The Aquarium (Gota Abu Ramada)

Clouds of orange anthias swarm the reef top as you descend to the mooring. The oval reef sits on white sand at 12-15 metres, its walls alive with bannerfish schools trailing long dorsal fins. Pick a direction. The west side pinnacles rise to 6 metres, dressed in soft corals and gorgonians, with sweetlips clustered at the base and squirrelfish hiding in the shade. Goatfish work the sand between the reef and the ergs, sifting with their barbels in groups of dozens. In the overhangs, glassfish form shimmering curtains that split apart when a scorpionfish lunges. On the east side, three smaller ergs create a coral garden with gullies where trevallies hunt. Blue-spotted stingrays dot the sand everywhere you look. The reef is small enough to circumnavigate in one dive and rich enough that you will want to stop every few metres.

Fish density is the entire point of this site, and it delivers. It has been a "must do" dive on Hurghada forums since 2004. Ninety online reviews with a 4.4 average confirm that the experience holds up two decades later. The biodiversity runs from cornetfish and masked pufferfish to giant moray eels with cleaner shrimp working their gills. Scorpionfish sit perfectly camouflaged on every coral head. The combination of quantity and variety in a shallow, calm setting makes it a site where experienced divers find as much as beginners do. Slow down, look closely, and the reef reveals its critter residents: stonefish blending into the coral, geometric morays deep in crevices, octopuses changing colour against the wall. After sunset, the Aquarium transforms completely. A night dive here turns up porcupinefish, hunting lionfish, and brain corals packed with crustaceans.

Most Hurghada day boats include this site on their schedule, often as the relaxation dive at the end of the day. The boat ride is 60-90 minutes. Boats moor on the sheltered south side. The site can be crowded, particularly in August and September when tourism peaks and triggerfish are nesting. Give nesting triggerfish a wide berth. Fire corals on the northeast erg are easy to brush against. Stonefish are present and well-camouflaged. The depth is forgiving but buoyancy control matters for protecting the coral. A 3 mm suit is enough from May to September. In winter, 5-7 mm keeps you comfortable at 21 degrees.