Shaab Sabina

Overview

Shaab Sabina is a postcard coral-garden dive in the northern Hurghada area — a long, shallow reef wrapped around a sheltered sandy lagoon, where ridge after ridge of hard coral alternates with bright sand and the light dances on the bottom. Easy, scenic and almost always calm in the lee, it is one of the prettiest shallow dives near Hurghada and a favourite for relaxed drifts and snorkellers alike.

The Dive

The site is built around a maze of coral ergs and ridges north of the main reef, with a particularly lovely coral garden in the northwest. Most of the diving happens in the shallow range — the gardens run between roughly 5m and 14m — though the reef slopes gently on toward 30m for those who want a little more depth on the outer edge. The southern wall of the main reef climbs from around 8-10m straight to the surface, hard corals piled over each other like a Japanese garden, while about 150m off the main reef a picture-perfect lagoon sits in just a few metres of water. With current usually mild, the classic plan is an easy drift along the coral ridges, letting the topography and the play of light do the work. The nutrient-rich north side of the reef wall is where the marine life concentrates.

Marine Life

The reef is dense with hard corals — beautiful table and brain coral formations — that shelter clouds of small reef fish. Turtles do well here thanks to the abundant soft coral, and out along the richer northern wall divers regularly encounter reef sharks, barracuda and eagle rays, with big schools of tuna and barracuda passing in the blue. It is a reef built for slow looking, where the architecture of the coral is as much the attraction as any single species.

Good to Know

Shaab Sabina dives year-round and suits every level, from first-timers to advanced, with the shallow lagoon and coral gardens equally good for snorkelling. Visibility typically runs 10-20m. The site lies roughly 60-90 minutes by boat north of Hurghada and is a staple of day-trip itineraries. Take care to keep off the coral — the shallow, delicate gardens are exactly what makes this site special.