A Slice of Desert Paradise: Wadi Sabarah Red Sea Dive Resort, Egypt

Editorial Director Mark Evans flew to Egypt’s Marsa Alam to experience Emperor Divers’ Wadi Sabarah.

Photographs by Mark Evans

Dugong Encounters

Frantic banging on a tank caused me to look around and I was greeted by the sight of Dyson the dugong gliding overhead before landing on the seabed of Marsa Mubarak and proceeding to twist and roll against the sand in a bid to rid himself of the bothersome remora clinging to his body – exactly the behaviour that Emperor Divers’ area manager Luke Atkinson had described in his presentation on this iconic creature the night before.

Being close to the bays of southern Egypt that have gained an enviable reputation for dugong sightings was one of the main reasons I was excited to see Emperor Divers’ Wadi Sabarah Red Sea Dive Resort, but given the rarity of these mammals, there are no guarantees, so I was stoked that we got to spend a few minutes in his company.

The fact that the legendary offshore reef of Elphinstone, famed for its oceanic whitetip shark encounters, and the coral-rich collection of Abu Dabab reefs lie just a short boat ride out from the resort is another massive tick in a box for visiting divers.

The icing on the cake was a sighting of yet another dugong on the surface as we returned to the dock – it was almost as if he had popped up to bid us farewell!

Diving at Wadi Sabarah

Wadi Sabarah represents Emperor Divers’ latest dive centre in Egypt, alongside land-based operations in Sharm el Sheikh and Port Ghalib. They had only been in the place for three weeks when I arrived, but already the centre felt welcoming and well thought out.

There is a large seating area with a distinctly Bedouin camp feel – think colourful rugs on the seats and low bean bags – for briefings and congregating in a morning. It is also a prime spot to grab a beer when the diving day is done and chill out with your fellow divers, chat about your day’s sightings, or fill in logbooks.

Alongside this is the office, which also boasts a decent selection of essential spares, as well as the obligatory T-shirts, towels, ponchos, drybags, etc. There are two large rinse tanks for equipment, along with drying racks.

On arrival you are issued a numbered crate, and each crate has a corresponding set of two hangers – one for your BCD, and one for your wetsuit.

This makes keeping track of your equipment a very simple process – prior to setting out on that day’s diving adventures, you just need to check that everything is in your box and then the Emperor support team will whisk it away for your shore or boat dive.

Boat and Shore Dives

There are a multitude of dive offerings available from Emperor’s Wadi Sabarah base, and all have been developed exclusively for the area by renowned long-time Red Sea guide Sonia Goggel.

A tight guiding ratio of max 6:1 means divers have plenty of space to spread out and enjoy their dives without feeling crowded, and in-depth briefings really help bring the sites to life even before you explore them yourselves.

First up are the boat dives, and you have options here. You can jump on a single-tank RIB dive to Elphinstone which, when conditions are favourable, can make the journey to this offshore reef in around 15-20 minutes.

Obviously, the oceanic whitetips are the main draw in-season, but Elphinstone is a fantastic dive even without any sharky friends, with soft corals adorning every inch of the plateaus and walls.

You can also opt to go on a two-tank dayboat outing either from Marsa Alam or Port Ghalib (25-30 minute bus transfer) or from a nearby jetty a short drive from the resort.

These trips can bring you to the colourful offshore reefs of Abu Dabab, which are absolutely teeming with life, and all of the fringing reef and bay sites in the area, including the afore-mentioned Marsa Mubarak.

All the Emperor dayboats are clean, comfortable and wellrun, serving up tasty food after your dives, but Emperor Skye is a real standout, not least because it has a two-man diver lift mounted on the rear! British divers will be wellaccustomed to these fantastic devices, but this is one of the only lifts in the Egyptian Red Sea.

Nothing beats returning from an epic dive and then being effortlessly lifted up to the dive deck with your buddy!

There are also myriad minibus shore dives on offer, all a short drive away from the resort. The Emperor team have the shore-diving lark down pat – you check your box, and then these and your tanks vanish in a pick-up.

You and your fellow divers follow on in an air-conditioned minibus and, on arrival at the chosen site, you will find a large mat put down on the sand to protect your equipment, along with your boxes and tanks ready to be set-up. It is all very slick and certainly takes some of the tiresome elements out of shore diving.

Finally, if you are not dived out, there is also the option of diving on the Wadi Sabarah house reef, easily accessed via a sturdy jetty. More than 700 metres of pristine fringing reef awaits you, a simple giant stride away, and this can be dived day and night.

Accessibility and Travel

It was heartening to be on a full airplane for the first flight direct into Marsa Alam from the UK for many years. TUI has resumed a weekly service (Sundays), which makes Port Ghalib and the surrounding area far more easily accessible than having to make the two-and-a-half to three hour minibus transfer from Hurghada.

On arrival, we were greeted by an arch of water from airport fire engines (a tradition to welcome new flights), and all of the passengers were given chocolates as they came out of the airplane.

Tanks will be transported to benches towards the end of the jetty, and you just walk down wearing all your dive kit. You rig up your regs and BCD on the cylinder on the jetty, kit up fully and off you go.

