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Suyul Island from the Qulaan Archipelago has sandy beaches that gave rise to the sobriquet ‘Egyptian Maldives’. The uninhabited small island is within Wadi El Gemal National Park and is reached by boat from Hamata Port which got the name from nearby Mount Hamata. It has great opportunities for snorkeling, diving, and relaxing. Close to the boats mooring the reef drops off and can be snorkeled with up to 30 meters visibility.
Suyul Island is part of the Qulaan Archipelago, located off the coast of Hamata. Several local companies offer day trips to the islands, for a price starting at around 50 euros pp. (2020), all included. Most of the tours combine two snorkeling stops, including one Suyul Island’s reef (to be confirmed when booking).
The most visited snorkeling area is along the reef that borders the south of the island for nearly 3km. Your boat will moor and drop you off directly on the reef.
The most visited snorkeling area is located on the reef that borders the south of the island for nearly 3km. Your boat will moor and drop you off directly on the reef.
Suyul Island’s reef forms a steep drop off, which outcrops close to the surface (↕1-3ft/0.5-1m) and falls on sandy bottoms (↕15-25ft/5-8m). In this protected area, the coral is healthy, with beautiful specimens of finger coral, tabular coral and fire coral.
Dozens of fish species can be seen on the reef, including several species of butterflyfish, damselfish, Red Sea bannerfish, Arabian Picasso triggerfish, and masked puffer.
Hundreds of sea goldies, whose bright red color contrasts beautifully with the blue, cluster on the drop offs. Keep an eye on the sandy beds, where bluespotted ribbontail rays are occasionally sighted.
There is no restaurant on the islands, but most tours include lunch. Inquire when you book.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters.This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
