Sha’ab El Erg

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Shaab El Erg is a horseshoe-shaped reef (about 7 KM in length) with at the center a small lagoon scattered with ergs. It is also one of the natural habitats in the Red Sea of a large group of Spinner dolphins. The open end of the reef is facing south.

Shaab El Erg has a sandy bottom at a depth of 12 meters and it gently drops down to a coral garden.

Shaab El Erg is huge reef plenty of marine life including sea slugs, blue-spotted rays, moray eels, and Napoleon wrasse.

It is a shallow dive site till approximately 22 meters, has a channel and an ‘island’ with a little lagoon.

Being a favorite meeting point for dolphins, Shaab El Erg gives you a great opportunity to dive with these magnificent mammals.

Imagine this amazing sight. You are diving at Shaab El Erg and suddenly a group of dolphins, in perfect formation, is heading your way and the dolphins are passing by a few times, curious as they are. Wouldn’t this be a lifetime experience? Their dynamic swimming and their attitude are more graceful than you could ever feel and see. If you encounter dolphins, it is better to swim parallel to them and raise their curiosity. If you are swimming towards them, they will often go away. But most of the time they start to play and they want to impress the divers with their unusual movements and pirouettes.

At the south-eastern end of Shaab El Erg is a circa 8 meters deep channel between the end of the main reef and two small round reefs that are very beautiful and overgrown with table corals and small coral blocks.

From the plateau to the wall, you will find three pinnacles close to each other, from big to the smallest. After heading out of the channel you will find another 4 pinnacles lined up and leading you to the lagoon over a beautiful coral garden with many table corals.

Shaab El Erg is also ideal for night dives. While night diving you have a great chance to spot nudibranch, feather stars and other micro-life that you would simply pass by on any other normal dive.

Diving at Shaab El Erg is really worth a boat trip.