Ras Abu Galum

North of the Blue Hole the road ends, and the coastline that continues - reachable by camel train or boat - belongs to the Ras Abu Galum protectorate, a wedge of mountain desert meeting some of the least-touched reef in Sinai. The diving is a cleaner, quieter version of everything south of it: walls and slopes crowded with soft coral, eagle rays and turtles working the drop, morays at densities the town reefs lost years ago. The journey shapes the day - an hour swaying up the coast, dives from the beach, lunch of grilled fish in a palm-frond shelter, and the ride home into the afternoon light. It is as much an excursion into Bedouin Sinai as a dive trip, and better for it.

The moment you come for: Untracked reef walls; the camel-train approach; grilled-fish surface intervals in a Bedouin camp.

Topography: Pristine fringing walls and coral slopes falling from a desert headland

Entry: Reached by camel or boat along the trackless coast north of the Blue Hole; Bedouin-run camps host the surface interval.

Hazards: Remote from medical help; sun exposure on the journey; entries over shallow reef.

Permits & rules: Protectorate entry fee; access arranged through Dahab dive centers.

Conservation: A protected area with minimal infrastructure by design - pack out everything.