TOBIA HAMRA location Around 30 mins from Safaga. Conditions: Protected by the Abu Soma peninsula, this site is generally calm and displays little current. Overview: An extensive sloping reef on a north-south axis, interrupted by ridges and sandy-bottomed canyons. Tobia Island is at one end, whilst Sandy Island lies at the other. Dive plan: This is an obvious morning dive since the entire dive site faces east. The shallow part of this site is like a maze with ridges and canyons. You can easily make three to four different dives along with the reef system. The best way to dive here is to aimlessly swim around at a depth not greater than 15m. The boat will generally moor to the north of the site and you begin the dive by descending and moving southeast to your maximum depth over the coral garden. At least two napoleon wrasse make their home in the area of the moorings and you may find yourself descending on top of them. When you reach your maximum depth, continue to the south along with the coral garden until you reach a sandy channel. Then turn west and follow the channel as it rises to around 4m. The channel transforms into a lagoon running north-south between the main reef and the coral garden around 8m. What to see: Turtles are a quite familiar sight here, as are napoleon wrasse and moray eels. You find the usual suspects like butterflyfish, angelfish and emperor fish around the reef, as well as stonefish and the Red Sea walkman. Jackfish and barracuda sometimes come here to hunt, and zebra sharks have been seen resting on the sandy flats.