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Red Sea College Sharm El Sheikh |
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| Amphora: As
the name suggests has a few large broken
amphora's half buried at 28m in amongst
the coral heads. These used to contain
mercury many years ago and reports have
been made of sightings of small amounts
left. This site is not dived very often
recently as most dive guides don't know
the site and the amphora's are hard to
find. Apart from the amphora the reef is
a wall to 10m followed by a gentle slope
covered in corals |
| Anemone
City: Located just inshore from
Shark Reef, it is a popular boat entry
point for a drift dive around the twin
pinnacles. The reef is a steep slope
with rich coral growth and huge numbers
of anemone, with attendant anemone fish,
which gave the dive site its name. |
| Dunraven: This
wreck of a British Steamer is on the Southern
edge of Sha'ab Mahmoud which is also known
as Beacon Rock as the wreck is directly
below the South Cardinal Beacon. It is
about another hour boat ride past Ras Mohammed
and is prone to the weather conditions.
Once at the reef there is some protection
from the waves but it can still be a little
rough. The Dunraven was built in 1873 in
Newcastle and hit the reef in 1876. It
has sunk in 30m of water right next to
the reef wall and is completely upside
down in two sections. The length is about
80m and it's about 10m wide. |
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| Far
Garden: As the name suggests,
is the northerly end of the Gardens Bay.
It can be dived as a mooring or a drift
dive. There is not usually much current
at the mooring, but on approaching the
end of the bay it is possible to hover
there and watch the reef go by. The mooring
is on the slope of the reef in about
18m, which is close to the shore, as
the reef drops away quickly. The slope
goes down a long way so the first part
of the dive is conducted on the slope.
It is not until you turn around to return
towards the boat when you come up to
about 10m does the reef level out. This
site has got to be the most popular site
in the area for spotting Manta Rays. |
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| Gordon
Reef: The most southerly reef
of the four has a different topography
from the others. This site has both a
shallow plateau area and drop offs, and
can be done as a mooring or a drift dive.
On the northern edge of the reef is the
remains of the wreck Lovilla which has
been on top of the reef for a long time.
It only remains there by habit as most
of the hull has corroded away (everybody
is waiting for it to go down so we can
dive the wreck). The current on the south
edge of Gordon is rarely strong but be
aware for it as it can cut across the
plateau. The boats moor up on the southern
plateau in about 8m of water. The dives
are usually conducted from the mooring
and heading in a easterly direction to
the drop off which starts at about 16m
(worth keeping an eye out into the blue
here!). |
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| Jackfish
Alley: This dive site is often
dived as the second dive of the day.
Drifting with the current it is an easy
and relaxing dive. Two penetrable caves,
each with separate exit and entrance
holes and an alley formed by a second
reef plateau parallel to the coastline
made this site popular. Plenty of jacks
and stingrays can be seen in the alley
and white soft coral gardens make you
dream. |
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| Jackson
Reef: This is the most northerly
reef in the Straits of Tiran. The dives
are usually conducted from the moorings
on the south side which is sheltered
from the main swell and currents. The
boats moor up in a lull spot of the current
where the wall is around 40m. After descending
down the wall to your planned depth the
dive is to the south western corner,
keeping the reef on the right. Towards
the corner the reef levels out to a gentle
slope from about 6m with the corals in
this area being some of the best in the
area. It is around here that the current
can pick up and be very strong. Care
is required as you have to be able to
get back to the boat. On the way back,
which is done in shallow water, there
are many inlets into the reef which are
full of soft corals, making an excellent
place to conduct the safety stop. |
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| Lagoona: This
is the reef just offshore of the Island
of Tiran. This site has more anemones and
clown fish than any other area. This site
is also famous for being the location where
the Cunard liner went aground resulting
in a fine by the Egyptian government of
about US$ 20 Million. The area that it
hit has no coral remaining though the reef
is slowly recovering. The dive is now usually
conducted south of the impact area. The
dive is done from the southern point of
the reef, where often sharks sleep on the
plateau, and then drift gently along heading
North. There are large table corals and
patches of anemones all along the slope. |
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| Middle
Garden: Is an excellent second
dive, it is a large bay with no current
and a large shallow area starting at
about 7m and flat before sloping down.
Apart from one large sand patch and a
few smaller ones the whole area is covered
in corals. Due to the size of this site
there are many places to moor up on.
It is an ideal site to have a relaxing
cruise over the reef with a chance to
see if anything is cruising by in the
blue. |
| Naama
Bay: This is the area directly
in front of the College. We are right
on the beach front with our own private
beach and access to the reefs. The bay
is a gradual sandy slope, making it ideal
for training dives as there is plenty
of room in the shallows to conduct exercises
in standing depth water and the reefs
start in about 3m of water and go to
about 7m. |
| Near
Garden: Is the dive site nearest
to Naama Bay, being about 10 minutes
by boat and on the point between Naama
Bay and Gardens Bay. Being a headland
it is prone to have some current and
deep water. The current is usually not
strong and the dive is normally done
as a mooring dive or can be combined
as a drift from Middle Garden. Note:
This site is very popular with snorkelling
and glass bottom boats. So care is required
when diving shallow as the boat skippers
do not pay much attention to divers. |
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| Ras
Katy: Is a good combination dive.
