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Scuba Diving in Safaga, the Red Sea
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Dive Site: Sha'ab Claude
Location: Safaga
Description: Reef
Depth: 10 - 20 metres (30 - 65 feet)
Visibility: 20 metres (65 feet)
Rating: ***
Sha'ab Claude is another small cluster of ergs which collectively are part of the Hyndman Reefs or Sha'ab Sheer, as it's known locally. Not quite as far south as Sha'ab Hamdulillah and not as far north as the reef piece near which the Salem Express sank, Sha'ab Claude is the middle of a chain of 3 erg clusters, each around 5 - 10 minutes from the next by boat.
The main erg at Sha'ab Claude has 3 to 4 smaller pinnacles very close together stretching away from it in a southwesterly direction. The base of the main reef piece is around 10 to 12m on the south where the boats moor. Here there is a sandy seafloor and as you explore the ergs to the southwest this drops down to around 20m. There ergs have lovely soft corals and large groups of masked butterflyfish and Red Sea bannerfish congregate here. Blue spotted rays are common and there is a channel or tunnel which is formed between the ergs and makes for an easy swim-though and some good photographs. Heading through the tunnel and around to the north there is a lovely coral garden at around 14m with brain coral, boulder coral and stony coral, which is home to many spotted grouper. To the southeast of the reef is another small erg at 15m which splits at its shallowest and also has some lovely orange and purple soft coral which is teeming with antheas, tangs and small rainbow wrasse. There is rarely any current here (although if present it is likely to come from the north) making this an ideal second or third dive of the day for all levels of diver.
Rik Vercoe, BSAC Advanced Instructor
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