Abu Talha

Also known as: Abu Telha · Abu Talha Reef

Abu Talha lies just north of Abu Helal, about 17 minutes by jeep from Dahab, and is entered over a slippery reef table and a small sandy lagoon before divers cross a shallow saddle to the outer reef. Beyond it an amphitheatre-shaped hard-coral garden falls away gradually; the finest corals grow between about 5 and 20 m, and a sinkhole opens on the left side at around 25 m. Further left the coral thins into sandy patches and table corals where red-toothed triggerfish gather, sometimes in large numbers, together with rays and nudibranchs, and the return along the reef wall at 10 to 15 m often brings a turtle and a few small schools of yellowtail barracuda. Like Abu Helal it needs high tide and calm weather, which keeps visitor numbers low and the coral in excellent condition, and a deep canyon here is reserved for technical divers. Divers either loop back to the entry or drift south to finish at Abu Helal.