Hurghada & El Gouna · Egypt · Reef · Artificial reef
Shab Tag Makadi Bay
A desalination pipe sheltering crocodilefish and lionfish
Area photo: Tanya Dedyukhina · CC BY 3.0
An easy, shallow reef inside Makadi Bay that leads out to a desalination outfall pipe. The pipe is the draw: it shelters crocodilefish, bluespotted stingrays and lionfish, and a small wreck lies beside it at 18 metres, which is the deepest part of an otherwise undemanding dive.
Where it is and how deep
26.9935° N, 33.9024° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef itself is shallow and easy, and it works as a lead-in: you follow it out until the desalination outfall pipe appears, and from there the pipe is the dive. Structures like this collect what the open reef does not, and this one is described as sheltering crocodilefish, bluespotted stingrays and lionfish, so it is worth working slowly and close rather than swimming its length.
Next to the pipe, at 18 metres, sits a small wreck, and that is the deepest point of the dive as well as its second feature. Nothing is published about the vessel itself, so it is worth a look rather than a plan. Work the pipe and the wreck while you have gas for the depth, then come back up onto the shallow reef and finish there, which keeps the profile comfortably conservative.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Hurghada & El Gouna: Diving runs all year; the seas settle from March to November and are calmest in summer, while February brings the coolest water.
Questions divers ask
What is there to see at Shab Tag?+
A desalination outfall pipe that shelters crocodilefish, bluespotted stingrays and lionfish, plus a small wreck lying beside it at 18 metres. The surrounding reef is shallow and easy.
Sources
- Shab Tag Makadi bay dive site — Scubago (SSI MyDiveGuide)
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