Dive Destinations in the Red Sea
The Red Sea offers a spectacular array of dive sites, each with unique features and marine life. Please note that dive itineraries are subject to change due to weather conditions and are at the discretion of the captain and dive guides for safety.
Ras Mohammed National Park
Located at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Ras Mohammed is a renowned peninsula extending into the Red Sea. This area is characterized by raised reef platforms, hinting at a past era of higher sea levels. Divers can experience multiple dive sites within a single outing here, including the famed Shark Reef, Yolanda Reef, and Anemone City.
- Shark Reef: This site is known for its vibrant Gorgonian fan corals. Keep an eye out in the blue for pelagic species like barracuda, batfish, and jackfish.
- Yolanda Reef: Named after a Cypriot freighter that sank in 1980, Yolanda Reef offers a unique underwater landscape. The ship’s cargo of bathroom fixtures, whisky cases, and even a BMW car are scattered on the seabed, creating an unusual and amusing dive experience. Bluespotted stingrays and moray eels are frequently sighted in this area.
- Anemone City: As the name suggests, this site is teeming with sea anemones and their resident anemonefish, which dart in and out of the anemones’ tentacles.
Dahab Dive Sites
Dahab is home to several popular and famous dive sites, easily accessible by boat.
- The Canyon: This site features multiple entrances, with the main and largest entry point at approximately 22 meters deep. Depending on diver experience, excursions deeper into the canyon are possible, ultimately leading to an exit at around 14 meters.
- The Bells & Blue Hole: These iconic sites are often combined. Divers are dropped off near The Bells dive site to begin a drift dive along a coral wall heading south, keeping the reef to their right. This dive reveals large colonies of star coral, gorgonians, and both soft and black corals. Anemones, anemonefish, butterflyfish, and angelfish are commonly observed. The dive culminates at the Blue Hole, a distinctive circular break in the reef. Divers can enjoy a swim within the Blue Hole before exiting over the reef wall for a safety stop and zodiac pickup.
- Gabr El Bint: Accessible primarily by boat, Gabr El Bint is a more secluded site in North Sinai, often considered pristine due to less frequent diving. It offers two distinct dive experiences:
- The Dark Side (Right Side): Features a steep wall plunging to 60 meters, characterized by chasms, sandy ravines, and overhangs adorned with healthy table corals.
- The Colourful Side (Left Side): More vibrant, presenting a “forest” of gorgonians. Dives typically start around 20-25 meters along large boulders, attracting shoals of anthias and glassfish. Look into the blue for trevallies hunting fusiliers. Healthy gorgonian fans are found here, after which divers ascend to approximately 10 meters, cross a saddle, and return along a sandy ledge rich with coral heads and reef species like scorpionfish, parrotfish, and stingrays. Snappers often congregate near the end of the ledge.
Ras Abu Galum National Park
Established as a National Park in 1992, Ras Abu Galum is a more remote area, accessible by boat. Dives are conducted from zodiacs launched from boats moored near the Bedouin village of El-Omeyid. Two primary dive sites are available:
- North Ras Abu Galum: Showcases a wide array of corals, including fire corals, raspberry corals, small table corals, porites, and salad coral. Marine life includes butterflyfish, angelfish, anthias, glassfish, lionfish, grey eels, snapper, and batfish.
- South Ras Abu Galum: Features similar coral species to the north site, along with rose coral. Divers may encounter turtles, pufferfish, grey eels, shrimps, and nudibranchs.
Tiran Area – Straits of Tiran
The Straits of Tiran, particularly Thomas and Jackson Reefs, are considered top dive locations in the northern Red Sea. Drift dives are the norm due to the absence of moorings.
- Thomas Reef: Offers diverse corals, including gorgonians, black coral colonies, and large alcyonarians. Circumnavigating the reef is possible depending on weather and currents. Reef fish like angelfish and groupers are abundant, as are pelagic species such as barracuda and whitetip reef sharks.
- Jackson Reef: The northernmost reef in the Straits of Tiran, easily identified by the visible wreck of the Lara, a merchant ship that sank in 1985. Expect to see gorgonian and fire corals. Turtles are sometimes spotted, and sharks, including whitetip, grey reef, and hammerheads (especially in summer), are known to frequent the area.