There is a shallow area which is ideal
for sorting out any buoyancy practice
and getting the weights right, also useful
for doing safety stops. In the shallows
there are coral heads coming to within
a couple of m of the surface which are
full of life as well as sandy patches
with eel grass. A little bit further
out the reef drops down on a 45? slope
to the depths allowing the divers to
follow the reef towards the plateau on
the corner. The currents on the corner
are not usually strong but any diver
going to the corner needs to watch the
air supply as it can be quite a swim
back at 18m before the reef starts to
shallow out. |
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| Ras
Mohammed National Park: There
are many dive sites to visit at the Ras
Mohammed National Park area, but the
most spectacular reefs-Shark Reef and
Yolanda Reef- located at the southern
tip of the park are only available 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 provides lots of nutrient for
all living species. Over thousand fish
and over hundred different hard and soft
coral species have been recorded in the
Ras Mohammed area. Napoleon Wrasse, Moray
Eels and turtles are permanent inhabitants.
If you can cope with the summer heat
Ras Mohammed 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. It is
just breathtaking! |
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| Ras
Nasrani: Is the most northerly
dive site on the mainland that is dived
regularly. There is another site North
of this, Ras Gamila, but this can only
be dived in very calm conditions. This
site can be done as a drift or a mooring
dive, depending on the currents. The
location of the mooring is in the area
of transition of the topography. To the
South of the mooring the site is a wall
dive and to the North it flattens out
on to a plateau as the site heads around
the corner. |
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| Ras
Um Sid: This is a main headland
of the area, having the lighthouse situated
on top of the cliff. The headland in
conjunction with the deep water found
on the corner means currents are regular
here. This dive is usually done as a
mooring dive, so returning to the boat
and not getting caught up in the current
is important. The boat moors in around
20m of water which is close to the shore
reef. The shore reef drops down from
the surface around 20m and towards the
corner, the bottom of the wall gets deeper,
so don't follow the bottom! |
| Ras
Zatar: Located on the northern
tip of the Ras Mohammed Peninsula it
is not visited as often as the other
sites. Steep walls with some large caves
filled with glass sweepers and soft corals
make the drift dive enjoyable. In shallow
areas of the wall many small invertebrates,
like the feather worm tubes and nudibranches
can be found, an excellent dive site
for macro photography. |
| Sharks
Bay: Is one of the few sites that
is open for shore diving. As this is
one of the few natural beaches in the
area the sand follows into the water
giving a gradual slope to descend down.
For those planning a Deep Dive Specialty
Course there is a canyon starting at
18m which continues down to the depths.
For those planning a course dive or a
nice gentle dive this is a good site
as to the South there is a sandy road
with coral on each side at a depth of
14m. To the North there is sand gullies
in between solid reef slope. |
| Shark
Observatory: Situated just beside
Jackfish Alley, this dive site can be
accessed by boat and shore. It is named
after the observation point on the cliff
top on shore. The cliff formation continues
underwater as a vertical wall, sloping
outwards at its foot. Visibility is excellent
and keeping a little distance from the
wall gives the impression to dive in
an amphitheatre. Crevices and little
caves in the wall invite for a closer
look. |
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| Shark
Reef / Yolanda Reef: These are
two small twin pinnacles, peaks of a
single coral tower rising out of the
depth just off the Ras Mohammed coast.
This dive is conducted as a drift dive
either with water entry at Shark Reef
or at Anemone City. Shark Reef, the eastern
most of the two, stands out with its
breathtaking drop off to 800m depth.
The steep reef wall is covered with soft
corals and strong currents can be recognized
by watching schools of snappers lining
up in a vertical row. Yolanda Reef, less
steep covered with little coral pinnacles
and heads, ends with a shallow patch
at the south side. Remains of the Yolanda
wreck gave it the name. The cargo - Ideal
Standard sanitary equipment - is spread
over the reef and nowadays used for shelter. |
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| The
Straits of Tiran: This dive location
can be found in the middle of the Gulf
of Aqaba approximately one and a half
hours by boat from Naama Bay. Only accessible
by boat it is still well preserved compared
to some of the local dive sites on the
coastline. Unpredictable currents around
the reefs and steep drop offs require
good diving skills. Guests diving with
us will never be diving this spot on
their first dive day. Four coral reefs
lined up in a row are visible on the
surface, actually the top of a huge coral
reef back growing out of the depth. These
reefs, named after British cartographers
(Gordon, Woodhouse, Thomas, Jackson),
are world famous for its extraordinary
diversity of corals. Sights of sharks,
turtles and other big fish are possible. |
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| The
Temple: This is a group of coral
heads in a row coming up from a depth
of 12 to 20m if viewed in the right position
and using your imagination they look
like columns of a temple. On the in shore
side there are sandy patches at about
8m with loads of inlets into the shore
reefs. The coral heads themselves are
about 2m apart allowing you to swim between
them and a couple of them have swim through
routes. |
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| Thomas
Reef: This is the smallest reef
in the Straits, but also one of the most
popular. The dive is governed by the
weather conditions as the western side
is often impossible to pick divers up
from. The dive is done as a drift dive
with potentially strong currents on the
southern and northern ends of the reef.
