Abu Dabbab Bay

Abu Dabbab is a sandy bay on the Red Sea coast of southern Egypt, north of the town of Marsa Alam on the coastal road towards El Quseir. It is crescent-shaped, with a wide sandy beach, and is bordered on its northern and southern sides by coral reefs that run along the edges of the bay.

The gently sloping sandy floor of the bay is covered in places with seagrass meadows. Seagrass is a main food of the green sea turtle, and turtles are regularly seen grazing here close to the shore. The bay has also been known for appearances of the dugong, a marine mammal that is rare in the Red Sea, although sightings are not guaranteed. These features have made Abu Dabbab one of the best-known snorkelling and diving sites in the Marsa Alam area.

Visitors enter the water directly from the beach. They swim over the seagrass to watch the turtles or move to the reefs at the sides, where colourful reef fish are found. Rules are applied at the site to protect marine life, in particular against touching or chasing turtles, because of the bay's ecological importance.