Turtle Bay

Overview

Turtle Bay is an easygoing drift over a sandy plateau studded with coral pinnacles, set along the local reef line north of Sharm El Sheikh near Ras Nasrani. As the name promises, it is one of the better spots near town to find turtles cropping the soft corals, and its gentle profile and forgiving conditions make it a true all-levels dive. With room for a group to spread out and a steady supply of resting rays and glassfish-wrapped pinnacles, it is a relaxed, rewarding boat dive — and on the right current, a shore dive too.

The Dive

This is a classic drift, run either north-to-south or south-to-north depending on the day's current, across a broad sandy plateau between roughly 10m and 26m. Large coral pillars and pinnacles rise from the sand at intervals, each one a magnet for life, and the plan is simply to drift with the flow, hopping from pinnacle to pinnacle and scanning the sand between them. There is no need for depth here — the whole dive sits comfortably within recreational limits — so it is an unhurried, spread-out cruise rather than a technical challenge.

Current is the variable that sets the starting point, and a quick check before entry decides the direction; otherwise conditions are typically benign, which is what makes Turtle Bay so beginner-friendly while still keeping experienced divers happy.

Marine Life

The headline is the turtles — green and hawksbill turtles are regularly seen grazing the soft corals along the plateau. The coral pillars are wrapped in dense clouds of glassfish, and the sandy stretches between them are prime territory for larger blue-spotted and feathertail stingrays resting up. Add in moray eels, lionfish, groupers and the usual swirl of anthias and butterflyfish, and it is a consistently lively dive with a good shot at the Red Sea's most-wanted reptile.

Good to Know

Sharm dives year-round, most comfortably April to November, with water from about 22°C in winter to 28°C in summer; visibility is typically around 25m. Turtle Bay's gentle drift and shallow plateau make it ideal for newer divers, refreshers and relaxed fun dives, while the turtle and ray action keep it on experienced divers' lists. It sits among the northern local sites near Ras Nasrani and is easily reached by day boat, or by shore when the current cooperates.