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Sataya & Fury Shoals
8 days / 7 nights · Red Sea, Egypt · Aphrodite Liveaboard
● DEEP SOUTH · DOLPHINS & REEFS
Sataya & Fury Shoals
Wild spinner dolphins at Sataya Dolphin House combined with the pristine coral gardens of the Fury Shoals reef system — Shaab Maksour, Shaab Claudio and some of the most diverse, undisturbed reefs in the Egyptian Red Sea. This is the route for divers who want marine life encounters over deep walls and strong currents — accessible to all levels, genuinely rewarding for experienced divers too.
7 NIGHTS
EGYPT
PER DAY
NITROX INCLUDED
ROUTE OVERVIEW
What You'll Dive This Week
Sataya Reef has a resident pod of spinner dolphins that live in the lagoon year-round. Not trained, not fed, not habituated — they’re there because the lagoon is a natural resting area. Most dives produce encounters. On a good morning the pod can number 50–100 individuals, and they come to divers on their own terms. That alone makes the trip worth it.
But this isn’t a one-trick route. Fury Shoals is a collection of southern Red Sea reefs that are consistently under-dived and in superb condition. Sha’ab Claudio has caves and tunnels with cathedral light shafts. Abu Galawa has a small wreck and pristine coral. Sha’ab Mansour and Sha’ab Samadai (the “official” Dolphin House, separate from Sataya) round out the reef diving. Elphinstone on Day 6 brings the sharks — oceanic whitetips on the south plateau.
All levels welcome on this route. The currents are mild, the depths manageable, and the marine life encounters don’t depend on being 40m deep in strong current. Families, mixed groups and newer divers do well here — but experienced divers enjoy it just as much because the marine life is exceptional.
🪸 Marsa Shouna — A sprawling sand plateau north of Shouna littered with table corals of all shapes.
🦈 Elphinstone— Day 6. Oceanic whitetips on the south plateau, soft coral walls.
🐬 Sataya — Dolphin Reef — A large 6-mile horseshoe-shaped reef whose lagoon is home to resident families of dolphi…
🪸 Gota Abu Galawa — A 1950s wreck at 18m, so overgrown with hard coral it takes time to make out the bridge …
Included
✓ 7 nights full-board accommodation
✓ 3–4 dives per day (2–3 last day)
✓ Dive guides on every dive
✓ Free Nitrox
✓ Tanks & weights
✓ Non-alcoholic beverages
✓ Local transfers
Excluded
○ Flights
○ Rental equipment
○ Alcoholic beverages
○ Visa
○ Crew gratuities
DIVE SITES
The Dive Sites
Every site on this route, aboard M/Y Aphrodite from the Red Sea coast.
Marsa Shouna
5–25m
A sprawling sand plateau north of Shouna littered with table corals of all shapes. Blue-spotted rays are abundant; certain seasons bring breeding guitar rays and other surprises.
Sataya — Dolphin Reef
5–30m
A large 6-mile horseshoe-shaped reef whose lagoon is home to resident families of dolphins, easy to meet. An excellent place to watch hunters at work.
Gota Abu Galawa
5–18m
A 1950s wreck at 18m, so overgrown with hard coral it takes time to make out the bridge and funnel. A great photography dive and night dive — with luck, a Spanish dancer.
Marsa Abu Dabbab
5–20m
A huge reef full of life, with a big chance of seeing seahorses in the sea grass.
Marsa Alam
5–25m
A barrier reef where the coral gardens form large blocks full of flag fish, jackfish, triggerfish and platax.
Sha'ab Malahi — The Labyrinth
5–20m
Ten large coral towers standing close together form a maze of corridors, canyons and caves. When the sun is high, its beams create spectacular light and shadow through the passages. The sandy bottom sits at only 18–20m; between the towers you rarely dive deeper than 15m.
BOOK YOUR RED SEA LIVEABOARD
Book Sataya & Fury Shoals
Dive this route aboard M/Y Aphrodite — full-board, free Nitrox, expert guides.