Question 1

How deep is Turtle Bay in Sharm el-Sheikh?

Accepted Answer

Camel Dive Club gives the working range as 10 to 26 m. The fringing reef wall drops to around 10 m, then a wide sandy plateau carries the coral pinnacles out to about 26 m, with the slope continuing toward 25 to 30 m. That leaves plenty of room for a group to spread out without anyone going deep.

Question 2

Where exactly is Turtle Bay in Sharm?

Accepted Answer

It is on the southern stretch of the Sharm coast, immediately south of Amphoras and just north of Paradise, at roughly 27.862 N, 34.320 E. Camel Dive Club's map runs the local sites from Ras Katy in the south to Ras Nasrani in the north and places Turtle Bay between Paradise and Amphoras. It is not part of the Gardens group north of Naama Bay, and it is not the Turtle Bay in Hawaii, Bali or Malaysia.

Question 3

Is Turtle Bay good for beginners?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Camel Dive Club rates it as a drift suited to all levels, and Open Water is enough for the 10 to 26 m range. The one thing that makes it a guided dive rather than a self-planned one is that the direction changes with the current, so the drop point is chosen on the day.

Question 4

Can you snorkel or shore dive Turtle Bay?

Accepted Answer

Shore access exists and the site is listed as suitable for snorkellers, but Zentacle warns that at low tide it is a long walk out over the flat before you get to water. From the surface you see the reef top and the edge of the slope. The pinnacles, the rays and the turtles are down on the plateau below 18 m, so most people do it as a boat drift.

Question 5

Is there current at Turtle Bay?

Accepted Answer

Yes, enough that the dive is planned around it. Camel Dive Club says the guide checks the current before the dive to decide where to drop, and the run is made either north to south or south to north depending on which way it is setting. None of the sources describe it as a strong-current site, so expect a gentle drift with the boat following rather than a fast ride.

Question 6

What will I see at Turtle Bay?

Accepted Answer

The two animals every description leads with are turtles feeding on the soft corals along the plateau and larger stingrays resting on the sand. The coral pinnacles are packed with glassfish and sweepers. Beyond that it is the standard Sharm fringing-reef cast recorded around this pin: sohal surgeonfish, parrotfish, masked puffers, sea goldies, blue-spotted ribbontail rays, giant clams and the occasional bluefin trevally passing along the drop-off.

Question 7

When is the best time to dive Turtle Bay?

Accepted Answer

September to November gives the warmest retained water with the calmest surface, which matters on a drift where the boat has to follow you. March to June is the other good window, with visibility often above 30 m as the water warms. December to February stays clear but the water drops to around 22 C and the surface gets choppy.

Question 8

How reliable is the information on Turtle Bay?

Accepted Answer

Less than for its neighbours. Turtle Bay has far less published description than Amphoras, Paradise or Ras Umm Sid, and one of the operator pages that covers it states plainly that its author has never dived it. The depth band, the drift plan and the location are consistent across sources; the finer detail is largely second-hand, so take the briefing from your guide over anything written.

Species	How often	Records
Alticus magnusi	occasional	19
Acanthopleura vaillantii	occasional	18
Chaetodon fasciatus	occasional	17
Chlorurus sordidus	occasional	17
Acanthurus sohal	occasional	16
Abudefduf vaigiensis	occasional	15
Thalassoma rueppellii	occasional	14
Zebrasoma desjardinii	occasional	14
Chaetodon austriacus	occasional	13
Arothron diadematus	occasional	13
Chaetodon auriga	occasional	11
Rhinecanthus assasi	occasional	11
Amphiprion bicinctus	occasional	10
Tridacna maxima	occasional	9
Taeniura lymma	occasional	9
Chaetodon semilarvatus	occasional	9
Parupeneus forsskali	occasional	8
Hipposcarus harid	occasional	8
Scarus ferrugineus	occasional	8
Scarus niger	occasional	8
Ctenochaetus striatus	occasional	8
Naso elegans	occasional	8
Pygoplites diacanthus	occasional	7
Pomacentrus sulfureus	occasional	7
Cephalopholis argus	occasional	7
Fistularia commersonii	occasional	6
Heniochus intermedius	occasional	6
Scarus fuscopurpureus	occasional	6
Arothron hispidus	occasional	6
Coris aygula	occasional	5
Zebrasoma xanthurum	occasional	5
Diodon hystrix	rare	4
Abudefduf sexfasciatus	rare	4
Coenobita scaevola	rare	4
Caranx melampygus	rare	4
Plectorhinchus gaterinus	rare	4
Monotaxis grandoculis	rare	4
Mulloidichthys vanicolensis	rare	4
Chaetodon melannotus	rare	4
Cheilio inermis	rare	4
Chlorurus gibbus	rare	4
Parapercis hexophtalma	rare	4
Acanthurus nigrofuscus	rare	4
Amblyglyphidodon indicus	rare	4
Heterocentrotus mamillatus	rare	4
Siganus rivulatus	rare	3
Calcinus latens	rare	3
Scolopsis ghanam	rare	3
Scorpaenopsis diabolus	rare	3
Pseudanthias squamipinnis	rare	3
Priacanthus hamrur	rare	3
Kyphosus cinerascens	rare	3
Cheilinus lunulatus	rare	3
Balistapus undulatus	rare	3
Balistoides viridescens	rare	3
Ostracion cyanurus	rare	3
Cyclichthys spilostylus	rare	3
Cheilinus quinquecinctus	rare	3
Tectus dentatus	rare	3
Siganus luridus	rare	2

Turtle Bay

Turtle Bay

The dive

Please note before you go

Access & rules

Certification required

Getting there

Operator

Season

Conditions

Questions & answers

Life recorded at Turtle Bay

Nearby sites in Sinai

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