Shaab Marsa Alam

Current: N in the morning, N at midday, N/E in the afternoon
Visibility: J, F, M, A 25-35m, M, J, J, A 30-60m, S, O, N, D 50-80m
Temperatures: J, F, M: 23-25°C; A, M, J: 26-28°C; J, A, S: 28-32°C; O, N, D: 28-24°C
Depth: 30 m

Overview

This exciting reef is located 25 minutes off Marsa Alam. Here you will find a wreck, cavern systems and one of the most beautiful mountain coral gardens. Almost all the liveaboard boats that depart from Marsa Alam will make their first and maybe last dive of the safari here. Shaab Marsa Alam is also a nice place for night diving.

Description

Shaab Marsa Alam is 350m to 400m long and shaped like an inverted L. In the north it starts with 50m width and expands to 80m until the beginning of the lagoon in the middle. Then it continues on the east side with a width of 10 to 20m like a barrier to the south.
There are some real sights: In the lower part of the lagoon, west of the barrier, at a depth of 12 to 15m, there are two coral blocks - a large one of 1 by 20m and a smaller one of 6 by 6m. They stretch from the northeast to the southwest and are so intergrown that they look like a reef of their own. They are nicely overgrown with hard and soft corals in the upper part. There is a small cavern system to explore.

In the northeast you can still find the remains of a sunken safari boat. Here you will encounter crocodile fish, moray eels and schools of snappers.

To the north and west there is another beautiful coral garden. Both contain cleaning stations, are dotted with sandy areas and are home to garden eels, schools of barbels, snappers and other reef fish. You can find moray eels, octopus, snails and cheeky nemos. Both sites are easiest to access by Zodiac. The way back to the boat is doable, in any case you make it in sight of the safari boat to be picked up by the Zodiac.

Hotspots

Sha'ab Marsa Alam has a very special highlight to offer some of us: Diving with dolphins!
Wreck: Diving to a wreck is always a very special highlight and here it is possible for every man and woman.
Caves: The caves or caverns are located near the wreck and it is a real pleasure for us to be enchanted by the light shows here.
Coral garden: We definitely can not miss the mountain coral garden - it is considered one of the most beautiful ever!

Dive Plans

1.Colorful mountain coral world 2.Snails and eels 3.Checkdive with caverns and wreck

Colorful mountain coral world

This part of the reef is a very large lagoon with mountain corals of all colors. They extend from east over south to west at a water depth of 5 to 20m. Let the Zodiac take you to the northeast corner and dive the coral garden relaxed towards the west. Actually the current should support you more, but just orientate yourself on the fish. The western tip should be surrounded, because behind it there is a chance to see dolphins.

Snails and eels

To the east is a slightly older coral field between 20 and 30m deep that is teeming with snails. In the middle is a large sandy area at 20m with garden eels and whitetip reef sharks. The Zodiac should drop you off at the northern end of the coral garden and the current should always be on your side. Diving south you can dive another big block if the air allows it.

Checkdive with caverns and wreck

In the southwest there is a gota (coral block), on the north side of which lies the wreck of a safari boat. The area around the gota has 10 to 15 meters of depth and is ideal to make the first dive of the safari. After the general exercises, you should just dive around the small reef and look at the wreck, as well as the caves: They are flooded with light, narrow in parts and stretch high up to three meters. Pay attention to your ears, then a visit is well worth it.