Torfet Ali

Torfet Ali is a five-site reef complex, not a single dive — each sub-site has distinct topography and its own cast of residents. The short boat transfer from Port Ghalib marina means itineraries here typically cover two or three sub-sites in a single day.

Pipeline runs as a north-to-south drift. Choose your depth: the deep wall hosts dense Anthias schools and the occasional Nembrotha nudibranch, while large tuna and amberjack may push through from open water, triggering fusilier schools to stream past in formation. Ascend at the end to sandy banks flanked by coral for the safety stop. Villa, also called Kharafi, centres on a hard coral garden of Acropora thickets and table corals, with small reef fish holding station in the mild current and Dart Gobies hovering above the drop-off. The resident hawksbill turtle here has a routine — check the shallower ledges first, follow along for a few minutes, and the encounter typically involves the animal leading the dive group rather than fleeing it.

Halg Nigma takes its name from a fisherman's legend: a falling star cleaved the reef, leaving a dramatic cut. Inside the cut, the dive is the reef wall and the pinnacle alongside the mooring. That pinnacle holds clouds of Glassfish and Sweepers with Trevallies and Groupers working through them, Fang Blennies in crevices, Pipefish on coral polyps, and a large staghorn colony that reaches from the surface down to 15 m — one of the biggest in the area. Shaab Ghalib offers a gentler profile: coral tongues form slopes and small canyons with fusilier schools as constant company, Whip Coral Gobies in the deeper sections, and butterflyfish through the shallows. Torfet Abu Shash sits at the complex's northern edge, accessible only by RIB with no moorings. A sand patch inside a small headland opens to a large pinnacle at the northern point, crammed with reef fish and shrimp.

Five sites with five distinct personalities in a single reef complex, all within 10 minutes of Port Ghalib, is not something the rest of the Marsa Alam day-trip catalogue can match. Where Marsa Mubarak and other bay sites nearby are defined by their seagrass and megafauna, Torfet Ali is reef and structure: steep walls, pinnacles, drift channels, and coral gardens. Divers staying at Port Ghalib can spend three or four consecutive days here without repeating a dive profile.

The named resident hawksbill turtle at Villa is an unusual editorial anchor for a reef complex of this type. Resident individual encounters — where the animal has its own territory and consistent behaviour — produce a different quality of encounter from a chance sighting. Eagle rays appear with some regularity at Pipeline, typically arriving toward the end of the dive — often when the group is ascending.

Not every sub-site is on every day's itinerary. Abu Shash requires a powerful RIB and calm sea state — confirm availability with the operator when booking. Pipeline commits divers to a current direction; the operator's briefing should be followed on entry depth and exit point. Carry an SMB for all drift profiles here.

Night dives are available through Port Ghalib operators. For day dives, Emperor Divers includes Torfet Ali in its standard package pricing, departing the marina jetty each morning. With sub-sites reaching 30-35 m, nitrox extends bottom time on the deeper profiles. The shallower options — Villa and Shaab Ghalib in particular — are well suited to Open Water divers on their first Red Sea trip.