| GENERAL INFORMATION
In the diving world the Red
Sea is listed as number one and Sharm El - Sheikh
has the best that the Red Sea has to offer –
crystal clear waters, abundant tropical sea life ranging from
dolphins and sharks to feather-stars and gorgonian fan coral,
not to mention the best wrecks, drifts and walls that you’ll
ever dive. The winter season boasts excellent warm
water diving with water temperatures in the mid-twenties.
So frequented by divers from around the globe is Sharm that
it has been known to be “too” busy on certain
sites at certain times during the summer,
thus making winter visits to Sharm El - Sheikh
so much more of an experience, especially on sites such as
the “Thistlegorm” – one
of the most famous and exciting wreck dives in the world.
DIVING AND SNORKELING IN SHARM EL - SHEIKH
The waters in and around the
conservation area of Ras Mohammed National Park
offers a visual feast for snorkelers and divers alike. No
matter what your level of experience you can be guaranteed
and abundance of incredible marine life on any one of our
amazing sites. The visibility, typically
well in excess of 30 metres allows for glimpses of
the most reclusive of creatures and offers the chance to see
far below into the depths whilst on one of the many deep wall
dives.
Na’ama Bay is the tourist centre of
Sharm El - Sheikh and boasts a beautiful sandy beach with
warm clear water and a coral reef with an abundance of colourful
marine life that begins only a few meters from the waters
edge. Armed only with a mask and snorkel you can float safely
and effortlessly in the warm waters, gliding just above the
colourful coral reef and its many inhabitants.
RED SEA CORALS
Egyptian Red Sea supports
about 200 species of reef building
corals in about 50 genera.
Coral reefs are particularly well developed in the north and
central Red Sea (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan). In the south,
coral growth is inhibited because nutrient-rich water from
the Indian Ocean enters the Red Sea, and because stratification
is reduced by very strong winds caused by the high mountains
near the coast. In this area, corals are less diverse and
seaweeds grow on top of the coral reefs during the summer.
MARINE LIFE
The Red Sea itself, dotted
with Coral reefs, fringed by ancient ports, teeming with under
water life, has a rich maritime history which stretches back
to Pharaonic times. Common sights here include Whale Sharks,
Dolphins, Barracuda, Batfish, Grouper,Lion Fish and lots more.
You have to check it out yourself and soon you will find out
why the Red Sea is the number one dive destination.
red sea DIVE SITES
GENERAL
Sharm El - Sheikh is situated
at the southernmost tip of the Sinai peninsula, in the Red
Sea, between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Our dives range from
beach entry to live-aboard diving, each and every one of which
teeming with the best and most abundant sea life you’ll
ever see. With the amazing variety and number of sites to
choose from it’s hard to know where to begin.
RAS MOHAMMED NATIONAL PARK
Ras Mohammed, the world famous national park that is situated
on the southern-most tip of the Sinai, is home to
some of the most famous and exciting dives you’ll ever
do. The eastern coast of the Ras Mohammed park is
composed of a tall fossil coral reef. On the Southern side
on the sandy, shallow Hidden bay whose mouth is completely
blocked by a long coral reef. The western side is low and
sandy. Because of the geographic position this natinaol park
area is disinguished for the strong, massive currents that
transport large quantities of plankton and
other food the give rise to an extraordinairy growth
of soft and stoney corals and therefor attract large
schools of both reef and pelagic marine fauna. Given
the great abundance of food Tuna, Barracuda, Jackfish
ans Sharks swarm in these waters.
The park is proteced and fishing, spearfishing and mooring
boats are not allowed. Therefor a splendid
dive area and one the most famous spots in the world!
All dives at Ras Mohammed
are drift dives. Within the park are sites such as:
Anemone City
which lies at a depth of 12 metres to 20 metres. Here it is
possible to examine the relationship between the clownfish
and their hosts. You will find a large population of sea
anemones within which the Red
Sea Anemonefish make their home.
Jolanda Reef
and Shark Reef whose vertical wall drops
to an incredible 700 meters. Both sites can be explored on
the same drift dive and are famed for their combination of
adventure, fun and huge concentrations of marine life. The
wall on Sharks reef is recognizable by the profile of some
Gorgonians. If you look away from the reef into the blue you
will easily spot huge schools of Barracudas,
Emperors, Jackfish,
Snappers and Batfish.
