The Arch // ELPHINSTONE

ELPHINSTONE REEF (Sha’ab Abu Hamra in Egyptian) is located close to the coast about 30 km/20 mi north of Marsa Alam. The reef is about 500 m/1,640 ft long from north to south. The spectacular walls drop vertically into the depths and the often-strong currents can be very unpredictable. At the northern end, a long, narrow plateau extends far from the main reef. At the end—at about 35 m/115 ft depth—there is a huge crack in the reef as if a giant had cleaved it with an axe. This is a good place to hang for a while to look for sharks. The southern plateau is somewhat smaller, but a few cleaning stations attract thresher sharks, mantas, and other big game. Close to the surface along the reef or under the boats at the southern end, it is very common to meet the curious and sometimes a little bit too frisky Carcharhinus longimanus—the oceanic white tip shark.

Robert Moresby, an officer in the Indian Navy, reportedly baptized the reef with its English name in 1830 after Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859) who had just retired from his position as Governor of Bombay for the East India Company (1819-27). There are no wrecks at Elphinstone—with its location close to the coast, the reef lies far from the sailing routes through the Red Sea. It has, therefore, not been necessary to establish a lighthouse. But Elphinstone still hides another deep secret.

Pharaoh’s sarcophagus

When divers take a technical diving approach to Elphinstone, they open up a whole new world below 30 m/100 ft. Under the southern plateau of Elphinstone, there is a big hole in the reef— The Arch. Admittedly, in the old days, I used to dive under the Arch on air. (Don’t tell anyone!) It was before I knew better and before I had the opportunity to breathe trimix. It was foolish, as passing through the Arch forces you to go to almost 60 m/200 ft! But with rebreathers, scooters, trimix, and the right decompression gases, it is a completely different experience.

On the bottom, just below The Arch, lies a large square rock. Divers who have been under The Arch on air (and, consequently, are narced stupid) have imagined that the square rock was a pharaoh’s sarcophagus. But, with the more sober and clinical mindset that characterizes a trimix dive, we can clearly see that the large square rock is, in fact, just… a large square rock.

The stunning Gorgonian sea fans, the intriguing sarcophagus, and the heavenly light above make for photogenic subjects.

Most of the liveaboards are moored in the sheltered areas on Elphinstone’s south plateau, and from there it is easy to jump into the water and drop directly beyond the south plateau that stretches away from the reef. On top of the plateau, most divers who have visited E-stone look for big game at the cleaning stations. But, we have a different agenda. We follow the edge of the plateau at about 35 m/115 ft while I’m scouting for The Arch deep below us. A glare from below reveals the big hole in the reef, and we drop down and explore The Arch and its surroundings. The enormous Gorgonian sea fans, the sarcophagus, and the light from above are all very photogenic. We have planned 20 minutes of bottom time; it’s a short dive on a rebreather, but we are accompanied by a relatively inexperienced tech diver on open-circuit, so we respect her limits. After taking lots of pictures under The Arch, we begin the ascent and look forward to a long Elphinstone dive while decompressing after our deep exploration. 

Monkey diving in shallow water around Elphinstone is a great way to spend the afternoons.