Marsa Alam, Elphinstone & Abu Dabbab

Marsa Alam spans easy seagrass bays, resort house reefs and the exposed offshore wall at Elphinstone. Abu Dabbab and Marsa Mubarak support green turtles and occasional dugongs, but the animals range widely and should not be sold as resident on demand.

Best time
Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Certification
Open water
Budget
$–$$ · under $2,000 to $2,000–4,000
Trip length
4–8 days
Trip style
Land based, Day trip, Shore dive, Liveaboard
Access
Easy

The short version

Known forDugong and turtle seagrass habitat.

Main tradeoffDugongs are scarce and encounters are never assured.

Marsa Alam, Elphinstone & Abu Dabbab dive region

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Your outlook

Explore 4 dive sites

Browse the map and wildlife below, or add an optional preference to narrow Marsa Alam, Elphinstone & Abu Dabbab.

Most relevant wildlife

  • Green sea turtleJan–Dec
  • Hawksbill turtleJan–Dec
  • Great barracudaJan–Dec
  • Oceanic whitetip sharkNo reliable month

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4 sites shown.

Conditions referenceSeason, water and visibilityBest Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov · Moderate current · 21.5–29.5°C (coldest Feb, warmest Aug)
Best months Operating
Current
Moderate
Water temperature
21.5–29.5°C (coldest Feb, warmest Aug)
Visibility
12–35m: House reefs and offshore walls are usually clearer than seagrass bays; wind and plankton change conditions.
Experience
Abu Dabbab and sheltered house reefs suit Open Water divers.

01 · Marine life

What you may see

rareoccasionalcommonly seenpeak seasondestination closed

Sightings are never guaranteed. The bars show typical likelihood by month.

Green sea turtleChelonia mydas
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarycommonly seen
Februarycommonly seen
Marchcommonly seen
Aprilcommonly seen
Maycommonly seen
Junecommonly seen
Julycommonly seen
Augustcommonly seen
Septembercommonly seen
Octobercommonly seen
Novembercommonly seen
Decembercommonly seen

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Hawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricata
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Great barracudaSphyraena barracuda
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Oceanic whitetip sharkCarcharhinus longimanus
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryrare
Februaryrare
Marchrare
Aprilrare
Mayrare
Junerare
Julyrare
Augustrare
Septemberrare
Octoberrare
Novemberrare
Decemberrare

Possible at Elphinstone, especially on suitable offshore dives; no guaranteed month map.

See all 8 species

02 · Dive sites

Dive sites worth knowing

A starting point, not a ranking. Conditions decide what works on the day.

See all 4 dive sites
03 · LogisticsGetting there and costsEasy. Fly to RMF. Typical trip $–$$.

Route overview

Easy

Day trips from a coastal base, about 1h from the airport, then a short boat.

Airport options

RMF

Marsa Alam International Airport

About 20–90 minutes by road depending on the resort

Typical trip cost

$–$$

under $2,000 to $2,000–4,000

Per person, excluding international flights.

  • House-reef packages can remain below USD 2,000 for a week; Elphinstone, Abu Dabbab and boat supplements add materially.
  • A current Abu Dabbab entry fee is EGP 650 on one major operator list.

Permit or park fee

What you pay

Fees are site-specific rather than one universal wristband. One current 2026 list charges EGP 650 for Abu Dabbab entry

confirm all supplements.

How it works

Operators handle park, coastguard and special-site access. Use licensed CDWS providers.

Sources & last checked

Checked September 2026

Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.

View 4 sources and checking notes

Note on the data: Dugong month claims are not coded because evidence supports occurrence, not dependable seasonality. Current fee evidence is operator-published. Water temperature: Rounded southern Red Sea surface bands. Access: RMF is close to Port Ghalib, but southern resorts can require much longer road transfers. Elphinstone is an exposed speedboat or liveaboard trip.