The ends are vertical walls with a large
plateau at about 25m on the south eastern
side. This plateau often has sleeping
sharks on the sand patches and the coral
has a fence of Gorgonia fans at the end.
After the Gorgonia fans the reef returns
to a wall before coming to the corner
of the reef, watch the currents. If conditions
allow it is possible to go round to the
other side of the reef, which is a wall
disappearing into the deep. |
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| The
Thistlegorm: Built in 1940 as
a merchant vessel being 126m long and
17.5m wide. It was commandeered by the
navy during the World War II. The wreck
was first dived by Cousteau in the 50's.
However its position was not rediscovered
until the early 90's. Since then it has
become one of the best wrecks to dive.
The wreck is exposed to the tidal currents
and the prevailing winds, which can make
this dive inaccessible at times. These
conditions and the depth of the dive
means that this is only open to experienced
divers. |
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| The
Tower: This dive site is one of
the few sites that can be reached from
the shore as well as from the boat. Entry
from the shore is in a big U shaped gap
in the reef which gives you the opportunity
to do a giant stride from the shore reef
into over 100m of water ! and then descending
in the U shape down to the planned depth
before coming out onto the slope of the
reef. From the boat the dive starts from
the outside of the U and follows the
reef along as a drift dive, not because
of any current, just that it is impossible
for the boat to moor up on a wall. Once
on the dive it follows a typical topography
of the area with a 10m wall leading into
a 45° slope with coral heads. From the
boat is is possible to reach the dive
site of Sodfa with its fan corals and
coral garden before finishing the dive. |
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| Turtle
Bay: This site tends to blend
in with the dive site named Paradise
as both are done as drift dives in the
same area. The current in the area is
not usually very strong making these
sites a pleasant gentle drift along the
reef. The reef is a 10m wall leading
to a slope of about 45° with coral heads
covered in delicate soft fan corals. |
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| White
Knight: One of the main features
of this dive site is the canyon which
starts in an inlet in the shore reef
at a depth of around 8m. There is either
the main entrance or a little swim through
to the canyon. For those that are qualified
there is a cave on the right hand side
at 18m but lights and line are required
as the bottom can get stirred up. Coming
out of the canyon and heading North is
a eel garden, which is nice to watch
for a while, as long as nobody has gone
before and scared them into their holes
because then you are just looking at
a sand patch. Coming out of the canyon
and heading South is a gentle slope of
reef with a upturned hull wreck of one
of the dive boats that sank in 1994. |
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| Woodhouse
Reef: This is the longest reef
of the four in the Straits of Tiran and
is dived as a drift dive usually from
South to North. Jumping at the southern
part of the reef is a wall to about 30m.
It is worth looking on to the sand patches
below to try and spot sleeping sharks.
The coral covers all the way from the
surface down the wall which becomes more
of a slope as the dive progresses. Half
way through the dive there is a canyon
going along the reef at about 25m which
spreads out into a coral garden with
sand alleys. This is usually where the
current starts to pick up. If the conditions
on the west side of the reef are rough
the dive has to be ended at the end of
the coral garden, which is usually reached
after about 50 minutes. Where the reef
leaves the surface and funnels down towards
Jackson Reef. This area is referred to
as the "washing machine" due
to the very strong currents going in
all directions. |
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Sharm El Sheikh Dive Sites
| Daily Dives from £39
per day |
| Red Sea Diving College recently
won the dive centre of the year in the DIVER magazine
awards and holds the prestigious National Geographic
Status, a testament to the interest in conservation
and the aquatic environment shown by Red Sea Diving
College. This belief is further recognized by Project
AWAREs recent presentation of their Environmental
Achievement Award to the dive centre. |
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Amphora |
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Dunraven |
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Gordon
Reef |
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Jackson
Reef |
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Middle
Garden |
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Near
Garden |
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Ras
Mohammed |
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National
Park |
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Ras
Zatar |
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Shark
Observatory |
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The
Straits of Tiran |
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Thomas
Reef |
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The
Tower |
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White
Knight |
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Anemone
City |
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Far
Garden |
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Jackfish
Alley |
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Lagoona |
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Naama
Bay |
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Ras
Katy |
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Ras
Nasrani |
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Ras
Um Sid |
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Sharks
Bay |
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Shark
Reef/Yolanda Reef |
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The
Temple |
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The
Thistlegorm |
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Turtle
Bay |
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Woodhouse
Reef |
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