Swimming with Turtles in Abu Dabbab: How to Do It Right
Youssef HassanPADI Instructor & Marine GuideUpdated 7 min read
Swimming with turtles in Abu Dabbab needs no boat and no experience: you wade in from the beach and float above the seagrass where wild green turtles feed. Here is how to find them, how to behave around them and how to plan your morning.
Few wildlife encounters are as gentle as this one. At Abu Dabbab Bay, about 30 to 40 minutes north of Marsa Alam, you walk into calm, shallow water from a sandy beach, put your face in the sea and look down at meadows of seagrass where wild green turtles come to feed. There is no boat, no deep water and no experience needed. This guide explains how swimming with turtles in Abu Dabbab works, how to find them without disturbing them, and how to plan a relaxed morning in the bay.
Why Abu Dabbab is so good for turtles
Abu Dabbab Bay is a crescent of soft sand with a sheltered, shallow bay in front of it. Much of the sandy floor is covered in seagrass, and that is the secret: adult green turtles feed mainly on seagrass and algae, unlike most other sea turtles, so the bay is a natural feeding ground for them all year round. They often graze in water no deeper than an adult’s waist or chest, close enough to the beach that you rarely need to swim far.
Green turtles are listed as endangered worldwide, which makes every quiet, respectful encounter matter. They are wild animals, so a sighting is never guaranteed. Sightings in the bay are very common, especially in the morning, but the turtles come and go as they please, and that is exactly how it should be.
How a turtle morning works
This is how our Abu Dabbab snorkeling trip usually runs. It operates daily, with guides who speak English, German or Italian.
- Around 8:30 AM: pickup from your hotel in Marsa Alam town, Port Ghalib, Coraya Bay or the Abu Dabbab hotels, then a short drive north to the bay.
- Around 9:15 AM: briefing and gear. Your guide fits your mask and fins and explains how to find the turtles responsibly. Life jackets and pool noodles are available.
- Around 9:30 AM: you walk in from the beach and snorkel with your guide over the seagrass meadows and along the reef edges.
- Around 11:30 AM: free time to swim again, relax on the sand or have a drink at the beach café.
- Around 12:30 PM: the transfer back to your hotel, usually in time for lunch.
Snorkeling equipment, the guide and the entrance fees are included. Lunch isn’t, but there is a café on the beach, and sun loungers can be rented if you want to stay comfortable between swims.
How to find the turtles
Turtles are surprisingly well camouflaged against the seagrass, so the first one is often the hardest to spot. Swim slowly, keep your face in the water and scan the meadow below you for a rounded, dark shell and a head bent down to graze. Your guide knows the bay well and will point turtles out with a hand signal, so stay close and watch for it.
Turtles breathe air, so every so often a grazing turtle lifts off the bottom and rises to the surface for a breath before gliding back down. That is often the best moment of the morning, and the moment when it matters most to give the turtle space. Float still at the surface, off to one side, and let it pass.
The morning is the best time to look: the light is good for spotting turtles, which is why the trip starts early. Calm, still snorkelers also see more. Splashing and kicking stir up sand, cloud the water and send turtles away, while a relaxed float lets them carry on feeding as if you weren’t there.
Turtles aren’t the only residents. Look out for guitarfish and rays resting on the sand, and colourful reef fish along the edges of the bay. Very occasionally, a dugong (sea cow) grazes the same meadows. Dugongs are rare, so think of one as a bonus that most visitors never see; our guide to the dugong in Marsa Alam explains why, and how to behave if you meet one.
Turtle etiquette: how close, and what never to do
Good behaviour in the water keeps the turtles relaxed, keeps the seagrass healthy, and means they are still there for the next visitors. These are the rules our guides follow and ask every guest to follow too:
- Keep a distance of about 2 to 3 metres, and let the turtle decide whether to come closer.
- Never touch, chase, ride or feed a turtle.
- Never block its way to the surface. When a turtle starts to rise, move aside.
- Stay at the surface rather than diving down on top of a feeding turtle.
- Float above the seagrass and never stand on it: it is the turtles’ food, and it grows back slowly.
- Keep your fins low and your kicks gentle so you don’t stir up the sand.
- Switch off your camera flash, and keep cameras and selfie sticks at a respectful distance.
- If a crowd forms around one turtle, swim on and find another.
Sunscreen matters too. Use a reef-safe sunscreen, or better still, wear a long-sleeved rash guard so you need less of it. It also protects your back, which is the part of you that faces the sun while you snorkel.
Families, beginners and non-swimmers
Abu Dabbab is the easiest place on the coast to start snorkeling. The entry is soft sand, the water is calm and shallow on most days, and your guide is with you in the water. Children aged three and over are welcome on the trip, snorkeling with a parent and a life jacket. Non-swimmers can join too: with a life jacket or a pool noodle you simply float and look down.
If anyone in your group is nervous, practise in the shallows first: breathing through the snorkel while standing, then lying face down with the life jacket on. Most people relax within a few minutes once they see the first fish. Water shoes are optional but handy for the sand and seagrass at the entry. Our guide to Marsa Alam with kids has more ideas for every age.
When to go and what to bring
Turtles feed in the bay all year, so any month is good. The sea is warmest from summer into autumn, at around 29°C, and cools to about 22°C in winter, when a wetsuit or a long-sleeved rash guard keeps you comfortable for longer. Our guide to the best time to visit Marsa Alam covers the weather month by month.
- Swimwear and a towel.
- Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses.
- A rash guard or light cover-up for the sun.
- Water shoes (optional).
- An underwater camera or a waterproof phone pouch.
- A little cash for the café, a sun lounger and tips.
For everything else, see our Marsa Alam packing list.
After Abu Dabbab: more days in the water
A morning with the turtles is the perfect way to build confidence before a boat day. The Sataya dolphin reef trip is a full day at sea on the reef where wild spinner dolphins rest, and the Hamata Islands boat trip takes you to sandbars and reefs in the far south. Torn between dolphins and turtles? Our comparison of Sataya or Abu Dabbab sets the two days side by side, and our complete guide to snorkeling in Marsa Alam covers every spot on the coast.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Green turtles feed on the bay’s seagrass all year, often in waist-to-chest-deep water close to the beach. They are wild, so sightings are very common, especially in the morning, but never guaranteed.
Keep about 2 to 3 metres away, never touch, chase or feed them, and move aside when a turtle rises to breathe. Your guide shows you how to watch them without disturbing them.
No. You walk in from the beach into calm, shallow water, your guide is with you, and life jackets and pool noodles are available, so non-swimmers can float and watch.
Yes. Children aged three and over can join the trip, snorkeling with a parent and a life jacket. It is a half day of about 4 to 5 hours with a short transfer.
The morning, when the light is best for spotting turtles. That is why our trip picks you up at around 8:30 AM.
Youssef Hassan
PADI Instructor & Marine Guide
Youssef is a PADI-certified diving instructor and marine naturalist with more than 3,000 logged dives in the Red Sea. He writes about diving, snorkeling and marine conservation around Marsa Alam.
