Good visibility and excellent corals are a safe bet in R.E.T. and there
is always the chance to see turtles, rays and even sharks. Sites
include:
Etnin
Galawa - The 'two lagoons' are poised between beds of some of the
most intact coral
you will see. Being a dive on the east facing wall this is often achieved
by a boat
drop and zodiac pickup, using the drift to explore the reef wall.
Hawksbill turtles
are regular visitors and there is a pinnacle infested with boxer shrimp
for the macro
lovers, but the coral is the star with beds of goniopora mixing it with
huge salad
corals.
Abu Siyal - The boat moors in a natural lagoon that forms the
most northern
part of a sprawling bay. Here a sand strip that starts at 5mt separates
the main
reef from a series of beds that form a drop-off. Pufferfish and goatfish
can be found
on the sand patch and the drop off is covered in anthias and other
small fish life.
Exploring further south you could spot a turtle or two, but on the way
back watch
out at 9mt for one of the most picturesque pinnacles in this area,
complete with
a totally undamaged table coral that plays host to the secretive lemon
coral goby.
Kora Kebir - For advanced divers only, seeing the 'big ball' loom
out of the distance
at a depth of 25mt is a memorable experience. On the outer edge of
this unique coral
formation the drop off extends below 50mt and you are right out in the
blue, meaning
big life encounters are possible. Coming across a deep sand plateau
back to the main
reef you may encounter a large resident school of barracuda before
exploring the
shallows of the reef wall to end your dive.
Shaab Salata - Named after some very
large and vivid salad corals, this dive is usually done by zodiac one-
way. In amongst
the coral beds you can find hawksbill turtles and all the usual red sea
fish, but
the lucky few may well spot the resident black-tip reef shark. It pays to
keep your
head up on this one!
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