South Marsa Alam - bleaching?

[kirisetta]

Hi, we are in the first stages of planning a land-based excursion to Marsa Alam next August (has to be August because of school holidays and we want to be over there for 3 weeks in total, several resorts) - part of the trip I had really wanted to be in south Marsa Alam to explore the Wadi el Gemal Marine Park, preferably staying at the Gorgonia Beach Resort.
However, judging by some comments on here, and looking at some recent videos etc, the coral bleaching in that area this summer was horrendous! So sad. Have we missed the boat now for visiting those areas, as it were? I know some recovery can happen over the course of a year year but we can really only come in August, with our children, by which point seas will be very warm again. How about other areas of Marsa Alam?
We were then looking at staying at Malikia in Abu Dabbab, then either Akassia Swiss Resort or Movenpick el Qseir. Does any anyone know if those areas were badly affected this year? Really saddening, also because we've never been to the Red Sea and now I'm worried we're too late Thank you!

 

[Sascha314]

I will be at Gorgonia Beach from 2nd of December to January 1st. If you remind me, I will take some picture (granted I am not a pro and I have an old action cam...), so you can judge from that yourself.
However, I do not have any comparisson pictures and for myself I do not cour myself as competent enough to state something about bleaching after I have seen it.

 

[kirisetta]

I will be at Gorgonia Beach from 2nd of December to January 1st. If you remind me, I will take some picture (granted I am not a pro and I have an old action cam...), so you can judge from that yourself.
However, I do not have any comparisson pictures and for myself I do not cour myself as competent enough to state something about bleaching after I have seen it.

That would be fantastic, thank you so much! I'm not worried about some white corals mixed in with healthy ones (as sad as that is), it's the endless stretches of white with vastly reduced marine life that I'm hoping hasn't happened! I think the colour filtering was off on a couple of videos I watched, along with people not shining lights on corals directly - hopefully made it look worse than it actually was...! Thanks again

 

[Mod63]

I will be in the area in December, and I will report back in early January.

 

[kirisetta]

I will be in the area in December, and I will report back in early January.

Wonderful, thank you very much indeed.

 

[Boyan]

Hi, we are in the first stages of planning a land-based excursion to Marsa Alam next August (has to be August because of school holidays and we want to be over there for 3 weeks in total, several resorts) - part of the trip I had really wanted to be in south Marsa Alam to explore the Wadi el Gemal Marine Park, preferably staying at the Gorgonia Beach Resort.
However, judging by some comments on here, and looking at some recent videos etc, the coral bleaching in that area this summer was horrendous! So sad. Have we missed the boat now for visiting those areas, as it were? I know some recovery can happen over the course of a year year but we can really only come in August, with our children, by which point seas will be very warm again. How about other areas of Marsa Alam?
We were then looking at staying at Malikia in Abu Dabbab, then either Akassia Swiss Resort or Movenpick el Qseir. Does any anyone know if those areas were badly affected this year? Really saddening, also because we've never been to the Red Sea and now I'm worried we're too late Thank you!

I am in Hurghada now and everythings looks very white, I think this might be bleaching. Only some corals are yellow and some other colors, but mostly white.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

That may as well be dead corals that are dead since a long time.... Hurghada is so overcrowded...

 

[kirisetta]

I've now spoken with people who are actually there and they've sent me pictures - yes, extensive bleaching and damage to the reefs. Such an awful shame, very upsetting

 

[Tippytoes12]

I am in Hurghada now and everythings looks very white, I think this might be bleaching. Only some corals are yellow and some other colors, but mostly white.

 

[Tippytoes12]

I am just south of Port Ghalib now doing day diving but spent last week on a liveaboard..the Seven Seas. Alot of the hard coral is dead after the 2024 bleaching event. There was a previous event in 2023. But there are signs everywhere of new growth. However the spots on the liveaboard were outstanding. We saw an Oceanic Manta very very near in the south. the resudent oceanic manta at Daedalus, large schools of dolphins with many babies at Sataya and had multiple spots of Oceanic white tips under and around the boat on five of the six dives at Daedalus. Then yesterday we saw the dugong at Marsa Mubarak. We visited some very beautiful reefs along the way. I feel so very sorry for the dive industry here that has and has enforced very strict rules on conservation for many years.