Gota Shaab El Erg

A narrow channel separates the Gota from the main reef, and the hard corals stand out above all in this channel. To the south and west stretches a large sandy plateau with many coral turrets and coral heads, and the coral heads to the south are especially interesting for photographers. Generally, the dive makes a full clockwise circuit of the Gota and takes in the coral garden lying south of it.

Dolphins are very often seen at the Gota: it is their place to sleep. In the region, Shaab El Erg is a horseshoe reef open to the south, and spinner dolphins use its sheltered lagoon to rest during the day, hence the name Dolphin House.

On the plateau around the Gota there are scorpionfish, groupers, snowflake morays, blue spotted rays and many triggerfish, and the area also has emperor angel fish. Bluespotted rays stay on the sand between the coral heads, and each pinnacle on the sandy seabed has its own fish. Turtles often appear in the coral garden south of the Gota.