After this reef you will pass
a sandy sadle with soft and hard coral formations, where we
regulary spot Giant Moray eels,
Napoleon fish and Scorpion
fish. The saddle connects Shark reef with the Yolanda
reef. Passing the southern outcrop you will see the remains
of the Yolanda, a Cypriot merchant ship that sank
there in 1980. (See wrecks for more specific details).
You can even end your amazing and memorable dive by being
photographed whilst sat on one of the remains of the wreck
of the Yolanda – a toilet! These are two of the reefs
that the national park is most famous for!
Ras Za’atar
A fantastic wall within the blue with many schools of Jackfish
and Barracuda hunting their prey.
At 25 to 30 metres you will find some beuatifull
Gorgonians and colonies of black
coral. The reef wall is at a depth of 12 to 20 metres,
full of marine life and studded with pink and red Alcyonarians.
Whilst you drift towards the North you pass a chimney
that narrows towards the surface where you can observe typical
inhabitants of gullies and crevices such as Lion
fish, some Malabar groupers
and Glass fish. At the tip of
the wall where the current becomes stronger we turn into Marsa
Barieka bay, recognizable by many coral
pinnacles that create a coral
garden frequented by a great number of reef fish. Turtles
can also be seen here.
Eel Garden Popular
for it's lovely colony of Garden Eels
swaying in the current for their favourite food, plankton.
The diving is easy and the route winds through a sandy plateau
that gently slopes to a depth of 33 metres. The Eel garden
is sheltered from currents but since it is exposed to prevailing
winds and waves we dive there when the wheater conditions
allow us.
Ras Ghazlani Just
around the corner of Sharm el Sheikh, at the beginning of
Ras Mohammed park, you will find Ras Ghazlani. A dive site
which was only discovered recently and is one
of the most amazing dive sites in the area!
The wall starts at a depth of 1 metre and gentley slopes to
a depth of 50 metres. The sandy bottom is covered with many
coral pinnacles that create a fantastic
coral garden frequented by a great number of reef
fish! The bay Marsa Ghazlani is famous for Turtles
which lay their eggs on the sandy beach and as a result we
often see Turtles during our
dives there.
Jackfish Alley A
parallel satelite reef, orginally known as Fisherman's
bank, that is often fequented by Jackfish and other predators.
At the start of your dive you will find a
cave at a depth of 5 metres that penetrates the reef
to about 40 metres. However we stay on the left in the cave
and we exit the cave at only 9 metres in depth! The reef is
populated by large schools of Glass
fish. Whitetip reef sharks,
Manta rays, Jackfish,
Triggerfish and Blue
Spotted Stingrays are often seen in this area.
Shark Observatory
A magnificant wall dive also known as Ras Mohammed wall. Whilst
diving look into the bue to spot large
pelagic predators. Even Whalesharks
have been seen in this area! This reef has some large
Gorgonians, shelters, caves,
a huge overhang and this all
without losing sight of the blue from which Jackfish,
Barracuda and even Sharks
suddenly appear. We pass through an extremely
beautifull cave that has a large opening in it's roof,
trough which light filters. From this opening we exit the
cave.
The Dunraven
A britisch steamer merchant ship
that lies up-side down at the depth of 15 to 29 metres. See
wrecks for specific
details
LOCAL SITES IN SHARM EL-SHEIKH
AND NA’AMA BAY
To say that the choice is varied would be an understatement
as the local dive site area stretches from the airport, north
of Na’ama Bay, to downtown Sharm El – Sheikh,
in the south. The many sites vary and include ideal sites
for check dives and courses, coral gardens, sloping reefs
and walls. There are 25 different
dives to choose from.
Here some of the impressive
dive sites:
Ras Nasrani
has become one of the most popular and visited dive sites
in Sharm El - Sheikh. Red Anemone,
Mushroom shaped Porites,
Large Gogonians, Pelagic
fish such as Tuna, Jackfish
and Barracuda.
Ras Um Sid
is famous for it’s large Gorgonian
garden, starting at 15 to 20 metres and growing down
further than the eye can see.
The Temple
is situated to the north-west of Ras Um Sid and is one of
the oldest and most famous dive sites in the area. The Temple
is a massive cracked rock, surrounded by smaller coral and
rock formations. At a depth of 6 to 25 metres there are 3
coral pilars that resemble the columns of an ancient
temple. It guarantees easy diving and is rather interesting
because of its underwater landscape, rich in soft
and hard corals with the presence of many species of
Buttelfly fish,
Parrot fish, Lion
fish, Trigger fish, Angel
fish and especially Arabian Angel
fish.
