Marsa Mubarak

Marsa Alam · Red Sea Governorate · Egypt

Marsa Mubarak is a sheltered bay on Egypt's southern Red Sea coast that has become one of the most sought-after marine encounters in the country, not for its coral walls or wreck diving but for its resident dugongs. These gentle marine mammals, related to the manatee and increasingly rare across their Indo-Pacific range, graze on the bay's seagrass beds with a regularity that has made Marsa Mubarak one of the most reliable places in the world to see them in the wild. The bay is a natural indentation in the coastline about ten kilometers south of Marsa Alam, protected from prevailing winds by low headlands on either side. The bottom is a mix of sand, seagrass meadows, and scattered coral patches, with a maximum depth of around 18 meters in the center. Entry is from the beach, wading over shallow sand before the bottom gently drops away. I entered the water at dawn, when the bay was still quiet and the low sun cast golden shafts through the surface. Within fifteen minutes, a shape materialized over the seagrass at four meters depth: a dugong, perhaps two and a half meters long, systematically pulling up seagrass with its broad downturned snout and leaving trails of disturbed sediment behind it. The animal was unhurried and apparently indifferent to my presence, continuing to graze as I hovered at a respectful distance. Its rounded body, paddle-shaped tail, and small dark eyes gave it an ancient, almost prehistoric appearance. A second dugong appeared shortly after, an adult with a smaller juvenile, and the two grazed side by side for another twenty minutes before drifting into deeper water. Green sea turtles are the bay's other headline residents. They are present in large numbers, resting on sandy patches between seagrass beds and coral heads, and are among the most habituated turtles I have encountered anywhere. Several allowed me to hover within two meters, watching me with the calm disinterest of animals that have learned humans pose no threat. The fringing reef on the bay's northern edge offers conventional Red Sea reef diving in miniature. Healthy hard corals support populations of butterflyfish, parrotfish, and surgeonfish. Moray eels peer from crevices, lionfish hover under overhangs, and blue-spotted stingrays rest on sandy patches. The reef is shallow, rarely exceeding 12 meters, making it ideal for newer divers and extended bottom times. Marsa Mubarak is not a site for adrenaline or technical challenge. Its value lies in the rarity and intimacy of the dugong encounters and the gentle, accessible nature of the diving and snorkeling. Visibility ranges from 10 to 20 meters depending on wind and sediment conditions, and water temperatures span from 22 degrees in winter to 29 in summer. The bay is diveable year-round, though early morning visits before the day-trip crowds arrive offer the most peaceful experiences.