Solid metal steps make exiting the water very simple, and Emperor staff will be waiting to assist you by taking your tank, leaving you to just wander back along the beach to the centre with your dive kit.

To make your diving days even more special, every evening, there are general, seasonal and dive-site specific ecological, biological and environmental presentations by the Emperor team.

When I was there, these included anemonefish, cleaning stations, dugongs, oceanic whitetips, and a focus on the unique jaw structure of moray eels. These short presentations – usually running 25-30 minutes – are open to all guests, divers and otherwise, and make a great addition to the night-time activities.

Wadi Sabarah

The resort, which is built out of traditional stone with bespoke architecture, is a labyrinth of corridors, stairwells and alcoves, and is extremely visually pleasing. There are currently 46 rooms and three suites, and all have a seaview terrace or balcony.

Even the ‘normal’ rooms are absolutely huge, with large bathrooms featuring rainfall showers and spacious outside areas, and all come with air-conditioning and ceiling fans.

It is obvious to see that the resort has been built to have minimal impact on the surrounding area, and an onsite solar farm helps harness the sun’s energy to help power the place, producing some 65 percent of their usage.

To further inspire and educate you, secreted away within the resort is a library crammed with a veritable treasure trove of books and antique collectibles, as well as original artworks and other oddities to be found in various other locations.

There is over 400 metres of natural beach to relax on when you are not under the water, or you can opt to chill out on one of the sun loungers located next to the enormous infinity pool located alongside the open-air dining area, which enjoys spectacular panoramic views of the entire resort while you tuck into breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Forming swathes of greenery alongside the arid desert around the desert is a botanical garden, which features more than 2,000 plants and shrubs of some 40 desert and endangered species.

Each plant is marked with an info board containing a QR code, and residents are encouraged to wander through the gardens and find out more about the mixture of shrubbery to be found within it.

Dr Irina Springuel, the visionary botanist and former professor at Aswan University who masterminded the creation of the garden in 2017, is often at the resort, and she will happily lead guided tours.

Extra-curricular activities

There are various options for when you are not diving. Obviously, you can go snorkelling either on the house reef or on a boat excursion, but one of the best things to do topside is a unique desert safari in vintage Toyota FJ 4x4s.

Heading out in these sturdy off-roaders with your Bedouin drivers, you get away from the roads and venture deep into the desert, stopping occasionally for photo opportunities, before ending in a spectacular wadi, where you can enjoy some Bedouin tea or soft drinks and soak up the solitude before making the journey back to the resort. Great fun, amazing views, and well worth putting on your to-do list.

You can also opt to kickstart your day with a yoga session with Josephine, one of the Emperor Divers team who is also a yoga instructor. A pre-breakfast session is just the thing to get your body recharged and ready for a day of diving.

Conclusion

As I mentioned before, Wadi Sabarah Lodge had not been up and running for that long when I was out there, and Emperor Divers had only been in residence for three weeks, but it is clear to see that there is all the groundwork in place for what I am sure will develop into a one-of-a-kind Red Sea resort.

As the botanical gardens grow and evolve, it will provide even more of a strong aesthetic contrast to the arid, barren surroundings leading down to the inviting blue water, and the rocky architecture of the resort buildings themselves.

The large open-to-the-elements dining area is a wonderful place to get breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the giant infinity pool – not something you expect to find in a resort like this – makes a fine centrepiece, while those seeking solitude will love the library. 

Some things will take a bit of adjustment, such as lunch and dinner being a set meal – you just choose meat or vegetarian. The food is tasty and well-presented, but this is not the place for those expecting lots of menu choices.

There is also not a true bar or social seating area set up at the moment, though there is an area adjacent to the dining room with a small bar in place that would work well for such a purpose, and from speaking with the management, there are also plans afoot for comfortable lounge-style seating near the pool, which would be an excellent spot to relax on an evening with a cold beverage.

It will be interesting to return and see how the resort and its facilities have grown and developed over the next 12-14 months, but one thing is for sure, Wadi Sabarah is a real vision for its owner, and is here for the long run, and its location makes it a prime base of operations for divers wanting close proximity to some of the best diving sites in the southern Egyptian Red Sea.

Some things will take a bit of adjustment, such as lunch and dinner being a set meal – you just choose meat or vegetarian. The food is tasty and well-presented, but this is not the place for those expecting lots of menu choices.

There is also not a true bar or social seating area set up at the moment, though there is an area adjacent to the dining room with a small bar in place that would work well for such a purpose, and from speaking with the management, there are also plans afoot for comfortable lounge-style seating near the pool, which would be an excellent spot to relax on an evening with a cold beverage.

It will be interesting to return and see how the resort and its facilities have grown and developed over the next 12-14 months, but one thing is for sure, Wadi Sabarah is a real vision for its owner, and is here for the long run, and its location makes it a prime base of operations for divers wanting close proximity to some of the best diving sites in the southern Egyptian Red Sea.

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This article was originally published in Scuba Diver UK #80

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