Jazīrat Jiftūn al Kabīr

This guide to Jazirat Jiftun al Kabir, the marine national park island off Hurghada, traces the mid-1990s plan to hand the island to Italian developers for a beach resort, and the divers and conservationists who pushed back before the government's decision. It takes in the coral and fish that fill the surrounding reef, the green sea turtles that still come ashore, and the rule that keeps every visitor off the island after dark. Grand Giftun and its smaller twin, Small Giftun, both come up along the way.