The Gardens
are situated to the north of Na’ama Bay. The three gardens,
Near Garden, Middle Garden
and Far Garden are famed for their stunning
coral formations and vast variety of marine life. It differs
from the other locations in the bay, since there is a series
of large madreporic pinnacles with an extraordinary outcrop
of both stony and soft corals.
They are frequented by a great number of reef fish; Lion
fish, small scalefin,
Suez Fusseliers, Sergant
Majors, Glass fish, spotted
Eagle rays, often Manta rays,
red Sponges, Napoleon
fish, orange stripped Trigger
fish and red-toothed Trigger
fish.
White Knight
A small bay bordered by a rather well developed reef with
a large crevice that opens onto a sandy plateau from 6 to
17.5 metres. At a depth of 8 metres is a beautiful
canyon that decends to 38 metres. The eastern side
is built out of two stoney coral butresses on which you will
see Serpetine salad coral. Next
to the canyon there is tunnel that starts at 10 metres and
opens into the canyon at 13 metres. Near this site lies the
wreck of Noose One, a diving boat that sank in 1994
after a fire. It lies upside down at the depth of 15 metres.
Manta rays may be seen especially during the summer.
Sodfa This
classic dive is at an average depth of about 15 metres. You
will see large coral pinnacles
with a wide range of reef fauna and large
Gogonians at the depth of 20 metres, Parrot
fish, Lion fish, Sailfin
and lots more.
Tower A spectaculair
dive site characterized by a canyon whose wall decends to
180 metres. At a depth of 12 to 15 metres are some large coral
pinnacles, small caves with huge schools of Glass
fish, many Parrot fish,
Gorganians, Lion
fish, Cube Box fish and
sometimes giant Porcupine fish.
Pinky's Wall
Named due to the vast multitude of pink Alcyonarian. At an
average depth of 15 metres you'll find the
greatest concentration of the soft Alcyonarian corals.
Amphoras
The name of this site derives from the 17th
century shipwreck of a Turkish vessel with a cargo
of amphoras containing mercury (metal). At depth of
about 12 metres are some coral pinnacles
with a crust of a huge number of multi
coloured Alcyonarians that create a magnificent garden.
Glass fish swim among the red Alcyonarians. At the depth of
25 metres you will see the stock of the
original anchor of the ship with
inscriptions as well as fragments of the amphoras
that the wreck held (which has now virtually disappeared).
Turtle Bay
A slope that runs at a depth of 9 to 25 metres. You will find
low coral towers, some Gorgonians
and a wealth of soft and hard
corals. Large Salad corals
can be seen, some large and mushroom
shaped coral heads surounded by a beautiful and varied
reef fauna.
Paradise
A drift dive where the underwater landscape differs in the
taller coral pinnacles with a variety of hues due to the growth
of red, pinkish and yellow Alcyonarians.
The overall effect is a magnificent environment that is unique!
You'll see large coral tables
and you will be able to admire a host of reef fauna, Parrot
fish, large Napoleon fish,
Butterfly fish, Moray
Eels and Surgeon fish.
Ras Katy
A reef with an initial depth of 5 metres and slopes to 16-18
metres. On the plateau you will see two coral pinnacles a
few metres away from each other. They are filled with Alcyonarians
with numerous specimens of Brocoli coral.
These pinnacles are a favourite haunt of abundant
and varied reef fauna, specially Butterfly
fish. You'll see Glass fish,
Lion fish, Big-eye
Trevally, Crocodile fish
on the sandy bottom, Blue spotted Sting
rays and Scorpion fish.
TIRAN STRAITS
This separates the Gulf of
Aqaba from the rest of the Red Sea and consists of four undersea
‘mountains’ that rise up to a metre meter from
the surface. The five sites located here rank highly amongst
the finest attractions of the Red Sea and
are known for their fantastic wall diving with medium to strong
currents, the surrounding water that drops to depths between
200 and 500 meters, excellent hard and soft corals, abundant
marine life including Turtles,
Barracuda, Tuna,
Moray eels, large
Napoleon Humphead Wrasse, Grouper
and the high probability of encountering Sharks
on almost every dive.
