Um Gamar

Umm Gamar translates to “Mother of the Moon.” Egyptian sailors often name reefs after their shape. From the water’s surface, the island above the Um Gamar reef looks like a crescent moon. Um Gamar is a narrow, elongated reef running north to south.   Remnants of a shark cage still bear witness to a famous visitor. Hans Hass himself dived and filmed here.   Dive boats usually anchor at the southern end of the reef above a plateau located at a depth of 15–25 meters. Here, divers usually encounter a large Napoleon wrasse and batfish.   On the eastern side, the reef wall drops off to great depths. On the eastern side is an erg—a coral tower—that begins at a depth of 22 meters and ends 14 meters below the water’s surface. The erg is hollow at the top, where thousands of tiny glassfish live. A little further north, at a depth of 32 meters, there is a small cave that starts out somewhat wider and then narrows rapidly.