Marsa Alam Things To Do/Holidays
El Qusier. Ottoman Citadel Your Egypt holidays aren t complete without a visit to El Qusier. El Quseir is a small coastal town that has managed to maintain its specific characteristics of a fisherman s village. It s set directly on the attractive coastline of the Red Sea between Safaga and Marsa Alam. El Quseir is a quiet resort with sandy beaches clear waters and beautiful coral reefs emerging as a first rate tourist destination. The town s narrow streets are lined with colourful bazaars which ...
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Red Sea History, General info and Weather
The Red Sea Al Bahr Achmar as it is called in local lingo is an aquatic corridor as part of the Arabian Sea which in turn is a branch of the Indian Ocean. It runs between the Suez Canal in the north to the Gate of Lamantations or Gate of Tears (Bab-el-Mandeb) in the south before entering the Golf of Aden. The Red Sea slowly came to existence as an appendix coinciding with the separation of the Arabian and African tectonic plates starting about 40 000 000 years ago. By the way this tectonic movem...
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Hurghada Things To Do & Where To Go During Your Holidays
Marina/Hurghada The pedestrian-only Hurghada Marina attracts both tourists and residents for an afternoon stroll or a gourmet evening far from the Sheraton street noise. With many fine restaurants cafes and stylish bars Hurghada Marina Boulevard offers the best in food and beverage for all tastes. El Mina Mosque/Hurghada The opening of the port mosque (el mina mosque) in January 2012 coincided with the celebrations of the Red Sea Governorate s national anniversary. The mosque was built on an are...
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Abu Dabbab Marsa Alam. Something For Everyone!
Abu Dabbab forms part of the coastal Marsa Alam region in Egypt. Since it borders on the Red Sea it provides unrivalled aquatic challenges and holiday pleasure! The heart of Abu Dabbab is Blue Ocean s Abu Dabbab Lodge 30 kilometers north of Marsa Alam airport. Its fantastic beach fringing the bay is only a stone s throw away from the Abu Dabbab Lodge. Abu Dabbab has something for everyone in store for all ages and all tastes. You won t be disappointed because you just cannot go wrong; such is th...
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Make the best of your holiday in Marsa Alam
A Where To Go in Marsa Alam guide doesn t come in a pocket version. On the contrary. Marsa Alam Egypt offers almost unlimited options. It s not easy to make a choice but somebody has got to do it... Marsa Alam is one of the warmest coastal resorts in Egypt. It s located in the vicinity of the Tropic of Cancer. By late June the sun is almost directly overhead. This is when the winds from the sea have a cooling effect though. In winter the area enjoys much milder night time temperatures than many ...
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Diving In Marsa Alam
Now what could be one of your most enjoyable aquatic pastimes during your Marsa Alam holidays? Look no further. We re talking diving. And why are we talking diving? Well diving isn t very complicated to master it s a socializing activity where you make new international friends and it opens the window to the fantastic underwater panorama s the Red Sea is so rich with. The opportunities and choices to make in the Red Sea with so many of her unique locations with fantastic marine life are almost w...
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Wreck Diving In Egypt ; Brothers Islands
It wouldn t be far-fetched to classify the Red Sea as an aquatic graveyard. Back in the days after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 the Red Sea became an extremely important stretch of maritime transportation. However the installation of lighthouses and beacons didn t keep up with the increase of the shipping activity. The reefs and shoals became hazards during navigating and eventually instrumental in sinking an unknown number of vessels. We are also talking vicious currents treacherous co...
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Wreck Diving In Egypt ; Abu Nuhas
Abu Nuhas two hours from El Gouna and some three hours north of Hurghada weather permitting has been labelled as the Red Sea ship s graveyard . Abu Nuhas is located north of Shadwan Island. Its rocky profile is very close to the sea surface in one of the busiest shipping routes of the northern part of the Red Sea. This reef has taken at least five ships accounting for Abu Nuhas nickname father of bad luck . Nuhas also translates as copper. Together with port wine and gold copper belonged to the ...
