Gabr El Bint

Part of the attraction of this site is the novelty of the commute - by camel along the inaccessible coastline between Dahab and Nabeq to the north of Sharm El Sheikh. The sight of a train of camels, driven by Bedouin in full regalia and loaded down with high-tech dive gear, is an unforgettable one.

The site is a sheer wall running around the north point of a curving bay. Following the coastline, the wall drops to depths well past 50m (164ft). Within the bay, the wall begins at depths from 8-20m (26-65ft), above which a gently sloping reef flat leads to shore, dotted with sand flats and acropora. North around the point, the upper reef slope widens, encompassing a veritable forest of soft coral which blanket the reef completely in places, as well as numerous huge goronians in the 2 to 3m (7-20ft) range. Inshore, a large sandy lagoon dotted with coral heads lies just past the point, an excellent place to spot rays and numerous large crocodilefish.

There are abundant soft and hard coral formations. Most species of fish are sparsely represented.

This is one of the most unusual sites along the Sinai coast, and well worth the effort.