St. John's Caves
Marsa Alam · Fury Shoal · Egypt
St. John's Caves is one of the most atmospheric dive sites in the entire Red Sea, a place where geology and marine biology combine to create an experience that feels more like exploring a flooded cathedral than a coral reef. Located in the remote Fury Shoal area of Egypt's deep south, roughly 120 kilometers from Marsa Alam, this reef system is accessible almost exclusively by liveaboard and rewards the journey with diving that is genuinely unlike anything else in the region. I dropped into the water above St. John's on a clear morning and immediately understood the reverence divers feel for this site. The reef structure is a massive coral formation riddled with passages, swim-throughs, tunnels, and chambers. The main caverns reach depths of 15 to 25 meters, with natural skylights that allow shafts of blue-green sunlight to pierce the darkness. The effect is breathtaking, particularly when the sun is high enough to send beams directly downward through the openings. Inside the caverns, the walls and ceilings are decorated with soft corals in deep reds, oranges, and purples that glow when illuminated by a dive torch. Massive clouds of glassfish fill the chambers in shimmering silver curtains, parting as you swim through. Lionfish hover at the edges, giant moray eels coil in crevices, and crocodilefish lie flat on sandy ledges inside the tunnels. The exterior reef is equally rewarding, with the formation's top at 3 to 5 meters carpeted in healthy hard corals and swarming with anthias, butterflyfish, and wrasse. Napoleon wrasse cruise the reef edge, grey reef sharks occasionally pass along the deeper walls, and hawksbill turtles rest on coral outcrops. What makes St. John's truly special is the combination of cavern exploration and vibrant reef diving within a single site. Every dive reveals different light conditions and new details in the formations.
Marine Life
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Location
Marsa Alam · Fury Shoal · Egypt
Coordinates: 23.7250, 35.8830
Dive Site Depth Profile
Visual depth progression and waypoint route for St. John's Caves
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Videos
Diving at St. John's Caves, Red Sea Egypt 4K
Dive Site Vlog - St. John's Caves, Red Sea Egypt
Conditions & safety
FAQ
Do I need cave diving certification for St. John's Caves?
No, St. John's Caves does not require cave diving certification. Despite the name, the site consists of caverns and swim-throughs rather than true overhead environments. Natural light is visible from most positions inside the formations, and all passages have clear entry and exit points. An intermediate open-water certification is sufficient, though good buoyancy control is essential to avoid damaging the delicate coral formations and silting out the passages. A dive torch is recommended to illuminate the soft corals and marine life inside the caverns.
How do I get to St. John's Caves?
St. John's Caves are located in the deep south of the Egyptian Red Sea, roughly 120 kilometers southeast of Marsa Alam. The site is too far for day boats and is almost exclusively visited by liveaboard dive vessels operating southern itineraries from Marsa Alam, Port Ghalib, or Hamata. A typical deep south liveaboard trip lasting five to seven days will include St. John's among its stops, often combined with other Fury Shoal sites, Elphinstone, and the Brothers Islands.
What is the best time of day to dive St. John's Caves?
The caves are best dived when the sun is high, between roughly 10 AM and 2 PM, as the overhead light effects are most dramatic when sunbeams penetrate vertically into the chambers. Morning dives produce spectacular shafts of light through cracks and openings in the reef structure, illuminating the glassfish clouds and soft corals with an almost theatrical quality. Afternoon dives can be equally beautiful but with warmer, more diffuse light.
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