits — hence the name. Strong current on the outside, pristine gorgonians and black corals on the wall, open-water shark activity in the blue below. The transition from the calm inner reef channels of the Aquarium to The Abyss wall in one day illustrates the full range of what St. John’s offers. Advanced divers only.
ITINERARY
Day by Day
Subject to weather, coast guard permits and captain’s discretion. Daedalus days in blue, St. John’s days in green.
Embarkation
PORT GHALIB MARINA · FROM 17:00
Board from 17:00. First meal on board is dinner. Cabin allocation, safety briefing, dive equipment set-up. Certifications, logbooks and dive insurance checked — have them ready. Overnight in port.
Abu Dabbab — Check Dives · Overnight to Daedalus
ABU DABBAB · THEN OVERNIGHT SAIL TO DAEDALUS (~8H)
Two check dives at Abu Dabbab — sheltered bay south of Port Ghalib, calm water, sea turtles on the seagrass. Certifications and logbooks checked before departure. After lunch the boat heads east — eight hours to Daedalus, arriving overnight.
Daedalus Reef — Day 1
DAEDALUS REEF MARINE RESERVE · 52nm OFFSHORE
Arrive at Daedalus in the morning. Three drift dives — north tip for hammerheads, east wall, west wall. Your guide picks the entry sequence based on the current running on arrival. By the end of Day 3 you’ve seen all four sides and know which ones to prioritise tomorrow. Night dive on the coral heads at anchor outside the park zone.
Daedalus Reef — Day 2 · Sail South to St. John's
DAEDALUS REEF · THEN SAIL SOUTH (~6H TO ST. JOHN’S)
Three more dives at Daedalus — north tip at dawn for the best hammerhead window, then south section and lighthouse area. After the third dive, the boat sails south toward St. John’s Reef. Shorter crossing than Daedalus, arriving in time to anchor inside the reef system overnight.
St. John's Reef — Day 1
ST. JOHN’S REEF SYSTEM
Arrive inside St. John’s for the first dives — complete contrast to Daedalus. Three dives exploring the outer reef and sheltered channels: Bluff Point for the drift and sharks, Fireplace for the extraordinary soft coral crevice, Aquarium for the biodiversity and reef complexity. Night dive in the lagoon — sleeping turtles, cuttlefish and Spanish dancers.
St. John's Reef — Day 2
ST. JOHN’S REEF SYSTEM
Second full day inside St. John’s. Inner Coral Garden in the morning — massive coral formations, protected channel, hawksbill turtles. Dangerous Reef for the second dive — stronger current, higher shark encounter rate. The Abyss for the third dive: the outer wall dropping to 60m+ with gorgonians, black corals and open-water sharks in the blue. Night dive again in the lagoon.
Elphinstone — Final Dives · Return Port Ghalib
ELPHINSTONE REEF · 30KM SOUTH OF PORT GHALIB
Two final dives at Elphinstone on the sail back. South plateau first — early morning, Longimanus before the day boats arrive. North plateau or east wall for the second dive. Short sail back to Port Ghalib marina. Last night on board.
Disembarkation
PORT GHALIB MARINA · AFTER BREAKFAST
Last meal on board is breakfast. Check out of cabin by 10:00, leave the boat by 12:00. Transfers to Marsa Alam Airport (RMF) or Hurghada Airport (HRG) arranged on request.
MARINE LIFE
Two Different Ecosystems. One Week.
Daedalus is pelagic — open water, sharks, current. St. John’s is reef — coral, diversity, complexity. The contrast is the point.
Daedalus north tip · year-round
Daedalus, Dangerous Reef, Bluff Point
Elphinstone south · year-round
St. John’s lagoon · night dive
St. John’s night dives
St. John’s lagoon at night
Daedalus walls · Bluff Point
St. John’s Aquarium section
BOOK YOUR RED SEA LIVEABOARD
Book Daedalus & St. John's from Port Ghalib
Hammerheads offshore at Daedalus, 300+ coral species at St. John’s, Elphinstone whitetips on both ends. The deep south Red Sea in one week — from Port Ghalib on M/Y Aphrodite.