//
A sheltered sandy bay good for kiddy-bathing and windsurfing. No coral so you do not cut your feet, but it means nothing for snorkellers or divers to look at.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The beach and nearby Islands. It is shallow, good for snorkelling and beginner divers.
You descend across the gravel wash to the meadow then turn south along the reef. It is the house reef for the southside dive shacks.
It is just a few masonry foundations, but this was once a major port receiving spices and other valuable goods from India. From here goods were taken overland to Petra then onward to Gaza for shipping across the Med. The Nabataeans emerged as an independent Arab nation in the 4th century BC, for long acting as a buffer state for Rome then annexed into the Roman Empire in 106 AD, and disappearing by the 5th century AD. Just peer through the railings on the prom, you havve seen enough.
The shallows are red gravel washed down from the wadi, deepening to a sea grass meadow which is a likely area to spot turtles or sea horses. A life-sized but dilapidated metal statue of an elephant at 18 m depth is the cue to turn north and come onto the attractive coral reef.
Dive, climb, trek and freedive. The owner, Said, was Dahab's first Bedouin to learn to dive nearly 30 years ago. Excellent for combining diving and desert adventure (PADI 5-Star Gold Palm Resort, Home of the Camel Diving Safari). Given their Bedouin roots, they have also led the way in developing professional trekking and rock climbing. Their efforts to integrate adventure sports and tourism with the Bedouin community are very popular - they were awarded an EU grant for developing and promoting sustainable tourism in the Sinai.
They are sand eels, scores of them shaped like a "?" and gently swaying. They retract as you approach and extend as you leave, to resume considering their question.