El Shugarat

El Shugarat — meaning "Little Trees" in Arabic — is a boat-access reef dive site located south of Dahab, Egypt. The name becomes immediately clear once you descend: the site is defined by a canyon that opens from a sandy lagoon at around 15–16 metres and drops to approximately 30–45 metres, its walls adorned with an extraordinary forest of gorgonian fan corals that extends down into the blue. The dive typically begins with a jump directly onto the reef wall from the boat, followed by a swim along that well-grown wall to reach the lagoon and canyon entrance.

The canyon's passageways, swim-throughs, and overhangs reward exploration on the descent, and at around 30 metres black coral appears on the walls. Exiting the canyon to the left brings divers into the gorgonian forest, which is the visual centrepiece of the site. Ascending through the fan corals leads back to the reef top and into one of the more scenic lagoons in the Dahab area, where large table corals dominate the shallower terrain.

Marine life at El Shugarat includes blue-spotted rays, crocodilefish, nudibranchs, longnose hawkfish, glassfish, hawksbill and green turtles, longnose butterflyfish, soft corals, strawberry corals, table corals, and black coral. Water temperature sits at 28°C. The site is rated intermediate difficulty, with a maximum recreational depth of 30 metres and medium current conditions.