Dahab · Egypt · Reef · Lagoon
Shaab Said
A school of snubnose rudderfish chasing each other in the second lagoon
Area photo: Tim Sheerman-Chase · CC BY 2.0
Shaab Said is a boat dive south of Dahab, a one-way swim that links two lagoons over stone corals, pinnacles and small caves. It is shallow enough to be a third dive of the day, and few divers visit it, which keeps the reef in good condition.
Also known as Sha'ab Said.
Where it is and how deep
28.3686° N, 34.4432° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Divers jump from the drifting boat just in front of the first lagoon and swim in over stone corals. The route then drifts out between pinnacles, small caves and swim-throughs, heading north as a one-way dive, with most of the time spent at about 15 m. The dive ends in the second lagoon, where a school of snubnose rudderfish chases through the water alongside black-and-white snappers.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| 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.
Dive videos
Dive Urge Dive Resort: Turtle at Sha'ab Said, Oct 2012 · DiveUrgeResortDahab on YouTube
Dahab Shaab Said - Juli 2012 · KimKraken on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Shaab Said a shore or boat dive?+
A boat dive: the ride takes about 55 minutes, and divers jump from the drifting boat and swim north from the first lagoon to the second.
Sources
- Dahab dive sites — Sinai Divers
- Shaab Said — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Dahab
Lagoon
A cave-like canyon with swim-throughs beyond the shallow lagoon
A small reef filled to the brim with schooling bannerfish
A 26-metre tunnel at 55 metres links the sinkhole to open water
Coral garden
Shared entrance with the Canyon, then a slow run south
Garden eels standing in the sand a few fin-kicks from the entry
Sand slope
A single large block at 14 metres, loaded with small life
Drift
A canyon from 20 to 50 metres and a forest of giant gorgonians
Reef
A town house reef: seagrass, then coral blocks to 22 metres
Similar dives elsewhere
A horseshoe of reef enclosing a pool of coral gardens
The Fury Shoals' longest reef, with a resident spinner-dolphin pod
Four small reefs around a lagoon, canyon terrain, mild current
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A table-coral channel from the lagoon out to a pelagic drop-off