Dahab · Egypt · Drift · Wall
El Shugarath
A canyon from 20 to 50 metres and a forest of giant gorgonians
Area photo: Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0
El Shugarath is a day-boat dive roughly 14 kilometres south of Dahab, about 50 minutes out. A sandy plateau drops steeply away from 20 metres into a canyon that runs from 20 down to 50, and north of it stands a forest of giant gorgonians. Current can be strong in places, so the site is usually dived as a drift along the drop.
Where it is and how deep
28.3567° N, 34.4391° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is about a 50-minute boat ride from Dahab. You start over a sandy plateau, which drops steeply away from 20 metres, and after a short swim reach the canyon: it stretches from 20 metres down to 50, so how deep this dive goes is a decision made on the boat rather than in the water, and the plateau edge is the reference for everything after it.
North of the canyon is the forest of giant gorgonians the site is known for, with longnose hawkfish sitting in the fans and nudibranchs and octopus on the rock between them. Large barracuda, snappers and fusiliers hold along the drop, and turtles, tuna and mackerel come past out of the blue. Current is strong in places, which is why most of it is dived as a drift.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Sea turtles
- Tuna
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Dahab: Conditions stay calm and shore-diveable year-round; visibility peaks in spring and autumn shoulder months.
Know before you go
- Current is strong in places along the drop; the dive is run as a one-way drift, so stay with the guide and carry a surface marker for the pickup.
Questions divers ask
How deep is El Shugarath?+
The plateau starts to drop from 20 metres and the canyon below it runs from 20 down to 50 metres. A recreational dive works the top of that range; the full 50 metres is beyond normal limits, and current can be strong along the same stretch.
Sources
- El Shugarath - Dahab dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Dahab
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Reef
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Wall
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Reef
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Freediving lines to 40 m and a scrap-metal elephant on the sand
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