The sites here are:
Jackson Reef This amazing
site is situated about one kilometre north of the island of
Tiran and is known for the wreck of the Lara which sank in
1985. The reef wall is steep and vibrant and you'll see Gorgonians,
numerous Fire coral and red
Anemones. Commonly sighted here are Turtles,
White tip reef sharks, Grey
reef Sharks and Hammerhead Sharks
as well as an abundance of pelagic
and predatory fish.
Woodhouse Reef Located between
Thomas reef and Jackson reef. It is a narrow and long reef
and one of the best sites for observing Sharks. Often sighted
here are Whitetip reef sharks,
Grey reef Sharks, Leopard
sharks, Hammerheads, Spotted
Eagle rays and Sea Turtles.
This marine environment with
it's abundance of corals is absolutly fantastic!
Thomas Reef The smallest
of the four Straits of Tiran and one
of the most spectaculair diving sites in the Northern Red
Sea. Drift diving here is about as good as
it gets and on a typical dive along the wall we observe huge
Gorgonians, colonies of black
Coral, an exceptional array of fauna with large pelagic
fish like the Whitetip reef Shark
but also Sea Turtles, Angelfish,
Groupers, Surgeon
fish,Tuna and Barracuda.
Gordon Reef which is the
southern most member of the Straits and South Laguna and is
known for the wreck of the Lovilla, which ran around in 1981.
Depending on the current we make either a drift dive or a
moored dive. This is a very nice reef with
varied marine life such as Nudibranches,
Mollusks, Garden
eels, Blue spotted eagle ray,
Whitetip reef Shark, Hammerhead
Shark, Fire coral, Triggerfish,
Parrot fish, Octopus
and many other species of coral
and reef fish.
Komoran In August 1984 the
Komoran, out of Aqaba with a cargo of phosphate, ran aground
on the reef bordering the island of Tiran due to navigational
error. The wreck is still relatively unknown because the
wreck can only be dived on when the sea conditions are calm.
She lies on the bottom at a rather shallow depth of only 12
metres at her deepest point. The ship is 80 metres long and
easy to spot from the surface because its stern is breaks
the surface. Some sections of the wreck are really well preserved
whereas other parts are completly destroyed. The name of the
ship on the bow side is still clearly legible.
A good site for Photographers.
Laguna reef At the western
side of Tiran island, bordered by a madreporic formation standing
over a fantastic Coral lagoon with an average depth of 10
to 13 metres. The lagoon is dived into 2 parts: North and
South. The reef is very rich
in coral and reef fauna, large Table
corals, soft and stony
corals and some Gorgonians.
Sometimes we see Leopard Sharks and
Whitetip reef sharks.
WRECKS
The
SS Thistlegorm
In 1956 Jacques
Cousteau, with his mythical oceanographic ship Calypso, discovered
the wreck of the Thistlegorm on the outer wall of the reef
known as Sha'ab Ali,
off the western coast of Sinai. The Thistlegorm had come from
Cape Town loaded with material for the British troops
in North Africa.
Sunk by a German bomber on the 6th October
1941, the British transport ship the Thistlegorm (see
pictures below) built in 1940
lies on a sandy bottom at 30m, but starts at a shallow depth
of 17m and can usually be seen clearly from
the moment you enter the water. She is 131 metres
long with ample space and time for safe penetration and examination
of it’s cargo of munitions, Bedford trucks, BSA motorbikes,
Morris automobiles, two light MK II Bren carrier tanks, locomotives,
railway freight cars and carriages.
Your dive is not limited to admiring the
ship's structure but also offers views of the abundant fauna
living there: Schools of Bathfish,
Barracuda, large
Groupers, Snappers, Jackfish,
Butterfly fish, Surgeon
fish, Crocodilefish,
Squirrel fish, Soldier fish,
Glass fish and other beautiful
fauna.
That’s why it’s known as one of the best!
The Dunraven
The wreck of a British steamship (see
pictures below) built in 1873 in Newcastle and hit Sha’ab
Mahmoud, also known as Beacon Rock, in 1876. The wreck lies
upside down at 15 - 29.5 metres depth, in 2 pieces;
it was only discovered in 1977. The Dunraven was
the subject of a memorable BBC documentary film in 1979 and
has become a classic site for
Scuba divers. You can access the wreck through
the three main openings at the stern, midship and the Bow.
There is a splendid, virtually intact coral garden on the
outer slope of the Reef. It's rich in stable populations of
Groupers, Scorpion fish, Crocodile
fish, Alcyonarians and Sponges.
