Marsa Shagra is a natural bay with
reefs to the North and South direction, and an extensive reef flat area. More
than 20 years ago we discovered that the reef flat at Marsa Shagra is not only
home to the usual juvenile reef fish and crustaceans, but also to baby black
tip reef sharks. On an annual basis the staff and guests at Marsa Shagra are
able to see a number of baby black tip reef sharks cruising past the shoreline
throughout the summer months. The season generally starts in March or April
time, when very small pups can be seen. New-borns can be as small as 30cm and
are generally born in litters of 5-6 pups. They clumsily move their way through
the shallow water and learn how to hunt for their food. They grow quickly in
the first few months, reaching up to 60cm and as their confidence grows they
start to venture to the outer reef, making small, short visits at first, and
then spending longer as they become familiar with the deeper water and more
challenging environment. Generally they can be seen patrolling the entrance to
the bay at sunrise and sunset, the black tips of their small dorsal fins
visible above the surface.
Why Marsa Shagra?
There are two main attractions for a
reef shark to deliver her pups in Marsa Shagra: food availability and
protection. Marsa Shagra has been a protected reef in various ways for over 25
years. No fishing is allowed either in the bay or at the outer reef meaning
that the reef is in balance and it is home to a huge variety of fish. Our
surveys over the years have shown that the reef continues to have excellent
diversity of species and size of marine life. One particular food attraction
for the baby reef shark is the large bait balls of small silverside fish that
are found in the shallow waters, particularly around the jetty area at Marsa
Shagra. The reef flat is also home to an abundance of other small fish,
crustaceans and cephalopods which are all favourite foods of the baby sharks,
and the whole reef flat area is completely ‘off limits’ for human activities -
no walking, bathing, snorkelling or diving, meaning that even when they are
swimming close to the shore they will be left undisturbed. There are also other
protected areas of the reef where they can go when they start to grow bigger,
such as a few cave and canyon systems where sometimes you can find them
sleeping. The ‘soft impact’ approach which has been adopted by Red Sea Diving
Safari at Marsa Shagra since the beginning is proving to be a great success,
and the presence of the baby sharks on the reef is just one of many ways we can
see that tourism activities can be carried out in such a way as to not cause
adverse damage to the reef eco system and surrounding environment.
Photo by Ahmed Helal.
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the article in print, click hereand turn to page 74.
