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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Red Sea and Arabia

Red Sea and Arabia

Israel

The northernmost coral reef in the world, at Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba, with easy shore diving. Shared as a story only, with no trips.

Turquoise water and reef at Eilat on the Red Sea
Eilat · Photo: Mor Shani on Unsplash
On pause, travel not recommended

On pause, travel not recommended. A government travel advisory says not to travel here, so we do not offer trips. Sources: Israel travel advice, UK FCDO, current 23 Sep 2026; Israel travel advice, Swiss FDFA, updated 29 May 2026; Israel travel recommendations, Spain Exteriores, valid 9 Sep 2026.

Why: EU and US citizens may be advised against tourist travel to Israel, so please check your own government's website. We offer no trips and no referrals. We only share the story of the reef. The UK advice does not advise against Eilat itself but warns of risks across the country. Please never touch the coral, stand on it or feed the fish, and use the reef bridges.

We share this country as a story and do not offer trips. This is not a judgement of the people or the ocean here. It only means that today we could not find a visit that meets our animal-welfare and safety standards. Places change, so we look again every year.

⚠️ Official travel advice is a separate question, and it differs by passport. EU citizens or US citizens may be advised against travelling there, so please check your own government’s website before you plan.

Also see: Palestine

🧭 Travel advice, checked 5 Oct 2026. The UK FCDO (updated 22 Jul 2026) advises against all travel to Gaza, within 500 m of the Gaza border, Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas, and northern Israel and the Golan north of Route 89, and against all but essential travel to the rest of the West Bank. Eilat is not listed, but the page warns of rocket and drone attacks throughout Israel. Spain advises against all travel to Israel. Sources: Israel travel advice, UK FCDO · Israel travel recommendations, Spain Exteriores, valid 9 Sep 2026 Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

FreedivingScubaSnorkellingCoral reefs

Why Israel

Eilat sits at the top of the Gulf of Aqaba and is home to Israel's only coral reef, which is the northernmost shallow-water coral reef in the world and may cope better with warming seas than most, but it is not immune. Press reports say about 5% of corals in the study area bleached in 2024 and most recovered. The Coral Beach Nature Reserve has bridges over the reef so snorkellers and divers can reach the seaward side without touching the coral, and the diving is done from the shore. Divers commonly report anthias, parrotfish, angelfish, moray eels, lionfish and rays, with the odd turtle or wild dolphin passing by. Shabbat, from Friday evening to Saturday, changes transport and services, and the reserve closes early on Fridays. EU and US citizens may be advised against tourist travel to Israel, so please check your own government's website. This page is story only and Ocean Calling does not go.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

KazakhstanUzbekistanSudanChadRussiaFranceMaliNigerNigeriaBurkina FasoIsraelLebanonPalestineTunisiaAlgeriaJordanUnited Arab EmiratesQatarKuwaitIraqOmanIndiaPakistanAfghanistanTajikistanKyrgyzstanTurkmenistanIranSyriaArmeniaUkraineRomaniaBulgariaGreeceTurkeyAlbaniaCroatiaSpainChinaItalyAzerbaijanGeorgiaEritreaYemenSaudi ArabiaN. CyprusCyprusMoroccoEgyptLibyaEthiopiaBosnia and Herz.MacedoniaSerbiaMontenegroKosovoEilat and the Coral Beach Nature Reserve, Israel

When to go

Year-round. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

Official travel advice or our ethics check means we do not send guests here.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

On pause, travel not recommended

We follow government travel advice. We will look again when it changes.

This is not a judgement of the people or the ocean here. It only means that today we could not find a visit that meets our animal-welfare and safety standards. Places change, so we look again every year. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

⚠️ Official travel advice is a separate question, and it differs by passport. EU citizens or US citizens may be advised against travelling there, so please check your own government’s website before you plan.

Sources for this check
The story

Where in Israel

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

Eilat and the Coral Beach Nature Reserve

On pause, travel not recommended

A protected stretch of shore with the only coral reef in the country, reached by bridges that keep visitors off the coral.

When: Year-round. We have not yet studied the seasons here. Shore diving is described as easy through the year, and the reserve closes earlier on Fridays and holiday eves.

