Gordon Reef Liveaboard Diving

Gordon Reef is one of four reefs strung across the Straits of Tiran and is best known for two things: a shallow, current-swept coral garden on its plateau, and the wreck of the Loullia, a cargo ship that ran aground on the reef's northern flat in 1981 and is still visible breaking the surface. It's often described as the most approachable of the Tiran reefs, making it a good introduction to strait diving.

The reef centers on a shallow plateau running roughly 33-82 ft (10-25 m) wide, with drop-offs fanning out from the middle to depths past 98 ft (30 m) along the outer edges. Dives usually work the plateau and its edges, with a more sheltered lagoon-like area around 33-40 ft (10-12 m) often used for the safety stop or a calmer second half of the dive.

The Straits of Tiran funnel a strong tidal exchange between the Gulf of Aqaba and the open Red Sea, so current is a fact of life here, and dives are typically planned as drifts. Gordon Reef sits at the southern end of the strait and is generally considered the calmest of the four reefs, but the current can still sweep across the plateau on a big tide, so it's not to be underestimated.

Gordon Reef is usually rated the easiest of the Tiran reefs and is a reasonable option for divers with modest drift experience, but the strait's currents mean it still isn't a true beginner site - most guides want divers comfortable with drift diving and reasonable buoyancy control. A shallower, more sheltered plan is typically briefed if conditions or the group's experience call for it.

The plateau is home to garden eels swaying in colonies over the sand, plus octopus, peppered and yellow-edged moray eels, and Napoleon wrasse cruising the coral heads. Eagle rays and whitetip reef sharks are regular sightings, and the deeper edges pull in passing barracuda, jackfish, and tuna, with hammerheads occasionally moving through the strait as well.

The Loullia was a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship that ran aground on the northern edge of Gordon Reef's flat in 1981 and was never salvaged. Decades of sun, waves, and salt have broken the hull down considerably, so it's less an intact wreck dive than a rusting landmark; part of it still sits above the waterline as a navigational warning, and the underwater debris and cables around it host their own small ecosystem worth a slow look.

Summer generally brings calmer sea conditions and warmer water, and it's also the more reliable window for hammerhead sightings in the strait, roughly July through September. Because the Straits of Tiran are more exposed than the sheltered bays near Sharm El Sheik, sea state and wind matter as much as season, and some days simply get called off regardless of time of year.

Both, and it's actually the closest of the Tiran reefs to Sharm El Sheik, only around 9 miles (14 km) away, so it's a regular day-boat destination as well as a common liveaboard stop, often paired with one of the other three Tiran reefs on the same day.

Water temperature in the Straits of Tiran runs from around 72°F (22°C) in February up to about 82°F (28°C) in August, similar to the rest of the northern Red Sea. A wetsuit in the 3-5 mm range covers most of the year comfortably, leaning toward the thicker end for winter trips.

It's the most forgiving of the four Tiran reefs and can work for less experienced divers on a calm day, but it's still open water exposed to real tidal current, so it suits divers who've already got a handful of dives and some drift experience rather than an absolute first-timer.

Currently, sweeping across the shallow plateau is the main thing to watch, since it can pick up quickly and push divers toward open water or the reef's edges. The Loullia wreck's rusted metal and cable debris are best observed rather than touched, and because the strait is a shipping channel, surface awareness and staying close to the boat's marker matter more here than on a sheltered inshore reef.

Yes - diving the Straits of Tiran carries a marine park and island access fee, separate from the standalone Ras Mohammed park fee, generally in the range of roughly $15-20 per diver as of 2026. As with Ras Mohammed, this is almost always included in the price quoted for your day boat or liveaboard, rather than being paid separately on the day.