Abu Dabbab is probably the most beautiful bay of Marsa Alam, Red Sea, which has recently also become a protected natural park by the Egyptian government. So it is obligatory to pay a fee to visit this beautiful lagoon.
As you can see in the picture by satellite, which you can click to go to Google Maps, the lagoon is huge, with very fine sand. On the right stands the hotel complex Sol Y Mar Abu Dabbab. The Reef to visit are placed on two sides of the lagoon, both starting from the shore, the left reef is the most attractive (or at least so say the guides) and is probably the finest of Marsa Alam, from what I saw .
The lagoon is interesting too, because inside there are almost always the giant green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and with high probability the famous Dugong (Dugong dugon), marine mammal very famous because of being on the brink of extinction. In August is very difficult to see them because they don’t like the people and the heat. We have not seen them, but was seen in the bay of Marsa Shoona the day after our visit in the same bay. Pity.
Abu Dabbab is several kilometers from the airport of Marsa Alam, even if it is before the town. So to get there from our resort we spent a good half an hour.
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| The Desert | Gas station in the middle of desert | Oasis? |
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| Telecomunication in the desert | Street to airport | Wonderful desert |
Here we are wonderful pictures of this place
Right side, with Sol Y Mar Abu Dabbab Resort
The reef, from left side
The Sol Y Mar
The beach
In this lagoon we have made a total of 3 dives divided over two days. The first on left reef and the second in the lagoon to search turtles (found) and dugongs. The third still on the reef on the left along with Simo, for her first dive. In the third dive there is also the diving profile to make you realize how you move underwater. All dives are very easy.
Technical data of first dive:
Maximum depth: 22,2 meters
Minimum Temperature: 28°C
Dive time: 53 minuti
Diving: SeaWorld
Divemaster: Bazooka
We begin to take our armour 🙂
The great Bazooka will be our divemaster for the next dives.
Bazooka smiling
Lumaz is ready to go…
Bazooka & Lumaz
Lumaz and Bazooka are entering into the Red Sea
And finally we go … The first meters are full of suspension because of the sea not too quiet and the multitude of people who are in the lagoon to snorkel and dive. After the first few meters, and especially when it starts to go under, things improve exponentially, and is almost like stepping on their own.
A wonderful yellow Acropora, impossible not to note it
Ampiphrion Bicinctus and anemone
Ampiphrion bicinctus and anemone
Seascape…
Fishes and diver in the same place…
Wonderful Naso lituratus
Stone fish, Synanceia verrucosa, thanks to Bazooka’s eye
Again
Wonderful scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis oxycephalus, thanks again to Bazooka’s eye
Fire coral again… I love them
Seascape
Seascape
Pseudoanthias squamipinnis
Beautiful Paracirrithes forsteri, isn’t it?
Turbinaria mesenterina
Turbinaria mesenterina, HUGE!
Pygoplites diacanthus
Triggerfish – Pseudobalistes fuscus
Stingray, Taeniura lymma
Balloonfish – arothron diadematus
LionFish – Pterois volitans
LionFish – Pterois volitans
A great seascape with some fishes on blue!
Wonderful Turbinaria mesenterina
Wrasse – Cheilinus lunulatus
Stingray, Taeniura lymma
Xenia…
Lionfish, Pterois volitans
Lionfish, Pterois volitans
Pseudoanthias squamippinis on great seascape
Lumaz & Bazooka
Turbinaria
One of the many crocodilefish. Papilloculiceps longiceps.
WOW! Tridacna maxima
Tridacna maxima
Beautiful male of Scarus ferrugineus
Many Pseudoanthias squamipinnis on great seascape
Cephalopholis argus, waiting for a meal…
Giant moray, Gymnothorax javanicus, hiding
Pseudoanthias squamipinnis, male front, two female behind
Zebrasoma Desjardinii
Two sergeantfish, Abudefduf saxatilis
Zebrasoma searching for food left from some stupid men… as you know, the meal they eat, egg or bread, can lead them to die.
In the middle Pygoplites diacanthus
Corals and corals…
Pseudoanthias squamipinnis again over acropora’s bed
Paracirrithes forsteri
What seascape!!!
I want to be there… NOW!!!
Arabian triggerfish, Rhinecanthus assasi
Two wonderful Chaetodon semilarvatus
Two wonderful Chaetodon semilarvatus
Technical data of second dive:
Maximum depth: 9,1 meters
Mimimum temperature: 29°C
Dive time: 48 minutes
Diving: SeaWorld
Divemaster: Bazooka
The second dive was intended to sightings of turtles and the dugong … we have not seen the second but many beautiful turtles …
The dive was shallow and very very easy … and the encounter with the turtle was very very exciting.
Snowflake moray, Echidna nebulosa
Bothus pantherinus, hiding on sand
Finally we met the wonderful giant green turtles.
The turtle is eating
I think there is no need to use ither words… extremely wonderful!
So we reach the third dive, that truly we did three days afterm
Technical data of third dive:
Maximum depth: 25,2 meters
Minimum temperature: 28°C
Dive time: 50 minutes
Diving: SeaWorld
Divemaster: Bazooka
Dive profile
And now let me show you the wonderful pictures
Butterflyfish Chaetodon semilarvatus
Beautiful crocodilefish, Papilloculiceps longiceps, not so small 😉
Nearer
Acropora
Wonderful acropora with Zebrasoma desjardinii
Cuttlefish
Giant Moray, Gymnothorax javanicus
The same moray has left his home… wonderful…
Fish and fish… many Pseudoanthias squamipinnis
Great lionfish Pterois Volitans… What a pity the suspension
Pygoplites diacanthus at very bottom (25 meters…)… you can see the different color because the absence of red
Balloonfish Arothron stellatus
Crocodilefish, Papilloculiceps longiceps
Two stingrays together, Taeniura lynna
Fat lionfish, Pterois volitans
Crocodilefish, Papilloculiceps longiceps
Porites
Triggerfish Balistapus ondulatus
What a beautiful stingray, Taeniura Lymma
Wonderful Pygoplites diacanthus, we are near the surface and so there a slighlty loss of red…
Epinephelus polyphekadion
Simo inside fishes…
Lionfish waiting, Pterois volitans
Many Porites…
Dascyllus aruanus over pink Pocillopora…
Zebrasoma Desjardinii over Porites
Softie, but I don’t know which…
Pink Stylophora, a simple dream of mine…
Small fishes inside this Acropora
Small butterflyfish, wonderful… maybe Chaetodon mellannotus
Finally we see a beautiful Acanthurus sohal
One of my preferred fish, butterflyfish Chaetodon semilarvatus
Here we are an octopus… but we did not see more than this… what a pity
another Acanthurus sohal
Tridacna
And we have finished the pictures… I hope you enjoy them… Any comments???
Other post linked from the same trip::
– Introduzione: Marsa Alam – Holiday Beach Resort 2009
– Marsa Asalaya
– Abu Dabbab
– Marsa Shoona
– House Reef
– Marsa Murein
If you want more informations about fishes of red sea you can buy the Red Sea Guide written by Helmut Debelius… from Amazon
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Red Sea Reef Guide
written by Helmut Debelius ed. Primaris – Hollywood Import & Export Inc. Price: 61,32 $ amazon.com |
The fish and the maximas are especially beautiful!
Very cool set of pic’s, I am very jealous.
I agree with Chris those clams are awesome, and some of those Lionfish shots are stellar to say the least.