Shaira

Shaira lies south of the Caves beyond the end of the coastal road and is the first stop for boats heading to Gabr el Bint, dived only in calm conditions. The Bedouin use the name for a longer stretch of coast; the dive site itself is a coral-covered plateau that ends in a small wall from about 17 m. In the shallows between about 5 and 10 m, mountain corals form a labyrinth of hard and soft corals, and divers drift towards an area called the Coral Forest with a pristine satellite reef to one side. Tuna, sweetlips, humpback snapper and large schools of yellowtail barracuda are typical, and feathertail or blue-spotted stingrays are sometimes seen. A narrow, winding canyon running parallel to the shore between about 38 and 55 m is reserved for technical divers.