| Marsa Abu Dabab is a semi-circular bay which is part of the main coastline north of Marsa Alam and south of Marsa Galib. Little more than a sandy slope with seagrass patches there is no coral reef in the bay and visibility is regularly as little as 5m in the shallows. So what's the attraction? Well apart from the resident Dugong, there are large green sea turtles that munch on the seagrass and a very good chance of guitar sharks, who also favour the shallow seagrass area. This dive is often done as the final dive on a south safari and there is little point venturing deeper than 15m allowing divers to spend plenty of time in the shallow water looking for one or more of the main 3 attractions here. A good dive plan is to start at the south entrance to the bay and get all the divers in the group to form a line. Placing the deepest diver in around 15m and spacing divers 3 or 4 metres apart will mean that in a group of 6 to 8 divers those in the shallows will be in just 3 metres of water. Once in position the line simple moves around the perimeter of the bay area in a sweeping formation. Those in the deeper water should remember to swim very slowly as the line is moving like the hand on a clock, so those in the shallows have further to swim. Using this plan greatly enhances the chances of seeing either the green turtles or guitar sharks, which tend to be in the shallows. Once divers spot something the others can be signalled down the line. As mentioned the visibility is usually poor here due to the sand being picked up by any swell. Keep an eye out for silver jacks (either lone or in pairs) close to the seagrass. These scavengers have a tendency to follow and pester guitar sharks, scavenging food from them, so if you spot the silver jacks it's usually a good indication there is a guitar shark below them. If you find the large green turtles feeding on the grass they will usually be accompanied by large remora fish. These fish cling to the shells of the turtles and are a pelagic marine fish in their own right. The relationship is symbiotic - the remora acts as a cleaner removing parasites from the turtles and in return obtaining a meal. Dennis the dugong is a unique feature of this site and not something I have seen anywhere else in the Red Sea |
| |
