Shoe Stump

Also known as: Shoestump · Bachhacha

Shoe Stump lies just north of town, the first site beyond the northern checkpoint, and is named after an old shoe that was once fixed to a post to mark the entry; local Bedouin call it Bachhacha, spray water, because strong wind makes it choppy, so it is dived only in good conditions. The unusual entry is a gap in the reef table leading into a narrow tunnel that comes out on the outer reef beside a fine pinnacle, so it is not for divers who feel uneasy in tight spaces. Divers then go down to about 20 m over reef covered with table corals, where anthias, parrotfish, yellowtail barracuda, black-spotted sweetlips and often giant Napoleon wrasse are seen, and lionfish gather near the tunnel. A seagrass bed on the site sometimes holds seahorses, and the best corals grow at about 5 m just off the exit, which makes it a good choice for a later dive of the day.