GPS: N 24°02,683′ E 35° 41,550′
- General Information
- Dive Routes
- Route A: mooring – coral garden
- Abu Diab lies 4 km north of the Ras Banas peninsula. W 250 m long reef rises from a depth of 20 m and provides enough shelter to moor at overnight because of its size. Nevertheless, only a few boats stop by, since the liveaboards from the south usually sail straight to the Fury Shoals that start just 13 km further north.
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- At a depth of 5 to 8 m at the reef’s southern tip, there is a small system of caves and caverns A, which are easy to explore, and at the southwestern and northern walls lie extensive coral gardens A A consisting of large boulder corals, which on closer inspection reveal shrimps, sea slugs and pipefish, besides the usual moray eels and blue spotted stingrays. Unfortunately, some parts of the reef walls are damaged-probably because of fishing in the area. At a depth of 20 m, the reef is surrounded by the usual sandy seabed scattered with coral rocks A.
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- The diving conditions at the site are quite easy. Currents flow by, but they are usually weak to moderate and are blocked by the reef. As is the case wherever the sandy seabed covers a large area, the visibility underwater may sometimes be diminished due to stirred up sediments.
- Because of its large size, Abu Diab cannot be circled in a single dive, especially not when the currents flow by. However, the most interesting parts are the caves in the south A and the coral garden at the western wall A. The conditions to the southwest even allow for night diving, so if your boat is moored near the southern tip, you can dive into the caves at night. However, make sure to explore them beforehand during the day.
- Although Abu Diab is not among the top spots in the Red Sea, the reef offers relaxing dives away from the usual routes and mass tourism.
- Duration: about 50 min. Difficulty: * Start the dive directly from the liveaboard at the southern mooring 1. Dive through the caverns A, whose entrance lies here at a depth of 6 m. To avoid inadvertently diving into the second eastern passage, which is a dead-end, have a look at the reef from the boat prior to descending-both passages can be clearly seen in the reef flat. Because sufficient light always penetrates the reef flat, it is almost impossible to get lost. At the exit turn north, keeping the reef on your right shoulder, and swim along the coral garden A. After half of your dive time, turn around and dive back to the boat with the reef on your left shoulder.
Route B: northern side-mooring
- Duration: about 65 min. Difficulty: * Select this alternative route when a strong current is present, otherwise the dive will take a long time.
- Go by RIB to the northern side. Descend and dive back to the boat keeping the reef on your right shoulder. Note that coral gardens are also found in the indentations in the northern wall A. If you find yourself diving against the current once you have entered the water, you can also reach the mooring by diving along to the western side keeping the reef on your left shoulder.
- Tips / Hazards • The cavern system in the south A and the coral garden
- on the western flank, A are interesting Easy diving conditions When possible, dive directly from the liveaboard The route back to the boat from the northern side is long
