Colona Divers
PADI 5 Star IDC in Hurghada tracing to a 1977 Red Sea liveaboard, with daily boat dives, a house reef to 30+ m, and liveaboard safaris.
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Ras Disha
Also known as: Disha Malagk, Ras Clisha, Ras Disha, Ras El Disha, Torfa Ras Disha
Sandy plateau with coral blocks and a glassfish tunnel at 5 m, edged by a steep northwest wall, on the Makadi Bay and Sahl Hasheesh coast.
Last updated October 2026
The dive
The site is a sandy plateau studded with coral blocks, with the main reef and its beacon on one side and a ledge that steepens into a wall to the northwest. There are two ways through it. One starts at the beacon and drifts north along the wall, then finishes over the pinnacles. The other leaves from the mooring, tours the drop-off and swings back in a half-circle lap over the plateau, past the blocks.
The coral blocks rise from the sand at around 10-12 m. In one of them a shallow tunnel holds schools of glassfish, with lionfish waiting at the edges, and a hole through one of the small pinnacles in the middle has held cuttlefish and a pipefish.
Out on the sand, Moses sole, blue-spotted rays and torpedo rays dig for crustaceans, and gobies and shrimps keep to their burrows. Bannerfish and butterflyfish gather along the wall, with parrotfish and surgeonfish.
What makes it special
A tunnel at 5 m runs through one of the coral blocks, with schools of glassfish hanging in it, on a site that is otherwise open sand. It is shallow enough for a long safety stop among the glassfish, which is the detail divers bring back from here. Out on the plateau the diggers keep the sand busy, and the wall adds a drop-off to the same dive.
Know before you go
The bay is sheltered from the wind, yet the current is sometimes strong, so where a drift is running ask the guide for the mooring-circle route over the plateau. Water runs about 22 C in February and March and about 28 C from July to September on indicative figures, with a modelled range of 17 to 29.6 C across the year, so the cooler months call for more exposure protection than the summer. Several centres use the site and a visitor warns it can get busy. Boat rides are quoted anywhere from 25 minutes to about 90, and map pins for the site differ by about 1.7 km in longitude, so trust the boat's mooring over the pin. Send up an SMB on ascent, since the wall can draw a dive past the plateau's depth.
Why Dive Ras Disha
What makes this dive site stand out.
- Glassfish tunnel
A tunnel at 5 m inside one of the coral blocks, with schools of glassfish
- Sandy plateau with blocks
Coral blocks rise from sand where rays dig for crustaceans
- Northwest wall
A ledge steepens into a drop-off, where bannerfish and butterflyfish gather
- Two route options
A drift north along the wall, or a half-circle lap from the mooring
Depth & Profile
5m
Min depth
18m
Max depth
9–18m
Typical range
ReefWallSandCoral
Location
27.0412°N, 33.9071°E
Conditions & difficulty
Current
Variable
ModerateMin cert: Open Water
The shallowest parts, a 5 m tunnel and coral blocks at 10-12 m, sit within Open Water depth. The wall and any dive past 18 m belong to Advanced divers. One operator grades the whole site Intermediate.
Summary
Suitable for any level on the plateau and blocks; the wall and a current that is sometimes strong are the demanding part.
Safety considerations
What can go wrong here, and what divers do about it. Conditions change - take the briefing from the operator on the day.
- Current: Sheltered bay, but sometimes with a strong current; up to 1-3 knots in October on indicative figuresBrief with the guide on the day and take the mooring-circle route when the drift is running
- Depth: The wall allows dives past 18 m, and two divers logged 27 m and 32 mPlan the profile to your certification depth and check the gauge against it on the wall
- Surface and boat traffic: Several centres dive the site and a reviewer warns it can be busySend up an SMB on ascent
Marine Life
Dive Centers
View allBook a guided dive at this site.
Rules and permits
- Conduct: no touching, no feeding, no taking anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the main reef at Ras Clisha worth the time, or do the pinnacles carry the dive?▾
The descriptions split. One operator lists a resident crocodilefish, lionfish, groupers and soft and hard coral on the main reef. An older diver report calls it largely dead, and a later dive log found it unremarkable. The small pinnacles in the middle draw better words: a hole through one of them held cuttlefish and a pipefish, and one operator singles out the pinnacle closest to the main reef as a photogenic one.
How deep does the wall at Ras Clisha go?▾
No page gives the wall's own depth. The guide figure of 9 to 18 m with a drop-off is repeated by operator pages, yet two divers logged 27 m and 32 m on dives here, so a dive that follows the wall can end well below the quoted range. Anyone planning a wall dive should treat the 9-18 m figure as the plateau and the blocks, and read the gauge against their own certification depth.
One operator grades Ras Clisha Intermediate and others say all levels. Which is right for an Open Water diver?▾
Both can hold, because they describe different parts of the site. The tunnel at 5 m and the coral blocks at 10-12 m sit within Open Water depth, and the guide text calls the site suitable for any level. The Intermediate grading is one operator's own and fits the wall and a current that is sometimes strong.
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