Sinai Locals Dive Site DescrptionsRas Cathy:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 55 minutes
Description: Ras Cathy lies a few hundred meters west of the Temple. Several coral pinnacles rise on the sandy plateau, from 5 meters to 18 meters, where the drop-off begins. Here you can find some gorgonian fans covered with glassfish. The pinnacles are home to countless schools of anthias and many species of butterfly fish. Little caves and crevices are inhabited by glassfish and lionfish. On the sandy areas you can observe crocodilefish, bluespotted stingrays, scorpionfish and triggerfish. Temple:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 50 minutes
Description: At the center of the bay of Ras Umm Sid, a large coral pillar extends skywards from the reef floor at 15 m. It is flanked by a number of outlying pinnacles. This is known as the Temple. There are several moorings close to the Temple and your boat will tie up there. It is best to take a compass bearing before you descend as the surrounding reef is fairly featureless and is easy to get lost on. The Temple itself is relatively small so take your time to do a couple of circuits at different depths. The reef is nicest around 5 or 6 m. Do not miss to watch out for the different kind of blennies. The Temple is an easy dive suited to divers of all levels. For this reason it is popular with local centers for dive courses, checkout dives and night dives. Good chances to see the fabulous spanish dancers! Ras Umm Sid:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 45 minutes
Description: Ras Umm Sid is situated to the north of Sharm el Maya. This dive site will always be one of the classic dives of the area. It is renowned for its gorgonian forest. It is especially rich in fish life. Pelagics, typically barracuda, trevallies, caranx and grunts hang out at the corner above the drop off. Ras Umm Sid has also been the scene of some of the rare sightings of whale sharks. This is because the currents on the corner trap great pools of plankton in the bay, food for these filter feeding goliaths. Mantas too feast here over the winter months. The plateau beyond the headland is nicest around 15 m and swarms with reef fish. Typically, squaretail and lunartail groupers, puffers and crocodilefish. Head out to the corner deep through the gorgonian forest and come back shallow, about 5 m, to visit the hatchetfish caves and to see the rare devil scorpionfish. Take care not to pass the corner unless you are certain you will be able to make it back through the current. When the current does run, it is usually to the north and can be easily seen at the surface. Paradise:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 40 minutes
Description: Paradise is definitely one of the most impressive dive sites along the east coast and lies in front of the Royal Paradise Hotel. It is one of the top places between the Tower and Ras Umm Sid. Diving Paradise means literately drifting through a magical, fairytail-like uw scenery. Gliding between coral blocks, pinnacles and coral needles that rise on the slope between the reef ledge and the drop-off. These coral sculptures are overgrown with colourful soft corals and gorgonian fans. Distinguishing for this site are the large colonies of table corals (Acropora) and the variety of fish species inhabiting the area. In the "deep blue" cruising along the slope, that drops down to 50 m, you may see big fish like trevallies and tuna, and if you are lucky a turtle and even a manta ray. Moreover, do not miss to explore in the shallow areas the many caves and overhangs, with an overwhelming population of glassfish. An adventure for itself! A paradise: especially for uw-photographers! Turtle Bay:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 35 minutes
Description: Turtle Bay lies south of Amphoras. From the top ledge in 6 m, the reef drops away with an incline of 30° to the drop off in around 25 m. From here a wall drops down vertically to 50 m. Take your time in the slope area around 20 to 25 m exploring the coral towers, pinnacles and gorgonian fans. The uw landscape is bizarre and colourful. A quiet, uncrowded site with plentiful coral growth. The site is also ideal for snorkelling. Amphoras:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 25 minutes
Description: The name of this site derives from 15th century shipwreck of a Turkish vessel with cargo of amphoras containing mercury. Amphoras lies southwest of the Tower. You will find a sandy slope that begins at a depth of about 12 m and has some coral pinnacles covered with beautiful coral of various species giving huge schools of glassfish shelter. At a depth of 25 m, firmly stuck into the reef, you can still see the stock of the original anchor of the ship with inscriptions as well as fragments of the amphoras from the wreck, which has decayed completely. Diving south towards the drop-off you will find some beautiful large gorgonian fans. Pinky’s Wall:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 17 minutes