Animals

Animals recorded in Israel

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Red lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHuge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePod of common dolphins surfacing in calm blue seaCommon dolphinDelphinus delphisSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernFin whale surfacing, showing its white right lower jawFin whaleBalaenoptera physalusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBlue-spotted ribbontail ray resting on sand, seen from aboveBlue-spotted ribbontail rayTaeniura lymmaSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernEstuary seahorse with textured orange skin on dark sandCommon (estuary) seahorseHippocampus kudaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasVulnerableScarred Risso's dolphin spyhopping out of the waterRisso's dolphinGrampus griseusSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-spotted eagle rays gliding over coral at Heron Island, Great Barrier ReefSpotted eagle ray (ocellated eagle ray)Aetobatus ocellatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasEndangeredStriped dolphin leaping, dark flank stripe clearly visibleStriped dolphinStenella coeruleoalbaSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernFalse killer whale surging through blue water off Rota, Mariana IslandsFalse killer whalePseudorca crassidensSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPod of bottlenose dolphins swimming over a Red Sea coral reefIndo-Pacific bottlenose dolphinTursiops aduncusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedMediterranean monk seal head above blue water, whiskers visibleMediterranean monk sealMonachus monachusSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSandbar shark with its tall dorsal fin over a sandy seabed in HawaiʻiSandbar sharkCarcharhinus plumbeusSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasEndangeredDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMoon jellyfish in a harbour in Zeeland, NetherlandsMoon jellyfishAurelia aurita and other Aurelia speciesSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedCommon octopus crawling over a rocky seabed in FranceCommon octopusOctopus vulgarisSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlackchin guitarfish lying on pale sand beside rocks, with a shark-like tail and two tall dorsal finsBlackchin guitarfishGlaucostegus cemiculusSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredA Black Sea seahorse in the shallow water at Eforie-SudLong-snouted seahorseHippocampus guttulatusSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedMauve stinger jellyfish in Girona, ES-CT, ES, iNaturalist research-grade observationMauve stinger jellyfishPelagia noctilucaSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedDusky grouper underwater at Cabo de Palos, SpainDusky grouperEpinephelus marginatusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhite-eyed gull perched on a corrugated roof against a blue sky, with a dark hood and red billWhite-eyed gullIchthyaetus leucophthalmusSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernNomad jellyfish seen from below in sunlit blue water, a translucent bell with frilly arms hanging beneath, off Haifa, IsraelNomad jellyfishRhopilema nomadicaSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedSilver-cheeked toadfish resting just above sandy seabed, with its pale belly and dark-spotted backSilver-cheeked toadfishLagocephalus sceleratusSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-tailed eagle in flight low over calm water with a fish in its talons, near Raftsund, Lofoten, NorwayWhite-tailed eagleHaliaeetus albicillaSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernCommon smooth-hound swimming just above a sandy seabed, with a slim grey-brown body and two dorsal finsCommon smooth-houndMustelus mustelusSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasEndangeredAmerican flamingo wading in shallow water with its head lowered toward the surface, Yucatán, MexicoAmerican flamingoPhoenicopterus ruberSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHuge flock of sooty shearwaters flying low over the sea beside a rocky coastSooty shearwaterArdenna griseaSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedWilson's storm-petrel resting on calm water with its wings raised above its backWilson's storm-petrelOceanites oceanicusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a northern gannet face, with pale blue eyes and a golden headNorthern gannetMorus bassanusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernScopoli's shearwater skimming just above calm blue waterScopoli's shearwaterCalonectris diomedeaSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeach's storm-petrel in flight over water, wings spread, with a pale patch at the base of the tailLeach's storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasVulnerableManx shearwater banking just above the sea, white underparts and dark upperparts visibleManx shearwaterPuffinus puffinusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernEuropean shag sitting on its nest of dry grass, dark green-tinged plumage and yellow gapeEuropean shagGulosus aristotelisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo pygmy cormorants perched on a bare branchPygmy cormorantMicrocarbo pygmaeusSeen in 26 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernYelkouan shearwater lifting off the sea surface with wings raisedYelkouan shearwaterPuffinus yelkouanSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasVulnerableMarbled electric ray lying on a sandy seabed, spotted pattern visibleMarbled electric rayTorpedo marmorataSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBrown ray resting on a sandy seabed, with a blue-centred eyespot on each wingBrown rayRaja miraletusSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernThornback ray swimming over a rocky seabed in shallow green waterThornback rayRaja clavataSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedSwinhoe's storm-petrel flying low over a grey sea, seen at a distanceSwinhoe's storm-petrelHydrobates monorhisSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedCommon torpedo resting on sand, showing the dark spots on its round discCommon torpedo (ocellate torpedo)Torpedo torpedoSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSpiny butterfly ray resting on a sandy seabed among seagrassSpiny butterfly rayGymnura altavelaSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasEndangeredCommon stingray resting on a bed of seagrass, with its eye and body edge in viewCommon stingrayDasyatis pastinacaSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasVulnerableDusky shark swimming just under the surface of blue waterDusky sharkCarcharhinus obscurusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasEndangeredCoach whipray gliding over seagrass in the Red Sea, long tail trailing behindCoach whipray (reticulate whipray)Himantura uarnakSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasEndangeredRound stingray resting on a rocky reef off La Palma, Canary IslandsRound stingrayTaeniurops grabatusSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask RocíoBack to the Ocean Atlas

Also in Red Sea and Arabia
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