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Wreck Diving In Egypt ; Hurghada
Belina The Belina has been identified as a liveaboard safari boat as well as a small coaster. Now it has become subject to wreck diving in Egypt. Whatever the origins its remains rest on a sandy bottom some 9 meters below the surface. The mast emerging from the wreck stands out like a beacon and serves as a mooring point for local dive boats. The Belina can be spotted from the harbour since it is located close to the shore. In terms of wreck diving it s within easy reach but the downside is rela...
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Wreck Diving In Egypt ; Safaga & Marsa Alam
Salem Express On 15 December 1991 the Salem Express cannoned into the Hyndeman reef south of Sha ab Shehr with a devastating result. The Salem Express was a passenger ferry carrying 960 pilgrims returning from Mecca. It has been suggested though that up to 1600 passengers were on board with only 180 surviving the tragedy allegedly after a detour at the captain s order with winds howling and high waves buffeting the ship. This is a very emotional spot in the book of wreck diving in Egypt. Recreat...
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Wreck Diving In Egypt ; Strait of Gubal
Thistlegorm The Thistlegorm was brought down during World War II by a longe-range German bomber. Sadly nine crew members went down with it to find their aquatic grave. This wreck dive has almost legendary status among Red Sea divers. It appeals to any wreck diver s imagination. The Thistlegorm is at a depth of 30 mtrs between the Sha ab Ali reef and the west coast of the Sinai north of Ras Mohamed in the Strait of Gobal. She is the holy grail of wreck diving in Egypt. There s a certain level of ...
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Wreck Diving In Egypt ; Strait of Gubal
Rosalie Moller The fortunes of the Rosalie Moller an English steam freighter made way for drama on 8 October 1941. The ship came under attack of two German Heinkel bombers and found her faith on the bottom of the Red Sea sadly claiming two lives in the process. Initially the wreck stayed undisturbed until its discovery in 1993 only. A dive at the Rosalie Moller site is classified as particularly difficult . Visibility at the location leaves room for desire and the almost constant current and win...
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Fusiliers Fish
Fusiliers Fish Family The members from the Caesionidae family take their name from the Latin word caesius meaning greyish-blue. This typifies the mainstream colouration of the fusiliers fish. The average fusilier fish is small in size and travels in larger schools. It doesn t particularly feel comfortable when predators like barracudas or trevallies approach their neighbourhoods. When these predators do however the entire school constantly in motion simultaneously and instantly changes direction...
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The Traveling Trevallies
Family The trevally originating from the Carangidae family is a traveling predator from coastal waters of the Red Sea. There are almost 150 classified species of which some 40 reside in the Red Sea. They share a lot of similarities from an external point of view like their torpedo-shaped body design and basic body colour varying from silverfish and yellow to green and bluish tinges. The diurnal trevally is a larger fish which is pelagic meaning it prefers the open sea. It forms schools to chase ...
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The Illustrious Boxfish
The boxfish a member the Ostraciidae family is also known as the trunkfish. It has a large distribution in tropical seas including the Red Sea. The boxfish is a slow mover and omnivorous feeding on algae molluscs and crustaceans. However their free-moving fins enable them to rotate their body and to make swift movements. Its skin is covered with toxic mucus a slimy cocoon to shy away predators. The diurnal boxfish or trunkfish has a quadrangular body meaning box-like. It s covered with armour-li...
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Diving Adventures In Abu Dabbab!
When Howard Carter discovered the intact tomb of Tutankhamon his companion Lord Carnarvon asked: can you see anything? Carter answered : yes wonderful things . This historical quote springs to mind when diving in the azure blue waters of Abu Dabbab near Marsa Alam Egypt. One of the most intriguing diving destinations is Abu Dabbab Bay where divers can spot dugongs in the wild in their natural environment. As plump and chubby as the dugong may seem it effortlessly glides through the waters of Abu...