Description: Is a very fine wall dive. It has no mooring so must be done as a drift dive from a boat. It is best to drift with the current, taking in the nearby site "Amphoras". Pinky`s Wall is shear and seemingly bottomless. It is richly covered in soft corals of mauve and pink that gives it its name. It can be dived at any depth, but is nicest around 15 m. Tower:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 15 minutes
Description: The Tower is situated 15 minutes to the south of Na`ama Bay. Tower is an excellent wall dive for divers of any level. It is named after the fossil coral tower rising above the south side of the bay. There is a central canyon, with steep cliffs on either side. On the outside of the bay, to the north is a sandy slope with a drop off at 25 m. There is a mooring at 30 m on the prominent shoulder on the north side of the bay. The best dive starts here. Follow the drop off northwards at about 30 m past a series of colourful coral pinnacles, returning via the shallow reefs. Take time at the end, of the dive to investigate the shallow caves at the back of the bay. One has an exit hole onto the reef top. Another at the front of the bay has a population of glassfish. Tower makes a marvellous night dive. This site has a wide variety of fish life. On the sand slope are parrotfish, boxfish, pufferfish and butterflyfish. In the caves and crevices of the wall are lionfish, hatchetfish, various crustaceans and the very interesting flashlightfish (photoblepharon). In the blue are usually large schools of fusiliers and their attendant predators - snapper, jacks, barracuda etc... Sodfa:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 10 minutes
Description: With just ten minutes away from Na`ama Bay jetty, heading south, Sodfa is a great alternative to the Gardens for a nice and relaxing afternoon dive. Sodfa has a large sandy slope at a depth of 15 m, between the reef ledge and the drop-off at 25 m. The sandy areas are partially covered with various coral colonies, which some, agregated like coral towers, are home for thousands of glassfish. The magnificent gorgonians, at the edge of the plateau/drop off are worth to be seen. Diving in Sodfa you can observe almost everything the Red Sea has to offer. Fantastic, colourful corals, countless species of reef fish and a multitude of small reef inhabitants. Although it can be dived alone, Sodfa is usually either the start or end of the more famous dive site known as Tower, depending on current direction. Na'ama Bay:
One of the most unknown dive sites in Sharm is located right on our doorstep, Na`ama Bay. This is the only dive spot where you can dive all year round at any time day or night without using a boat or car. Simply get geared up in the center and walk 50 m to the water edge and you start to dive. Here you will encounter all the sea life you can imagine. All kind of moray eels including the giant moray, napoleon, schools of juvenile barracudas, sweet lips, rays and many more. It is important to know where to find these treasures. The bay contains large areas of sand and sea grass. Here you will find a kind of marine life you cannot see on the drop offs and coral gardens. Many different kind of nudibranches and wart slugs, ghost pipe fish, shrimpfish, seahorses, crocodile and stone fish. Night dives arranged on an individual basis in the dive center are a complete new experience with the activity of the nocturnal creatures in the reef. All day dwellers are sleeping in their night spots and can be observed from close range. Near Garden:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 10 minutes
Description: Lies just five minutes outside Na`ama Bay and can be accessed by boat or for snorkeling by foot. It is the domain of glass bottom boats and snorkel boats, but still makes a good dive in the right conditions. The reef top gives way to a wide sandy ledge at around 15 m, dropping off at 25 m to a steep wall. There is a chain of small pinnacles at the corner which makes very scenic shallow diving. Currents can run strong in either direction and the plentiful soft coral comes to life under these conditions. Blue spotted stingrays, turtles, napoleons and triggerfish can be seen here. Like any headland it also receives occasional visits from pelagics such as grey reef sharks and eagle rays. Middle Garden:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 15 minutes
Description: Lies just five minutes outside Na`ama Bay and can be accessed by boat or for snorkeling by foot. It is the domain of glass bottom boats and snorkel boats, but still makes a good dive in the right conditions. The reef top gives way to a wide sandy ledge at around 15 m, dropping off at 25 m to a steep wall. There is a chain of small pinnacles at the corner which makes very scenic shallow diving. Currents can run strong in either direction and the plentiful soft coral comes to life under these conditions. Blue spotted stingrays, turtles, napoleons and triggerfish can be seen here. Like any headland it also receives occasional visits from pelagics such as grey reef sharks and eagle rays. Far Garden:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 20 minutes
