Ras Ghozlany

Facts about dive:
This site lies at the mouth of Mersa Berekia, the large shallow bay that nearly separates Ras Muhammad itself from the Sinai mainland. The reef follows the shoreline at the bay's northern point; a sheer but shallow inshore wall gives way to a sloping, patchy reef face below about 15m.

It's hardly worth listing the vast array of coral at this site - if it exists in the Red Sea, you'll find here. Fish life is abundant all across the reef in a riot of scintillating color. This is possibly the nicest spot on the southern coast for small reef species.
Unlike the popular, but overcrowded sites, such as Shark Reef, this superb site is not visited by hordes of divers each day, so its delicate beauty has been preserved.

Access to the dive: By shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Generally easy; some currents possible.

Ras Za'atar

Facts about dive:
The reef at this site is similar but more contoured than Ras Ghozlani, with many cracks and fissures, some forming small caves which can be entered.
There is a reasonable range of coral species, both hard and soft and a large-scale growth of xeniid soft corals. Coral quality is generally good, but suffers from silting and sandfall, particularly to the north. Fish life is excellent with a dense and diverse fish population that outshines Ras Ghozlani.
The rich selection of Red Sea fishes makes the site a real attraction, and more than compensates for the somewhat lacklustre condition of the coral.

Access to the dive: By shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Generally easy, but visibility can be poor due to sediment.
Experience grade: Everyone.

Jack Fish Alley

Facts about dive:
This site, also called Fisherman's Bank or Stingray Alley, begins on a sheer wall. The early section of the wall is very porous, with lots of small holes and crevices, and boasts a couple of penetrable caves, each featuring separate exit and entrence holes. Proceeding southward, the wall gives way to a sandy plateau at around 20m, well covered with coral heads and outcrops. After widening out considerably, this plateau narrows at its southern end to form a small channel or alley. Further out from the wall, a second, deeper plateau can be found. Coral growth is good overall and the fish population is excellent, with plenty of the jacks and stingrays that give the site at least two of its names and all the usual reef fish.

Access to the dive: By shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Wind waves and currents can all be strong making access tricky.
Experience grade: Everyone.

Shark Observatory

Facts about dive:
The site stretches from the foot of the observatory cliff in the north, across the mouth of a shallow box-shapedinlet, to the beginning of the Anemone City to the south. There are two possible shore entry points, one inside the inlet and a second in the small cove at the foot of the cliff - both can be reached by road. In the past, it was possible to see sharks here just by looking down from the clifftop but with the advent of dive tourism and its attendant boat traffic, the sharks have mostly moved on. The site is a vertical wall, slopint outwards at its foot. The rugged profile is most dramatic in the northern section, where the reef face is especially contoured, with fissures, inlets and crevices to explore. Coral growth is good with lots of variety among both soft and stony species.

The steep profile does not encourage dense populations of smaller reef species, so quality and quantity of fish are somewhat dependent on currents and the pelagic life they encourage. Jacks, barracuda and occasional grey or blacktip shark liven things up when the current is running; snapper, surgeons and unicorns are present in schools of varying size, and larger reef fish such as big grouper and napoleons are usually on hand. Divers should be careful of the strong currents which are common in this area and those who enter from shore should be doubtly cautious. Once beyond the point to the north, there is no shore exit point - do not round the point if current could prevent you from returning to the exit point.

Access to the dive: By shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Strong currents can cause problems, especially for shore access.
Experience grade: Everyone.

Anymone City

Facts about dive:
Anemone City is one of the nicest sites in the Ras Muhammad area. The reef is steeply sloping, cut by deep bays and inlets. The sharply angled profile is broken by a number of plateaux or large shelves, on which densley grown pinnacles and coral heads stand. Coral growth is very rich, particularly on the portion of the reef streching to the right from the shore entry point, in the direction of Shark Reef.
There are of course huge numbers of anemone, with attendant anemonefish. The site also boasts some prolific fish life, particularly in the mornings when the site is bustling with activity. Near the surface, barracuda and silvery needlefish hang patiently in the water.

Shore access, from a parking area at the edge of the shallow inshore bay, can be rather tiring at low tide, as it involves crossing the shallows in the bay; the easiest route is along the left edge of the bay as you face the sea.

Access to the dive: By shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Some strong currents and mild downdirfts, shore entry can involve a long wade.
Experience grade: Everyone.

Shark And Youlanda Reefs

Facts about dive:
When divers think of Sinai, they think of Shark Reef and Jolanda. The two reefs are actually the twin peaks of a single coral seamount rising just off the Ras Muhammad coast, separated from the mainland by a shallow channel. Shark Reef, the easternmost of the two, boasts a sheer wall dropping to well past 50m along its northeast and easteren sides, giving way to a steep reef slope as the reef proceeds southwest toward Jolanda. A shallow saddle lies between the two reefs at 18 to 20m.. This second flat patch is the site of what remains of the Jolanda, a wrecked freighter; the ship itself slipped into the deep in 1986 after a severe storm, but much of its cargo remains, incogrously stewn across the reef.

Coral is excellent, with good sparse growth on the wall sections and dense coral gardens on the shallower flat areas. Big pelagic and schooling fish swam these reefs in their thousands - the most impressive concentration is on the wall at Shark Reef. Big sharks of many species - hammerheads, gerys and blacktips among them - can be seen in the blue, particularly off the northeast corner of Shark Reef. On the reef hundreds of diverent reef fishes can be spotted as can moray eels of a metre and bluespotted and blackspotted stingrays.

As a boat dive, the two reefs are normally done as a drift, with the boat collecting you from the shallows beyond Jolands; this alleviates many of the current-related problems common here. You can also dive the site from shore, entering at Anemone City and swimming across the channel to Shark Reef; this should only be attempted if current is manageable, and extreme care should be taken to conserve enough air for the return trip. Shore entry option is inadvisable if you are not a strong swimmer.

Access to the dive: By shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Very strong currents are common.
Experience grade: Everyone.

 

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