Located just a short drive south of Marsa Alam, Abu Sail is a lesser-known but stunning shore dive site perfect for divers seeking peace, clarity, and rich coral formations. Often overshadowed by the more famous names, Abu Sail remains a hidden treasure of the southern Red Sea, offering calm waters, excellent visibility, and marine biodiversity in a relaxed setting. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced diver, this site delivers a balanced experience of relaxation and discovery.

FeatureDetails
Location~15 km south of Marsa Alam, accessible by car or minibus
Dive TypeShore dive
Entry PointGentle sandy slope with shallow lagoon
Depth Range2 to 25 meters
Visibility20 to 30 meters
Skill LevelBeginner to intermediate
Current ConditionsMild to none
TopographySandy bottom, coral blocks, reef slopes, occasional pinnacles
Best Time to DiveYear-round, ideal light between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Recommended GearStandard scuba gear, booties, camera for macro and wide shots
Ideal ForEasy diving, underwater photography, coral lovers, macro enthusiasts

Abu Sail Features & Topography

Abu Sail’s underwater terrain offers gentle, beginner-friendly topography that opens up into a broad, sandy plateau surrounded by coral patches and reef slopes:

  • Shore Entry: A smooth sandy entry ideal for training, refresh dives, and relaxed exploration.

  • Southern Side: Features coral pinnacles and blocks scattered across the sandy floor, home to numerous species.

  • Reef Slope: Gradually descends to 25 meters, with coral ridges and seagrass meadows attracting marine life.

  • Light Play: Excellent morning lighting conditions for photography, especially around the coral heads.

This topography makes Abu Sail a great choice for photographers, dive students, and anyone looking for an uncomplicated, beautiful dive.

Abu Sail

🐟 Marine Life at Abu Sail – What You Can Expect to See

Though modest in depth, Abu Sail is surprisingly rich in biodiversity, making it a rewarding site for reef enthusiasts and macro lovers:

  • Reef Fish: Expect to see bannerfish, parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, groupers, and wrasses.

  • Macro Life: Gobies, nudibranchs, shrimps, and blennies can be found hiding around coral crevices.

  • Seagrass Area: Occasional sightings of green turtles grazing, along with pipefish and flounders.

  • Night Diving Possibility: Spanish dancers, lionfish, and sleeping parrotfish make night dives captivating.

  • Healthy Corals: Dominated by hard corals, fire coral clusters, and small soft coral bushes.

While not a deep site, the sheer density of reef life makes every minute underwater exciting and photogenic.

🌤 Diving Conditions & Best Practices

Abu Sail offers excellent conditions year-round, especially suited for relaxed dives or skill training sessions.

  • Visibility: Consistently high—20 to 30 meters in most seasons.

  • Currents: Minimal, ideal for beginners and low-stress diving.

  • Entry Tips: Wear booties for comfort; sandy entry is stable but occasionally coarse.

  • Photography: Bring macro and wide lenses—clear lighting and calm waters are perfect for underwater photos.

  • Eco Practices: Maintain good buoyancy, avoid touching corals, and use reef-safe sunscreen.

Dive centers like Deep South Divers provide full support, including guided dives, equipment rental, and shore-side facilities.

Abu Sail

⭐ Why Choose Abu Sail with Deep South Divers?

Abu Sail is a top pick for those who prefer quiet, relaxed dives with high biodiversity—perfect for refreshing your skills or simply enjoying a peaceful dive away from crowded sites.

Reasons to Dive Abu Sail:

  • ✅ Great for beginners, training dives, and easy shore entry

  • ✅ Ideal visibility and lighting conditions for photographers

  • ✅ Diverse marine life and coral formations

  • ✅ Low diver traffic for a serene underwater experience

  • ✅ Close proximity to Marsa Alam town

With Deep South Divers, you’ll get expert local guidance, flexible scheduling, and eco-conscious diving practices tailored for your comfort and safety.

Ready to Dive Abu Sail?

📍 Visit us in Marsa Alam or contact Deep South Divers to book your guided dive to Abu Sail today. Whether it’s your first Red Sea dive or your hundredth, Abu Sail is a site that brings clarity, beauty, and calm—both above and below the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Abu Sail a good dive site for beginner divers in Marsa Alam?

Yes, Abu Sail is one of the most beginner-friendly dive sites in Marsa Alam.
With a smooth sandy beach entry, shallow depths starting from just 2 meters, and calm water conditions, Abu Sail offers a safe and relaxing environment for new divers. It’s also commonly used for scuba courses, refresh dives, and introductory sessions due to its ease of access and gentle topography.

