Tobia Island and Safaga Island are two islands located south of Soma Bay. Tobia Island is a small sandy island that is often visited during the day. It is surrounded by a turquoise lagoon and is frequently called Sandy Island. There are some genuinely nice dive sites around the island. Safaga Island is much bigger. The dive sites are on the northeastern part. The underwater relief is rich and varied, the fauna abundant. The snorkeling is fantastic.
Diving at Tobia island
Tobia Arba is the most impressive site. These are 7 rocky pillars that lie 12m deep. You will walk around and above these rocks admiring sometimes minor faults, sometimes caves and acropora tables. We notice an abundance of fauna: moray eels, scorpionfish, butterflyfish, stingrays, snappers, angelfish, clownfish, and even napoleons roam around to the delight of divers. The show is permanent, and diving is accessible to all.
Tobia Hamra, further south divided into 2 zones, is a 2 km long reef. There again it is a vast coral garden where one can observe beautiful tables of acropora inhabited by a multitude of small fish. Further south, the slope becomes steeper with sandy bottoms. The coral is always exquisite, and the turtles, wrasses, and wrasse are visible in large numbers.
Tobia Kebir is in the island’s east. It is a long reef bathing in calm waters, ideal for beginners. Underwater life is abundant: coachman fish, wrasse, angelfish, emperor fish. At 10 m, do not miss the small cave inhabited by “glassfish”.
Tobia Soraya is a large reef made up of coral pillars in a row, placed on a sandy bottom. No need to dive deep if you want to see stingrays, clownfish, trevally, or even crocodile fish. There are also many shallow tunnels, and the impressive play of light will sublimate the walk between these pillars on this site.
Sites around Safaga island
There are 2 major sites around this island: Gamul Soraya and Gamul Kabir, Gamul being the local name for Safaga Island.
Gamul Soraya is a superb site where wildlife abounds. We observe a large reef surrounded by small peaks which are placed on a sandy bottom. Schools of sweetlips, stingrays, and parrotfish roam amid schools of barracudas, snappers, and anthias.
Gamul Kebir, a little further south, is another quality dive. It is a large reef that surrounds a small lagoon. All around, the spectacle is permanent, there is a sandy area with garden eels and abundant fauna: many barracudas, wrasse, eagle rays, white tip sharks, schools of snappers, and dugongs have been seen on this site.