Dahra Wadi Gimal

Overview

This is the largest reef after Wadi Gimal Island. The two form a channel. The huge coral garden is spectacular. You can find big groupers, frogfishes and a dark, almost black Spanish dancer.

Description

With a width of 350m and a length of just over 3km, Dahra Wadi Gimal is an elongated reef that runs out over several blocks in the north into almost independent reefs. It is well suited for overnight stays and is 5 minutes away from Shelaniat. In the south you have a narrow plateau at a depth between 5 and 14m with several small coral blocks from 1 to 2m high - excellent for a night dive. The plateau has a width of 30m before it goes over several steps into the channel towards Wadi Gimal Island. Here you can see one of the largest parrotfish species, the bumphead parrotfish.
On the eastern side, separated by a coral outcrop, are coral towers 9 to 12m high and 2 to 3m in diameter. They have purple soft corals mixed with hard corals in the upper part. This is an ideal area for glassfish, lionfish, giant sea cucumbers and sole.

Towards the east you will come across a huge labyrinth of all kinds of corals.It has an impressive height of 10-15m and consists of table corals with partly 4m diameter, ship-sized mountain corals as well as huge lettuce corals. Must see!

Hotspots

Dive Plans

1.East outside 2.Southeast side 3.Night dive

East outside

With the Zodiac you will go to the outer side of the reef. You should start in the south of the small channel and dive north, then through a breakthrough to the outer side and zigzag across the coral garden back south.

Southeast side

From the boat you should dive east to the blocks at a depth of 12-14m. Then heading west back to the plateau, you will discover something different around every corner - from rays to sole, from snails to frogfish.

Night dive

The reef wall at 5 to 8m depth is beautiful. Very often there has been seen an almost black Spanish dancer resident there. But also the Sargassum frogfish can be found here, shrimps, stonefish and the nocturnal coral scorpionfish. With a size of 4 to 5cm and a light red-white coloration it looks very well protected. With a little luck you will see squid hunting.