The area around Taba and Nuweiba is still unspoiled and the pace is more related to the relaxed life of the local Bedouin tribes. Driving up from the busy airport of Sharm el Sheikh or from the newly opened Taba airport in Nakhl gives you a glimpse climes of the breathtaking Sinai landscape. The colourful inclusions in the steeply rising rock faces are stunning and it is hard to believe that they are natural formations and not man-made works of art. At the Gulf of Aqaba, reddish rugged granite mountains fall down almost vertically from 2000m into the deep blue water of the sea.
It takes one hour drive by four wheel Jeep to reach the impressive Coloured Canyon, a deep and very narrow gorge. The sandstone walls are an array of pinks, orange and reds. Important religious and historical places to visit are the St. Katherine Monastery at Mount Moses and the ancient City of Petra in neighbouring Jordan. The “Geziret Fara’un” (Pharaohns Island) with the ruins of Saladin’s castle, dating back to the13th century is just a short boat ride away.
Along the sunny coast of the Gulf of Aqaba or the “Red Sea Riviera“ one will find numerous Holiday Villages, Beach Resorts and Camps to meet all tastes. The golden, sandy beaches stretch for miles all the way to the boarder town of Taba, in the neighbourhood of the Israeli city of Eilat.
The coastline between Nuweiba and Taba, also known as the Red Sea Riviera, offers great diving in areas where almost nobody has been diving before. Every dive we discover new varieties of corals and different types of fish. Due to the relatively untouched areas there is enough marine life to discover for the recreational diver. Most of the areas we dive have sandy bottom covered with several coral blocks.
Although not as dramatic as Sharm el Sheikh’s walls or Marsa Alam’s offshore reefs, the Taba coast offer some very rare marine life in an
uncrowded environment. Typical to the area for example, is a rare species of frogfish, and many species of seahorses, hardly found
anywhere else in the Red Sea, making a diving holiday in Taba a unique experience.
Most of the dive sites in Taba are situated along the Red Sea coast, in the fringing reefs which adorn the Taba shoreline. They are mainly reachable by jeep or minibus, but some have shore access from the hotel. During low tide or choppy seas caution must be taken when entering the water.
The Taba dive sites are, in general also easily accessible to snorkellers.
In Taba there are minimal currents. The diving is easy, ideal for beginners and experienced divers and also for photographers and those with an interest in taking a more detailed look at the reef. Some of the things you can see on a dive in Taba include pristine hard corals, many varieties of tropical reef fish, pipefish, and maybe dolphins or seahorses!! The dive sites are from 15 minutes to ½ hours away. 2 dives a day are scheduled on a regular basis, with the option of a third dive.