The Yolanda
At 25 - 10 metres depth lies the Yolanda,
carrying a cargo of toilets
(see picture),
bathtubs, sanitary fixtures, wallpaper, cases of Whiskey and
even a BMW 320 Automobile that belonged to
the ship's captain. The ship originated from Cyprus and ran
aground on Yolanda Reef in stormy seas in 1980 while on it's
way to Aqaba. The wreck, 75 metres is length, is always surrounded
by large Malabar groupers, Napoleon
fish, Snappers and Fuseliers.
The Chrisoula
K A modern Greek motor freighter, 380 feet long and
carrying 3700 tons of Italian granite, bound for Jeddah, hit
Shab Abu Nuhas and sank in October 1981. She
lies at 28 meters, her shallowest point at 12 meters.
The Loullia A cargoship, travelling from
Aqaba to Suez, struck the north side of Gordon
Reef 29 September 1981 and sank to become a natural
part of the underwater landscape.
The Lara
The remains of a Cyprian vessel situated
on the northern side of Jackson Reef
which sank in 1985.
The Ghiannis D
Known as one of the best wreck dives
in the Red Sea, the Ghiannis D hit the Shab Abu Nuhas in April
1983. She split in two and sank to a depth of 28
meters and is known as an ideal wreck for penetration.
The Carnatic
This wreck lies on Shab Abu Nuhas, between
the wrecks of the Chrisoula K and the Ghiannis D. The Carnatic
was a passenger and mail ship for the P & O company and
apparently held fifty thousand sterling pounds in bullion.
She hit the reef, broke in two and sank to 30
meters. It is said that
to date eight thousand of the sterling bullion still remains
to be found.
NON-LOCAL SITES IN
SHARM EL-SHEIKH
DAHAB
GENERAL
Dahab
is located around 100 km North of Sharm El-Sheikh. We leave
early in the morning by car and head off for a cross-dessert
trip towards our Dive location. Dahab is nice, cosy and extremely
relaxed, set on the eastern coast of the Sinai. After diving
we take a long break in one of the Bedouin
style restaurants for lunch. After lunch there is ample
time to shop around on the Dahab Boulevard. You may even decide
to take a short ride on a Camel. Long breaks are mandatory
after diving Dahab due to the altitude we drive to on our
journey back to Sharm El-Sheikh.
One
of the beach views of Dahab
The 2 famous dive sites in Dahab:
The Bells and The Blue Hole The Blue Hole
is the most famous and considered
by Europeans as being one of the top
world-class dive sites. It is literally a hole in the
reef that is around 55 meters wide and it's maximum depth
is 102 meters. The most amazing feature of the Blue Hole is
the stunning Archway, which is located at 54 meters and exits
into the bottomless open sea. After exploring the seemingly
bottomless vertical tunnel we exit through a beautiful
coral garden at Bells, a 5 meters wide crack within
the reef that dramatically exits at 30 meters to the open
azure bottomless ocean. Corals, fans,
eels and dozens of fish species flourish here.
The Canyon Equally
famous is the Canyon that is a deep wide
ravine within the ocean floor with a large
coral lagoon. Starting at the fish
bowl, an enclosed circular cavern with three entrance
/ exit points full of small Gold fish
or Glassfish at 15 meters, then
sloping downwards to two more exits / entrances, one at 30
meters the other at 52 meters. Most dives are conducted from
the 30 metre entrance then upward to the fish bowl or in the
opposite direction. You will see beautiful coral pinnacles,
Garden eels, Triggerfish,
reef fish, Scorpion fish and
often Nudibraches.
OUR STAFF
We teach all PADI courses
ourselves with an expanse of experience in The Red Sea, South
Africa, Malta, Greece, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Caribbean and
Europe.
Between us, we speak English, Dutch, German
and French, and instruction in other languages may be available
upon request.
We teach in small groups and we take the time to make you
experienced in the area of your choice. (e.g. Open Water,
Advanced Diver, Speciality Diver, Rescue, Dive master, Assistant
Instructor, Oxygen Provider, Emergency First Response (EFR)
provider) and Nitrox. Experienced / qualified divers will
be guided to some of the most beautiful dive sites in the
Red Sea and can expect personal service, fun and safety!
Please check the link on our
web site for course and dive information in the folder: PADI
Scuba Diving Courses.
With warm regards,
Bobby and Marjolein
Diving & Safaris
E-mail us: info@divingandsafaris.com
Website: www.divingandsafaris.com
Sharks bay
- November 2003
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