While not as densely covered with coral as other Jazirat Abu Shosha sites, Coral Garden is a healthy slope that forms an important habitat for breeding fish. There’s plenty to see among the coral formations that cling to the slopes. Float along the wall in a northerly direction, and for an effortless return, divers can descend to 30m, where the current changes from north to south.

The reef is mostly dominated by fire coral, which suggests a past bleaching incident, though divers can expect to see a multitude of kaleidoscopic fish, including orange clouds of anthias, blacktail butterflyfish, vagabond butterflyfish, and large shoals of coral hind groupers, which aggregate at the site to spawn – a thrilling, unique spectacle that often takes place on seaward reef slopes.

The action unfolds as female groupers release their eggs in a water column, causing male groupers to swim in dramatic spirals, like a noiseless hurricane. The frenzied performance is already an intriguing display, but it also tends to attract larger predators. If you’re lucky enough to witness a spawning, be sure to keep an eye out on the big blue for barracuda. These fast-moving predators hunt by charging and ramming their prey at high speeds; to them, a grouper spawning is an open buffet.

Fire corals, typically yellow-green or brownish with a branching formation, can cause burning skin reactions. This commonly leads to incidents among divers, especially for those with poor buoyancy control.