|
Search Dive Hotels
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coral Beach Rotana...
|
|
367 elegantly appointed rooms and suites, all with stunning sea or garden views, offer a full...
|
|
more...
|
|
|
|
Egypt: Search Dive Areas
|
|
|
|
|
Sharm-el-Sheikh
|
|
|
“Charming Sharm”, better known as Sharm-el-Sheikh, is located in the south of the Sinai Peninsula and guarantees almost 365 days of sunshine per year. The destination offers various day trips to nearby attractions, such as the Gebel Musa (Moses Mountain) and St. Catherines Monestary with its unique collection of ancient icons, the Coloured Canyon near Nuweiba, camel safaris, desert excursions snorkelling trips and many more. Even Petra in Jordan can be visited in only a day trip. Sharm-el-Sheikh, originally a small Bedouin village, has grown to a large and comfortable holiday destination for sun worshippers and divers offering accommodation in small cosy lodges to large 5 star holiday resorts of globally known hotel brands.
Sharm-el-Sheikh is said to be, without a doubt, one of the best diving paradises in the world. There are 20 dive sites alone within
Ras Mohamed National Park, which surrounds the South tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Dives here must be organized through the dive clubs in order to aid in protecting the park's ecosystem. A highlight is a dive around The Thistlegorm, which displays the British war ship that sank with a full consignment of war supplies after being bombed in WWII. It lies to the northwest of Ras Mohamed, at a depth of 17 to 35 meters.
There are many dive sites to visit at the Ras Mohamed National Park area, but the most spectacular reefs-Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef, located at the southern tip of the park - are only accessible by boat. These sites are so popular that the National Park had to put a rotation system to control the amount of divers per day.
Located at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula strong underwater currents provide lots of nutrient for all living species. Over thousand species of fish and over hundred different hard and soft coral species have been recorded in the Ras Mohamed area. Napoleon Wrasse, Moray Eels and turtles are permanent inhabitants. If you can cope with the Egyptian summer heat, Ras Mohamed is spectacular from mid June to mid August. It is mating season for a lot of fish species and large schools of fish can be seen in the blue. Some of the dive sites are challenging with unpredictable currents and steep drop offs.
Straits of Tiran
Tiran Island is situated in the middle of the Gulf of Aqaba, between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. All around it are steep buttressed walls and to the south a shallow plateau of Jackson Reef at around 10 m. This leads to a saddle that joins with Woodhouse Reef at a depth of 30 m. There are a number of good and all very different dives here. From strong current dives along steep blue wall of buttress gullies to a depth of 50 m. The plateau has a huge diversity of different corals and sponges and is alive with all kinds of fish. Clouds of red toothed triggerfish ride the current. Coral trout hide in the jungle of corals and all kinds of boxfish can be seen. Out in the blue, tuna and jackfish cruise. Sandy ledges and canyons make breathtaking dives around Thomas Canyon. Turtles are often found here too. This is your pick-up point in all but the worst weather. On a falling tide, there is a classic drift dive heading south along the outside or western wall. Drop in where the current splits. In these conditions, snapper, tuna, surgeonfish and bigeye trevallies school near the reef.
|
|
|