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Sheik Malek
Egypt · reef · beginner
3–20 mbeginnerOWshore entry
Sheik Malek
A shallow sandy slope with seagrass beds and a line of pinnacles on the south side, worked slowly for turtles, rays and the occasional dugong.
Max depth3–20 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeshore
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Sheikh Malek is a shore dive on the coast north of Marsa Alam, reached by road rather than by boat. SeaHorse Diving Club lists it as a shore site with a sandy sloping bottom, a maximum of 20 m, no current, and a difficulty of easy, and files it under shallow and macro rather than under anything dramatic. Nautilus Tauchreisen, which publishes the dive-site list for the Steigenberger Coraya Beach resort, places it about fifteen minutes north of the resort by bus, gives it 25 m, and says most of the diving is done between 15 and 18 m. We have taken the shallower of the two depths.
The dive has two halves. On the sand there are seagrass beds, and that is where the site earns its reputation: SeaHorse names turtles and eagle rays there and adds seahorses and the dugong as lucky sightings. Nautilus lists the dugong the same way, along with eagle rays, crocodilefish, and with luck a guitar shark. Nothing here is guaranteed and both operators say so.
The other half is structural. SeaHorse describes the south side of the reef as marked by pinnacles; Nautilus describes freestanding reef blocks standing off the bottom and carrying good coral. Between the two you have a site that gives a long, easy, shallow dive rather than a big one, and that both centres also sell as a snorkelling trip. It is a half-day booking with transfer included, so you dive it through a centre rather than turning up.
- Seagrass beds on the sand, worked for turtles and eagle rays
- Pinnacles along the south side of the reef
- Freestanding coral blocks off the bottom, most of the diving at 15 to 18 m
- Shallow enough for a long dive, and listed by the operator as a macro site
Please note before you go
- Seagrass beds are feeding habitat: turtles and, occasionally, dugongs graze here and should not be crowded or followed
- Shore site reached by road, so there is no boat cover; plan the exit onto the beach you entered from
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Road access, arranged through a dive centre. SeaHorse Diving Club sells it as a half-day trip with transfer included, for diving, snorkelling or an introductory dive. Nautilus Tauchreisen places it about fifteen minutes north of the Steigenberger Coraya Beach resort by bus, which is how the Coraya Bay and Marsa Alam centres reach it.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentlight
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range3–20 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsnot sourced
A shallow sandy slope with, per the operator, no current, dived from the beach after a short road transfer, with most of the time spent between the shallows and about 18 m. Neither source we read publishes visibility or water temperature figures for this site.
On current: SeaHorse Diving Club records the current here as none and rates the site easy for all levels. The two operator descriptions disagree on maximum depth, 20 m against 25 m, and we have taken the shallower. Neither publishes visibility figures or water temperatures for this bay.
Questions & answers
How deep is Sheikh Malek?
The two operator descriptions differ. SeaHorse Diving Club gives a maximum of 20 m; Nautilus Tauchreisen gives 25 m and says most of the diving happens between 15 and 18 m. We publish the shallower figure. Either way this is a shallow dive on a sandy slope.
How do you get to Sheikh Malek?
By road, not by boat. It is a shore dive and the dive centres run divers there by bus as a half-day trip with the transfer included. Nautilus places it about fifteen minutes north of the Steigenberger Coraya Beach resort by bus.
Can you see dugongs at Sheikh Malek?
Sometimes, and nobody promises it. Both operator descriptions list the dugong on the seagrass beds as a lucky sighting rather than a resident. Turtles and eagle rays over the same seagrass are the more reliable encounter, and SeaHorse adds seahorses as another lucky find.
Is Sheikh Malek suitable for beginners?
Yes. SeaHorse rates the difficulty as easy, records no current and lists the level as all divers, precisely because of the shallow depth and sandy sloping bottom. The same centre sells introductory dives here for people who have never dived before.
Can you snorkel at Sheikh Malek?
Yes, and it is sold that way. SeaHorse Diving Club runs a half-day guided snorkelling trip to the site, with two sessions and transfer included. The shallow sheltered bay, the seagrass close to the surface and the absence of current are what make it work for snorkellers.
What will I see at Sheikh Malek?
Seagrass on the sand with turtles and eagle rays over it, and with luck a seahorse or a dugong. The south side of the reef has pinnacles, and Nautilus describes freestanding coral blocks with good growth plus crocodilefish and the occasional guitar shark. The operator files it as a macro site, so the small things are the point.
Life recorded at Sheik Malek
1 species within 1.5 km · OBISRastrelliger kanagurtarare · 1 records
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