What marine life can I expect to see while diving at Abu Sail?

Abu Sail is rich in both reef and macro marine life.
Divers often encounter butterflyfish, parrotfish, wrasses, and angelfish around the coral blocks. The site is also known for its vibrant macro life, including nudibranchs, gobies, cleaner shrimps, and pipefish. In the nearby seagrass areas, green turtles may occasionally appear, and the coral heads provide excellent photo opportunities.

What are the diving conditions like at Abu Sail throughout the year?

Abu Sail offers excellent diving conditions year-round.
Water visibility typically ranges between 20 to 30 meters, and currents are minimal, making it ideal for relaxed exploration and photography. The best light for underwater photos is from late morning to early afternoon, especially between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The site remains accessible even in moderate wind conditions due to its sheltered location.

Can I do underwater photography at Abu Sail dive site?

Absolutely—Abu Sail is perfect for underwater photographers.
Thanks to its crystal-clear visibility, shallow depths, and abundant marine life, both macro and wide-angle photography are rewarding here. Coral structures, light rays through the surface, and still water make it an ideal setting for capturing sharp, colorful underwater shots. Don’t forget your macro lens for small creatures hiding in coral crevices!

How do I book a dive trip to Abu Sail with Deep South Divers?

Booking a dive trip to Abu Sail is easy with Deep South Divers.
Simply visit our dive center in Marsa Alam or contact us via phone, email, or WhatsApp to reserve your spot. We provide full transportation to the site (just ~15 km from town), guided shore dives, equipment rental, and expert local briefings. Our team ensures a safe, eco-friendly experience tailored to your skill level and interests.

Tripadvisor Reviews

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What Our Divers Say

Real stories from our community of passionate divers

Spent 4 days diving with Deep South. Nice material, Staff very helpful and professional, diving guide very friendly. Will defo recommend them to plan your diving holidays in Egypt and Marsa Alam.

We really enjoyed diving with deep South Divers. We dived at some really nice dive sites and saw a lot of animals. Moody explained everything very well to us and we felt really safe.

Polecam z całego serca bazę nurkowa. Ich doświadczenie zaangażowanie jest niesamwite Przygotowanie do kursu oraz czas spędzony pod wodą coś wspaniałego.Bardzo chciałbym podziękować Monice za perfekcyjne przygotowanie mnie do nurkowania głębokiego Deep Diving.

Highly recommended dive center for all divers around the world who needs to be treated professionally, enjoying diving and courses When you visit a place and treated with respect from owners of this business, you feel proud They are professional enough to give a service with smile and enjoy diving with you. Good and decent comment in diving is very important for all divers to improve their skills and develop their performance, all what you will ask, you will get an answer All staff are fluent in English and other languages Equipments are shining from cleanliness and always ready Security of your belongings all the time while you are in water Thanks for Mohamed Moustafa, Hassan Abou el enien and Mohamed Hassan don’t want to forget anyone but they are all amazing team Well done and for more to come inshallah Some photos from dive sites, under water photos are on their super easy user friendly web site and social media platforms

To było fantastyczne doświadczenie! Monika bardzo profesjonalna, doświadczona, świetne towarzystwo, niesamowita atmosfera, gorąco polecam. Z chęcią to powtórzymy! Wielkie dzięki 😁

Z Moniką zaczęła się nasza przygoda z nurkowaniem i tak w Deep South Divers ukończyliśmy nasz pierwszy kurs nurkowy OWD we wrześniu 2021. Co roku wracamy i za każdym razem przeżywamy kolejne piękne podwodne przygody. To ekipa wspaniałych i doświadczonych Instruktorów. Mimo, że mamy ukończony podstawowy stopień kursu, to zawsze jesteśmy obdarowani dużą dawkom nowej dodatkowej wiedzy. Czujemy się bardzo dobrze zaopiekowani a to wszystko w cudownej atmosferze. Duży wybór możliwości miejsc nurkowych. Bardzo dobre zaplecze z bazą nurkową, sprzęt pomiędzy nurkowaniami każdego dnia zabezpieczony, wypłukany i wysuszony. Monika, Montana, Moody, Hassan i dla całej ekipy wielkie podziękowania. Bardzo polecam.

Zdecydowanie jedno z najlepszych doświadczeń w życiu! Świetni instruktorzy - pełen profesjonalizm i dbałość o bezpieczeństwo, solidna dawka wiedzy. Pojęcie takie jak nuda, nie istnieje podczas szkolenia! Serdeczne podziękowania dla Moniki i Mohameda, za wprowadzenie nas w podwodny świat, w bardzo komfortowych warunkach 😉. Niebawem wracamy do was, nabierać kolejnych doświadczeń!

