El Quadim Bay in El Quseir in the spotlight!

Reef Check proves 10 years of „environmentally friendly diving“ with SUBEX

10 years of valuable cooperation between the „Green Globe” certified Mövenpick Hotel Sirena Beach and SUBEX Red Sea in El Quseir inspired SUBEX CEO Johann Vifian to investigate the well-known and beautiful Bay of El Quadim with a team of highly respected and carefully selected marine biologists.

Upon this initiative the world famous organization Reef Check e.V. was invited to investigate the condition of the reefs in the El Quadim Bay at the Red Sea in El Quseir.

Marine biology research in El Quseir and in the bay of El Quadim goes back to the 19th century. In 1864 the German physician and natural scientist Carl Benjamin Klunziger investigated the coral reefs of the region for eight years and laid the foundation for the investigation of the “impact of the cohabitation of creatures on the coral reef.”

Ever since the variety, colorfulness and uniqueness of the corals and other fauna of the area became known, the bay gained a worldwide reputation that attracted divers from all the countries of the world.

The trend of increasing interest in the area continued from the beginning of Klunziger’s research to the foundation phase of the beautiful Mövenpick resort „Sirena Beach“ in the beginning of the 1980s. This is when SUBEX Red Sea received the offer to establish a diving center.

Because of the scientific significance, the special ecological characteristics and the commercial value of El Quadim Bay, SUBEX was able during the planning period to gather investors as well as resort managers at the round table with the aim of creating a harmonious synergy between the goals of long-term conservation and sustainable economic return, a synergy that would bring both sport diving and tourism benefits and preserve the ecological value of the coral reefs.

Without doubt this project is one of SUBEX’s most significant achievements, an achievement which to this day is considered to be absolutely unique. Reflecting on our ten year experience with sport diving facilitation connected with the SUBEX philosophy stated in “THE ART OF DIVING” (with its emphasis on careful treatment of the underwater world and environmentally friendly diving), we now wanted to know if we had reached our target.

In order to find out, we commissioned a study that was conducted by the internationally acknowledged organization Reef Check e.V. under the supervision of Dr. Georg A. Heiss from the Center of Marine Tropical Ecology in Bremen. In cooperation with his scientific team members Cornelia Roder (M.Sc.), Christian Alter (Biologist) and Dr. Marc Kochzius, he was able to prove the following:

Extract from the survey „quote“
“The condition of the El Quadim Bay is comparable to reefs in protected areas.

The exclusion of fisheries, the control of sport divers by trained dive center staff and intimate knowledge of the topography of the reefs add significantly to the healthy condition of the reefs in the El Quadim Bay.

We are proud of these results and we will continue to inform sport divers and snorkelers about the ecological context as well as the human influence on the reef, and we will continue exemplifying environmentally friendly and correct behavior underwater. Our motto: “Whatever I give to the underwater world, I get in return.”

The Reef Check Survey is available in German and English and can be downloaded for free as a PDF-file or it can be ordered at cost for Euro 20,-/CHF 30,- via info@subex.org.

Reef Check Study German (PDF File 2MB)
Reef Check Study English (PDF File 2MB)