Blotches of oil spotted along shoreline in Egypt's Dahab

Scattered oil blotches have been spotted on the shoreline of Dahab city, in the areas from Asala to Mashraba, in Egypt's South Sinai province, the Chamber of Diving and Water Sports said in a statement on Tuesday.

The origin of the spill is reportedly from Aqaba in Jordan following an oil spill that occurred on Sunday with large quantities of crude oil dumped into the Red Sea, the statement added.

Both Aqaba and Dahab overlook the Red Sea.

The chamber notified visitors to Dahab to preferably avoid snorkelling, swimming, water sports or diving in the affected areas between Assala and Mashraba as clean-up efforts are underway.

"We recommend going to other unaffected areas," the statement stressed.

Eco-Dahab's Facebook page further warned visitors against walking their dogs by the two beaches.

One of Egypt's most treasured diving destinations, eco-tourism as well as being a year-long vacation spot, Dahab is located on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula. It is about one hour away by car from Sharm El-Sheikh resort.