Description: Lies about 1 km to the north of Na`ama Bay. It is the most seaward of the gardens and is therefore, a more colourful reef and more frequently visited by pelagics. The reef is a sandy slope dotted with coral outcrops down to a depth of 25 m where it drops off to a steep wall. At the top of the slope is a series of pinnacles, some of which reach the surface. The best dive follows the drop off at around 25 m towards the headland, returning via the glassfish caves and along the inside of the pinnacles. The shape of the reef dictates that any current runs towards the northeast. Therefore, take care not to be swept away from your boat at the moorings. The headland at Far Garden catches a lot of current and makes a great drift dive in either direction. There is also a fine deep dive at the cathedral overhang at the headland. This must be done as a drift, since it is too far from the moorings to reach comfortably. Shark Bay:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 35 minutes
Description: The bay slopes gently down as a series of buttresses and sandy ledges, making an ideal playground for trainee divers. For this reason Shark Bay is very popular with local dive schools. Further away from the beach, in either direction, it is not a bad dive site either. torpedo rays are common here, as are stonefish and all kinds of triggerfish. In summer baby barracuda school next to the beach. Because of its shape, Shark Bay acts as a trap for plankton and sometimes in the evenings manta cruise in to feed at the surface. In spite of its name don`t expect sharks. It was once an anchorage for local fishing boats and the name comes from the sharks that were brought up onto the beach to dry. Shark Bay is a very good night dive. The sandy slope beneath the jetty comes alive with small squid and octopus. Further out on the reef are lobsters, snowflake morays, peppered morays and of course clearfin and russell`s lionfish. White Knights:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 40 minutes
Description:White Knights is located in a wide bay, just 1 km to the north of Shark Bay. There are usually several moorings for boats. The reef drops away to form a sandy ledge at around 12 m outside of which is a wall. At the centre of the bay is a deep sandy canyon with swim thru`s at 10 m and 35 m. One hundred meters to the north of this, between 8 m and 15 m, is an eel garden. Take your time in the canyon; there are plenty of caves and dark crevices to explore. Leave the canyon in the direction of the eel garden. As far as marine life. The sandy slopes are good territory for all kinds of triggerfish and the canyon often shelters large groupers. Year round the bay forms a trap for plankton and manta occasionally move in to graze the surface water. Ras Bob:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 45 minutes
Description: Ras Bob is a very sheltered dive site with mixed fauna und suitable for all diving levels, as normally has no currents. There is no arabic name for this site, as it was named after a the underwater cameraman Bob Johnson, who worked for many years as Diving Instructor in Sharm el Sheikh. Ras Bob`s interesting part is between 5 and 15 m. The underwater landscape is determined by many small bays with sand floor, gullies and small caves. Hint for uw-photographers: Ras Bob is an ideal site to search for juvenile reef fishes. On the sandy patches you can observe bluespotted stingrays and crocodile fish. The reef, both east and west from the mooring is covered with many different types of stony and soft corals. Ras Nasrani:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 50 minutes
Description: Lies about 12 km to the north of Sharm el Sheikh, and is an easy dive for divers of all levels. The reef flat is cut away in a series of shallow bays at around 6 m. Outside, the reef drops away in a wall of buttresses and sandy gullies to a depth of about 60 m. The best diving here is done shallow, amongst the coral heads outside of the bays and in the caves and shallow swim-thru`s between them. Giant morays and bluespotted stingrays inhabit this area. At night the reef comes to life with crabs, spanish dancers and on the sand cone shells and calamari. The shape of the reef dictates that inside of the headland currents run towards the north, if at all. The headland catches strong current, which brings in pelagic fish, such as jacks and tuna and more rarely manta and even whale shark have been seen here. Ras Gamila:
Travel Time: Boat trip: 1 hour
Description: Ras Gamila, the house reef, begins at the south of Ras Nasrani and ends at the lighthouse, entry to the Tiran Strait. This reef fascinates all divers, beginners and experts alike, for its abundace of marine life. There are schools of yellowfin goatfish, baracudas, feathertail and honeycomb rays, as well as the ever present house turtle to be observed at every dive. Some mantas can be seen, especially during the summer months. And with some luck you may encounter a whale shark. Due to the water current condition of the Tiran Strait very spectacular hard coral formations have evolved. The reef falls off gradually from shallow water to a depth of about 10 “ 15 meters sandy bottom (ideal for beginners) to a maximum depth of 30 - 40 meters.. |