Close Encounters Of The Dolphin Kind. Sha’ab Sataya / Dolphin Reef
The Dolphin Reef at Sataya is almost too beautiful to be true! You love the dolphins at the Dolphin Reef. And they love you! Watch the dolphins coming close to you at the Dolphin Reef!
So you think you can swim with dolphins? You can at Sha’ab Sataya, also known as the Dolphin Reef. This amazing reef provides a truly unique opportunity to observe dolphins and swim with these graceful and intelligent friends in the wild.
Sha’ab Sataya is part of the Fury Shoal system in the relatively unexplored Hamata region of Marsa Alam in Southern Egypt. It is a great crescent-shaped reef and features an intriguing, huge coral lagoon. Since Sha’ab Sataya is exposed to the elements, divers are likely to see pelagic species such as sea turtles, trevallies, barracudas and sharks.
Sightings of hammerhead and grey sharks are not unusual at Sha’ab Sataya. Divers should be aware though that sharks in the Fury Shoal system can be rather ‘touchy’ and have a very powerful territorial instinct. The huge coral lagoon houses fish life of the smaller kind, including anthias, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, shrimps and sea anemones.
Sha’ab Sataya’s most distinctive feature however is the presence of a pod of permanently residing dolphins of the spinner variety; some sixty in total. It is widely considered as and renowned for as one of the world’s most pristine locations to experience dolphins in their natural habitat.
All of a sudden, before you realise, you are likely to be surrounded by surfacing dolphins. Curious as they are by nature, they can come very close to you, sometimes even at touching distance. As tempting and cuddly as they appear, you should however never touch a dolphin. They have a layer that should stay intact to protect them from transmittable diseases.
While you are snorkelling, keep your arms alongside your body and just enjoy passive interaction. Please do not chase them. Let the dolphins decide if they want to play and dance with you and how close they want to get to you.
If you’re lucky enough, you can hear the dolphins vocally communicating with each other. They do this by producing a high-pitched clicking sounds and whistles. Enjoy!