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The Puffed-Up Pufferfish
Family The boxfish the porcupinefish and the pufferfish are members of an order called Tetraodontiformes. The latter is from a family called the Tetraodontidae. One subdivision with the sharp-nosed pufferfish is called Canthigasterinae. The puffer connotation reflects the amazing ability of the pufferfish to pump itself up like a balloon to fool potential predators. Many members of this family are spiny spiky and prickly. This effectively turns predators off to swallow them. But there s even mor...
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Goatfish
Goatfish Family The goatfishes belong to the Mullidae family and rank among the common and proverbial features in the Red Sea. Not common though are their peculiar barbels they are equipped with. These barbels can be spotted beneath the chin on either side of the mouth. It is as if these barbells function as sensitive filaments to trace benthic items on the daily menu such as molluscs crustaceans and worms. The goatfishes are diurnal or nocturnal depending on the species. The goatfish isn t your...
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Requiem Sharks
Requiem Sharks Family The Red Sea requiem sharks are part of the family of the Carcharhinidae. The family features household names like the white-tip reef shark the Red Sea lemon shark and the ocean white-tip shark. Sharks have a reputation of being dangerous to humans aggressive and harmful. It isn t quite fair. Respect a shark and its environment and it this respect will be mutual. Family Members Blacktip Reef Shark Size up to 180 cm (5 9 ft). Depth up to 75m (246 ft) It has a slender physique...
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The Motionless Hawkfish
Family The types of hawkfish are member from the Cirrhitidae family. They have distinctive features typified by their small size and thickened lower pectoral fin rays. One other characteristic element are their tiny filaments on their single dorsal fin. Filaments means cirrhi in Latin. The hawkfish can stand among corals using them as a watchtower. The hawkfish is a bottom-dweller and hunts like a hawk perched on coral columns or rocky towers. it does so hawk-like patiently waiting blended in wi...
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Filefish
Filefish Family The filefish is related to the triggerfish from the Balistidae family and are members of the Monacanthidae family. They have a more elongated body and flatter body than the triggerfish. Its monikers are leather jackets and foolfish. Peculiar of note is that the first dorsal fin consists virtually of only one thin ray. You will find that the skin is covered with scales of a smaller size. The habitats or living environments of a filefish varies; from lagoons with seaward reefs and ...
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Surgeonfish
Surgeonfish Family Members of the Acanthuridae family are the surgeonfish and the unicornfish. Both have gruesome spines and agonisingly sharp bony blades at the sides. These scalpel-like weapons can cause injuries with surgical accuracy. On top of that these blades can fold into a groove and used both used both offensively and defensively. In essence the diurnal members of this family are herbivorous. Some are planktivorous. Please bear in mind the spines are potentially dangerous to humans. Th...
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Unicornfish
Unicornfish Familie Members of the Acanthuridae family are the surgeonfish and the unicornfish. Both have gruesome spines and agonizingly sharp bony blades at the sides. These scalpel-like weapons can cause injuries with surgical accuracy. On top of that these blades can fold into a groove and used both offensively and defensively. In essence the diurnal members of this family are herbivorous. Some however are planktivorous. Please always bear in mind the spines are potentially dangerous to huma...
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Sea Breams
Sea Breams Family The stout and proud sea breams are a stocky fish with a relatively massive body and a steep forehead. It is a member of the family of Sparidae. The Sparidae boast fair-sized scales similar to the snappers of the Lutjanidae bunch. It operates either solitary or in smaller schools and aggregations of insignificant size. They live a sheltered life appreciating the taste of echinoderms like sea urchins and other invertebrates. Family Members Doublebar Sea Bream Size up to 50 cm (1 ...
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Sweetlips/Grunts
Sweetlips/Grunts Family Sweetlips and grunts are closely related to snappers and belong to the Haemulidae family. The sweetlip comes from a subfamily called Plectorhinchinae. Their moniker or sobriquet is sweetlip because of their prominent thick lips. The grunts are allocated to the subfamily of Haemulinae. The grunt reference alludes to their ability to produce grunt-like noises. They do this by grinding their pharyngeal teeth and amplify the sound with their gas bladder. They differ from snap...
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