Zabargad Island (reefs & Turtle Bay)
The largest island of Egypt's far-south marine parks, about 4.5 km² and rising to 235 m, surrounded by fringing reefs and sheltered lagoons. In the bays, walls to about 15 m slope down to 30 m with caverns and gullies, home to turtles, crocodilefish, cuttlefish and octopus; outside the bays, drifts can bring grey reef and oceanic whitetip sharks and mantas at cleaning stations.
Facts
- Region: Southern Red Sea – Egypt
- Area: Rocky Island & Zabargad
- Depth: 5–30 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: moderate
- Type: reef, wall, bay, night
- Coordinates: 23.604, 36.2129 (approximate)
- Highlights: turtle, crocodilefish, cuttlefish, octopus, stingray, scorpionfish, sweetlips, manta, oceanic whitetip shark, grey reef shark
- Tips: Sheltered anchorages make it a good night-dive stop on southern liveaboard routes.