Turtle Bay (charted as Abu Hashish) is a protected sandy bay 65 minutes south of Hurghada that hosts a small resident population of green sea turtles. The bay's seagrass beds are the turtles' food source · they graze the seagrass at 8-12 m, and we drift quietly above them at 2-3 m of safe distance. The highest turtle-encounter rate in our rotation: ~95% of visits log multiple sightings, often within 5 minutes of dropping in.
- Depth
- 5-18 m
- Visibility
- 15–22 m
- Season
- Jan - Dec
- Boat ride
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- Open Water+
Topography and dive profile
A horseshoe-shaped sandy bay protected by a fringing reef on the seaward side. The bay floor at 8-12 m is covered in seagrass beds · the turtles' grazing ground. The fringing reef on the eastern edge of the bay drops to 18 m and adds reef-fish variety to the dive. We dive the seagrass for the turtles in the first half, then move to the reef edge for the back half.
What you'll see
- ◇Resident green turtles
- ◇Stingrays on sand
- ◇Octopus
- ◇Trumpetfish
- ◇Reef fish
Who it suits
All certification levels. Beginners particularly · the shallow profile and the predictable turtle sightings make it one of our favourite first 'real' dives. Photographers love the over-under shots possible in 2-3 m of safe-distance turtle-grazing.
When the captain runs this site
Turtle Bay is a southern destination the captain may pick on a southern-rotation daily-dive day (65 minutes by boat). Often paired with El Aruk or Gota Abu Ramada (both on the way back) as the second site. Daily-dive bookings go through the daily diving page · the captain confirms the morning of.