Naszym marzeniem było rozpocząć zwiedzanie podwodnego świata, o ile mąż i syn pewnie mogliby nurkować w Bałtyku to mnie myśl o nieprzejrzystej wodzie w kolorze „głębokie błoto” całkowicie paraliżowała. Żebym mogła przełamać swoje lęki zdecydowaliśmy się na Egipt. Piękna czysta i przejrzysta woda, kolorowe rybki, miejsca gdzie rafa wciąż żyje i jest szansa nie spotkać rekina :) No to mieliśmy plan i miejsce. Przy każdym hotelu znajduje się jakieś centrum nurkowe jednak "jakieś" robi dużą różnicę, a my chcieliśmy najlepsze, bezpieczne, bo certyfikaty OWD robiliśmy całą rodziną: JA - czyli panikara, roztrzepana z wodnymi fobiami i jak to mówią z matkami nie pracuje się łatwo bo skupiają się na dziecku, SYN – wodny potwór od najmłodszych lat, ale też nastolatek, który rzadko myśli o zagrożeniach, OJCIEC – skupiony, przyjmujący wszystko na zimno. Kto nas weźmie i nauczy nurkować? Tak właśnie trafiliśmy do rodziny Deep South Divers, która przyjęła nas z otwartymi rękami, profesjonalizmem i poczuciem humoru. To przede wszystkim ludzie z pasją, gdy się na nich patrzy od razu widać że są dowodem na to „że jeśli robisz to co kochasz to nie przepracujesz ani jednego dnia”. Codziennie sprawiali, że nasze marzenie było coraz bliższe do spełnienia. Świetne podejście do tematu, ale też do każdego z nas. Czuliśmy się zaopiekowani, poinformowani i bezpieczni, a kurs był dopasowywany do możliwości każdego z nas. Pierwszy dzień był dla mnie trudny, żeby się przełamać i zacząć cieszyć nurkowaniem. Rodzinka Deep South Divers szybko się mną zaopiekowała, dosłownie byłam trzymana za rękę. Nie tylko nurkowie ale też dobrzy psychologowie... Pomogło! Kolejnego dnia wróciłam po więcej. Nurkowania, ćwiczenia i procedury robiłam w dopasowanym do siebie czasie, trzeciego dnia tańczyliśmy na 18 metrach. Ostatniego dnia radość i smutek mieszał się ze sobą, koniec kursu oznaczał też rozstanie z Deep South Divers.Jak nam poszło? Jesteśmy świeżo upieczonymi owudziakami (OWD Open Water Diver ) mamy podstawowy kurs nurkowania. Po zakończeniu kursu otrzymuje się certyfikat nurkowy, honorowany przez centra nurkowe na całym Świecie. Daje on uprawnienia do nurkowania w wodach otwartych (jeziora, rzeki, morza i oceany) do maksymalnej głębokości 18 metrów.A że długo tęsknić nie chcemy już planujemy powrót do Deep South Divers po więcej.

We (both AOWD) did 5x2 fun dives with Deep South. Our instructors Moodi, Hasan and Mohamed Hasan were super nice, relaxed, experienced and easy to talk to in English.Many dives are by speedboat, so you are super fast on location and the day is not stretched out. Just be prepared with sun protection (hat, bandana, sunscreen etc) and always take your snorkel along, because they stop also for dolphins ❤️The break inbetween dives is about 45-60min, you get a little candy and water, bathrooms are not always available (if close by to a big boat you can go there).You will prepare and clean (when at base) your eqipememt yourselves, but there are always friendly helpers around who will also do the heavy lifting for you.They have their base in Todoba bay but can also start in other bases in the area. The office is in Marsa Alam.Pick up from your hotel around 20km included. Our drivers were always super on time and nice.In my research I chose them because it was for me the most transparent price system. E.g. if it’s 120 for Elphinestone it’s 120 total (and you don’t need to add up prices for equipment or permits or having a guide or else. With other diving centers that was very confusing because everything was listed single and I was never sure what the end price would be).You can tell them which sites you want to see and they plan accordingly if possible. I contacted them via email first and then we switched to whatsapp.To make it easy without card fees, best take enough euros cash with you.All in all: Super happy and would choose them again when in Marsa Alam. Thanks for taking a deep breath with us 🥳

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Our Locations
  • Head Office
    68 street, Downtown, Marsa Alam, Red Sea
  • Dive Center
    Dolphin Continental Hotel, El Quseir, Red Sea
  • Operating Hours
    Daily: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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