Egypt
Marsa El Nabaa is named after Wādī en-Nābaʿ, a valley of the Red Sea mountains that begins at the level of the bay, just as neighbouring Abu Dabbab takes its name from Wādī Abū Dabbāb. Like Abu Dabbab, the bay used to serve as an anchorage, and it has a sandy beach on its west side.
In front of the resort's dive centre stretches a varied area of nearly 900 metres, alternating isolated coral pinnacles and coral gardens with rays, moray eels, turtles, barracudas, eagle rays and pipefish. On the slope in front of the Equinox there are several types of coral, and the most common residents are butterflyfish, wrasse, damselfish and dozens of leopard blennies sheltering in the fire coral. In the centre of the bay surgeonfish, triggerfish and butterflyfish show up and, with luck, a school of mackerel crosses the flat or a crocodilefish lies camouflaged on the bottom. Indian mackerel are frequently seen swimming with their mouths open and their gill rakers visible.
The bay also attracts turtles, rays, including eagle rays, and seahorses. In the area between Marsa El Nabaa and Abu Dabbab, dugongs pay visits, but an encounter is not guaranteed.
Information on this page, including technical data such as depth, current, visibility, access, and recommended level, is informational and may vary. Confirm actual conditions with a local operator before the dive.
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Reviews are from other divers — personal experiences, not guarantees.