Egypt / Red Sea

Marsa Mubarak Snorkelling | Dugong & Sea Turtles Marsa Alam

Explore Marsa Mubarak near Marsa Alam on a Red Sea boat trip with guided snorkelling and the chance to encounter wild dugongs and green sea turtles.

Discover Marsa Mubarak near Port Ghalib on a full-day Red Sea boat trip through one of the Marsa Alam region’s fascinating marine habitats. Snorkel above seagrass meadows and coral reefs, with the opportunity to encounter wild dugongs and green sea turtles in their natural environment. Enjoy two guided snorkelling experiences, explore the underwater world, or add an optional introductory dive for beginners. Hotel transfers, snorkelling equipment, lunch and drinks are included.FULL EXPERIENCE DISCOVER MARSA MUBARAK There is more to Marsa Mubarak than a beautiful place to snorkel. Near Port Ghalib, this Red Sea bay brings together different underwater habitats in one experience. Beneath the surface, areas of seagrass create an environment very different from the colourful coral reefs for which the Red Sea is famous. This is where the search becomes part of the adventure. As you snorkel with your guide, keep watching the seagrass below. Green sea turtles may appear as they move through the bay and feed around the seagrass. And somewhere in this underwater landscape, you may be fortunate enough to encounter one of the Red Sea’s most remarkable marine mammals — the dugong. MEET THE DUGONG One of the Red Sea’s most unusual animals may be somewhere beneath you. The dugong (Dugong dugon) is not a dolphin and it is not a fish. It is a large, air-breathing marine mammal and a specialised herbivore whose life is closely connected to seagrass. Often called a “sea cow”, the dugong searches the seabed for the seagrass on which it feeds. Its feeding can leave distinctive trails across seagrass beds — signs of an animal that may have passed through before you arrived. Unlike a dolphin encounter, the experience can begin quietly. You may be looking across the seabed when a large shape gradually becomes visible above the seagrass. There is no performance and no scheduled appearance. It is simply a wild animal moving through its own environment. THE SEAGRASS WORLD What looks like a quiet green seabed is an important part of the story. Seagrass meadows provide food and habitat for marine life, including dugongs and green sea turtles. This makes the seagrass areas an important part of the Marsa Mubarak experience rather than simply the space between the coral reefs. Watch a turtle moving calmly across the bay. Search the seabed for signs of a feeding dugong. Then explore the reef and discover another side of the Red Sea, filled with coral and marine life. It is this combination — dugong, sea turtles, seagrass and coral reef — that gives Marsa Mubarak its distinctive character. THE MOMENT YOU ARE HOPING FOR Then, perhaps, something moves over the seagrass. A dugong encounter cannot be scheduled. If one appears, you are watching a wild marine mammal in the place where it lives and feeds. It may remain close to the seabed before moving through the water and eventually returning towards the surface to breathe. For many travellers, that uncertainty is what makes the encounter memorable. We can take you to the habitat. We cannot tell the dugong to be there. And that is exactly why seeing one can feel so special. SEA TURTLES OF MARSA MUBARAK The dugong may be the most mysterious resident visitors hope to find, but Marsa Mubarak is also known for encounters with green sea turtles. Watch them move through the water, rise towards the surface or feed around the seagrass habitat. The experience is not about chasing wildlife. It is about entering its environment, observing what nature chooses to reveal and leaving the animals free to behave naturally.

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