Abu Dabbab Bay: The White-Sand Cove Famous for Turtles and Dugongs
Abu Dabbab is a shallow, sandy bay near Marsa Alam where green turtles graze the seagrass a short swim from shore — and a rare dugong sometimes joins them. Here's how to visit it right.
There's a bay about half an hour north of Marsa Alam that turns cautious first-time snorkellers into lifelong sea-lovers. Abu Dabbab is a wide horseshoe of soft white sand wrapped around shallow, calm water — and in the seagrass meadows just a short swim from the beach, green sea turtles graze in the open. On a rare and lucky day, you might even share the water with a dugong, the gentle, manatee-like "sea cow" that survives in only a handful of Red Sea bays.
The short answer: Abu Dabbab is one of the easiest places anywhere to snorkel with wild turtles, no boat or diving skills required — just a mask, calm manners, and a little patience.
Why Abu Dabbab is special
Most of the Red Sea's best wildlife lives offshore, reachable only by boat. Abu Dabbab is the glorious exception. The bay is shallow and sheltered, with a sandy bottom and broad meadows of seagrass right in the middle — and that seagrass is exactly what turtles and dugongs come to eat. You don't need to be a diver, or even a strong swimmer, to see them. Float on the surface with a mask and you're already in the right place.
What you'll see
Green turtles are the headline act, and they're remarkably relaxed around respectful snorkellers, surfacing for air every few minutes between feeds. You'll often find several grazing at once. Alongside them you may spot harmless, shy guitar sharks resting on the sand, the occasional remora, and clouds of reef fish along the coral edges of the bay. The dugong is the wild card — there are usually only one or two resident animals on this coast, so sightings are never guaranteed. Treat one as a gift, not an expectation.
How to do it right
The golden rule is distance. Don't chase, touch, or surround the animals — let them come and go on their own terms. Crowding turtles and dugongs stresses them and, over time, drives them out of the very bays we love them for. Keep your fins off the seagrass and coral, wear reef-safe sunscreen, and follow your guide's lead on where to enter and exit the water. Early morning is the calmest time, both for the sea and for the crowds.
Planning your visit
You can reach Abu Dabbab as a day trip from most Marsa Alam resorts, or stay right on the bay at one of the lodges built around it. Entry to the beach is usually a small fee, and snorkel gear is available to rent on site if you don't bring your own. If you're combining this with diving, the bay also makes an easy, current-free dive — a perfect spot to log your first open-water dives after a course, or to ease back in gently.
A few practical notes: bring water and shade, since the bay is exposed; keep valuables minimal; and manage expectations on busier days, when several groups may share the water — early starts pay off. The reef and seagrass are protected habitat, so the careful way is also the right way.
Abu Dabbab rewards patience and good manners more than anything else. Slow down, keep your distance, and let the bay reveal what it's quietly hiding beneath the surface.
Planning a Marsa Alam trip? Map your Abu Dabbab morning alongside your beach days and other excursions on packnplan, and give yourself the early start the turtles deserve.
