Abu Kafan: The Deep Reef Off Safaga for Advanced Divers

If Panorama is Safaga's scenic crowd-pleaser, Abu Kafan is its serious sibling. A narrow reef ridge rising from deep water offshore, it's known for current, depth, and the dense, dramatic marine life that thrives where the open sea sweeps past. For advanced divers, it's one of the most exciting sites in the central Red Sea — a place that demands respect and repays it with some of the best diving around Safaga.

The short answer: Abu Kafan is an advanced, current-swept reef off Safaga with steep drop-offs, lush coral, and frequent pelagic action. It's not for beginners, but it's a thrilling site for experienced divers.

Where it is and what it's like

Abu Kafan lies offshore from Safaga, a short cruise out from the coast just south of Hurghada. The reef is long and narrow — essentially a submerged ridge — with walls and steep slopes plunging into deep water on either side. Its exposed position in open water means current is a regular feature, and that current is exactly what feeds the dense coral growth and draws the bigger fish. Visibility is typically very good, heightening the sense of diving a sharp ridge surrounded by blue.

What you'll see

Abu Kafan is famous for its rich soft and hard coral and for the action out in the blue. Schools of trevally, barracuda, snapper, and fusiliers swirl around the reef, and the currents bring the chance of reef sharks and other pelagic visitors patrolling the drop-offs. Turtles and large groupers are possible, and the sheer density of life — when the current is running and the fish are stacked up — can be spectacular. It's a site where the reef and the open water both deliver.

Why it's an advanced dive

The clue is in the conditions. Abu Kafan's currents can be strong and sometimes shifting, the walls drop deep, and the exposed location offers little shelter. This combination of current, depth, and open water makes it a dive for the experienced — those comfortable with drift diving, good buoyancy, and conservative depth and gas management. Operators often require advanced certification and logged experience for this site, and that caution is well placed.

How to dive it well

Go with a reputable Safaga operator who knows Abu Kafan and will only run it in suitable conditions. Pay close attention to the briefing on current direction, entry, and the dive plan. Dive it as a drift when the current is running, staying with your group and guide and using a surface marker buoy for the ascent. Watch your depth and air carefully — the temptation to go deep along the wall is real — and keep your buoyancy tidy to protect the coral and hold your position in the current. Discipline is what makes this dive both safe and superb.

Practical tips

Abu Kafan is typically a day-boat dive from Safaga, often combined with Panorama Reef for a varied day. Confirm the conditions and your suitability before committing, and be ready for the dive to be moved or swapped if the current is too strong. Bring exposure protection for the season, a surface marker buoy, and consider nitrox if qualified to extend safe bottom time at depth. Base in Safaga for the easiest access to this and the area's other top sites.

Abu Kafan rewards experience with a genuine thrill — a coral ridge alive with fish, currents to ride, and the open blue at your shoulder. For advanced divers in the central Red Sea, it's the dive that makes Safaga worth the trip.

Experienced and looking for a challenge? Plan an Abu Kafan dive with knowledgeable Safaga operators on packnplan, and ride the currents of one of the central Red Sea's most exciting reefs.