Abu Minqar Island, Hurghada to Shab El Erg

Gaviota
Sat 23 May 2020 10:36


27:24.5635N 33:51.3783E


5.00 am start on Monday, 18th May and we motored out on the gorgeous glassy sea into the Minqar Channel which separates Hurghada from the reefs and islands off it. We passed row upon row of moored motorboats, more victims of Coronavirus! It was like a giant motorboat car park, no visitors, no trips and no diving! Hurghada resembles an ugly concrete jungle with partly finished developments that now will probably never be completed and it did not inspire us to want to return to holiday there. The Minqar Channel takes you close to the shore and it was very interesting seeing all this from the sea.


We arrived at our lunchtime stop (this one was for me), Shab el Erg is also known as Dolphin House, it is a reef North of Hurghada and is normally a very popular day trip for visitors from Hurghada as there is a pod of dolphins that seem to enjoy swimming and interacting with the people. I had hoped that I might have these gorgeous mammals all to myself but there was not a dolphin in sight – typical! Maybe they had heard about social distancing? The reef itself was very pretty in places and certainly worth the stop to see but true to form a lot of it was badly damaged. There were no mooring balls which we thought was pretty disgraceful so I am guessing the tripper boats drop their anchors anywhere as they disgorge hundreds of paying tourists. Very Egyptian everything here is about making money today sod tomorrow.




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