Marsa El Muqabila

Unlike other sites in Taba Heights, which have flat sandy bottoms dotted with coral outcrops, Marsa El Muqabila is a steep reef with more dramatic topography. In places the coral has formed tall columns, rather like the pipes of a church organ. Right underneath the boat mooring there is a huge lettuce coral more than 2 m wide.

Hard and soft corals cover the plateau, grouper stay along the edges and orange clouds of anthias hang around the corals. Lionfish are on the prowl across the reef and there are plenty of anemonefish. Glass fish, yellow-tail barracuda, eagle rays over the sand, stone fish and finger corals can also be seen. For those who look closely, there are pipefish, nudibranchs, camouflaged scorpionfish and frogfish and, occasionally, octopus.

In May 2014, a flood came down from the mountains, swept through the Taba Heights resort into the sea and carried a great deal of silt and debris with it, affecting the dive sites in the area. In 2024, most of the Taba Heights dive sites had not been visited since the flood. That year, Muqabila's huge dome corals were still instantly recognisable.