Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib · Egypt · Reef · Pinnacle
Abu Dabab III
Shallow reef to 15-20 m with pinnacles off the southeast
Area photo: David Sanford · CC BY-SA 3.0
Abu Dabab III is a shallow reef with a maximum depth of about 15 to 20 m, one of the numbered reefs in the Abu Dabab group. It can be dived several ways, including as a drift, and the pinnacles off the southeast corner are the part worth budgeting time for if you like hunting for small and unusual marine life.
Where it is and how deep
25.3483° N, 34.7784° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is a shallow site, bottoming out at about 15 to 20 m, so the dive is long rather than deep and the plan matters more than the profile. There are several ways to run it, including as a drift, which means the shape of the dive depends on what the boat and the conditions decide on the morning. Ask before you get in: a drift and a round trip out of the same entry point look very different once you are down and moving.
The pinnacles around the southeast are the part of the reef to save gas for, and they are where the unusual marine life people come here for tends to be found. Work them slowly rather than swimming past, and look into the gaps between the coral heads instead of over the top of them. Shallow water and a lot of structure suits photographers, so keep the pace down, stay off the coral while you manoeuvre between the heads, and finish over the top of the reef where the light is best.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib: Dugongs and dolphins are resident year-round; spring and autumn bring the calmest seas for Elphinstone.
Sources
- Abu Dabab III — Scubago
More dive sites in Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib
Two of the seven dugongs known on Egypt's Red Sea coast.
Coral garden
Coral garden to 25 m, a quarter of an hour south of the marina
Best chances of oceanic whitetips run from October to December.
Reef
A horseshoe of reef enclosing a pool of coral gardens
Wall
Starts at a 27 m pinnacle by the drop-off, then drifts shallow
Reef
Canyons cut into a reef table at only 8-10 m
Two resident dugongs grazing a shallow seagrass meadow.
Walk-in bay entry onto north and south reefs
Similar dives elsewhere
Freediving lines to 40 m and a scrap-metal elephant on the sand
One coral head, from a 9 m base to a table at 19 m
Swim-throughs and pinnacles from 10 metres, diveable year-round.
A maze of coral columns down to sand at 20 m