Abu Dabbab Dugong Bay

Marsa Alam · Southern Red Sea · Egypt

Abu Dabbab Dugong Bay holds a unique position among Egyptian Red Sea dive sites as one of the very few places in the world where divers can reliably encounter a wild dugong on a recreational dive. This sheltered bay south of Marsa Alam features a broad seagrass meadow stretching across a sandy bottom, creating the feeding habitat that draws and sustains the area's resident dugong -- a large, gentle marine mammal related to manatees and one of the most elusive creatures in the ocean. I entered the water at dawn, wading in from the sandy beach and descending to the seagrass beds at around 8 meters. Within twenty minutes of patient waiting, the dugong appeared from the blue-green haze, a massive grey shape gliding slowly above the seagrass, its broad tail sweeping in unhurried strokes. It settled to feed, uprooting seagrass with its bristled snout while clouds of sand billowed around it. Watching this enormous animal graze at arm's length -- unhurried, indifferent to my presence -- was among the most profound wildlife encounters I have experienced underwater. But the dugong is not the only draw. The seagrass beds host a permanent population of green turtles, often five or six on a single dive, resting on sandy patches or feeding alongside the dugong. Guitar sharks lie half-buried in the sand near the reef edge, their flattened bodies betraying them only by the rhythmic movement of their gill slits. Blue-spotted stingrays scatter from sandy channels, and octopuses change color and texture as they move between coral heads. The reef itself, fringing the bay's northern and southern edges, supports healthy hard coral growth with resident moray eels, pufferfish, parrotfish, and dense populations of reef fish. Macro enthusiasts will find pipefish, seahorses, and nudibranchs on careful inspection of the coral rubble zones. Abu Dabbab's shore entry, shallow depths, and minimal currents make it accessible to divers of all levels, but the emotional impact of meeting a dugong face to face is something that stays with you long after you have dried off and driven back to Marsa Alam.