Dive Sites of Egypt overview

Ras Muhammed
The Ras Mohammed peninsula extends from the Sinai mainland into the Red Sea like a crooked finger. Offshore there is a dense conglomeration of dive sites within three main areas. The most famous site is Shark Reef, which it the tip of a sheer sea mount rising just off the coast. Drawn by the big currents that sweep the Ras Muhammed coast, thousands of large pelagics and schooling fish swarm over this reef. Big sharks, among them hammerheads and gray reef sharks, can be seen in the blue, as well as schools of snappers, golden and other trevally, bluespine unicornfish and fusiliers. The reef is also home to sweetlips, grouper, wrasse and parrotfish.

Brother Islands
Known locally as El Akhawein, the Brothers are a pair of tiny islands located in the open sea off the northern half of the Egyptian coast. The islands are the exposed tips of two massive reef pillars that rise from abyssal depths. The site favors species that flourish in big currents, such as gorgonian sea whips and a wealth of Red Sea soft corals. Massive congregations of shoaling reef species blanket the wall, and jacks, tuna and barracuda bring their own schools in from the open water to exploit the reef's rich pickings; several shark species are also common.

Abu el Kizan
Also known as Deadelus Reef. This site is famous for sharks, especially thresher sharks, as well as large shoals of jacks and a unique shoal of lionfish. To the north, the region's best selection of pelagic fish is found - tuna, jacks, barracuda and sharks, along with reef species such as a grouper, wrasse, angelfish, triggerfish, and butterfly fish and large concentrations of schooling species such as snappers, unicornfish and surgeonfish.

Thislegorm Wreck
This World War II supply ship sunk by German bombers in 1941 is situated northwest-west of Ras Muhammed in the Straits of Gubal where it is exposed to the prevailing weather. First discovered by Jacques Cousteau, it lies at 30m (100ft) with its largely intact forward section sitting almost upright on the sandy bottom. The site is densely colonized by fish and soft corals, and there are plenty of big jacks, schools of snapper, bannerfish, grouper, and other fish species.

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Air temperatures in winter range from 60°-75°F. The water can drop down into the upper 60°F, with the coolest temperatures occurring in February. Summer land temperatures slide right up past 100°F, with the water temperature rising into the low 80°F (take a wetsuit anyway). The hottest month is August. If you are going to do any land exploration (and how do you visit the Red Sea without at least a peek at the pyramids), the tradeoff for warm water is hot weather. The manta season is from March - June.




The Dive Sites of the Red Sea, Peter Harrison & Alex Misiewicz | Buy
The Dive Sites of the Red Sea, Guy Buckles | Buy
Diving and Snorkeling Guide to the Red Sea, John Ratterree | Buy
The Red Sea Dive Guide, Andrea Ghisotti & Alessandro Carletti | Buy
The Red Sea: Coral Kingdom at the Desert's Edge, David Doubilet & Andrea Ghisotti | Buy
Red Sea Divers Guide
Red Sea Reef Guide, Helmut Debelius | Buy
Sinai Dive Guide, Pete Harrison

Lonely Planet Egypt :: Online | Buy

Go Red Sea: Sharm el Sheikh
Sinai Services
Sinai4you.com
Sinai Adventures Magazine
Red Sea.com
Egypt.com

DESTINATIONS » Red Sea » Dahab | Hurghada | Sharm el Sheikh | Southern Red Sea | Sudan