 Local Dive Sites In Sharm
El Sheikh
 Ras
Gamila
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Facts about
dive:
The
madreporic reef of ras gamila separates a vast and
rather shallow sandy lagoon from the sea is
crossed over by small natural canal that is
sometimes used by local fishermen.
ras gamila is an
interesting place for a fine drift dive that is
not too difficult. the classic dive, which must be
followed in any case when the tide is swilling,
begins immediately after you have passed the
Conrad international resort area from this point
you dive onto a vast sandy plateau with a slight
incline, staying at a depth of about 15 meters and
then continue in a sort of gliding motion
northwards, parallel to the beacon. On the gentle
slope of the reef, which descends to an average
depth of about 8 meters, there are many
large colonies of porites coral and some gaint
triggerfish often pass by , while on plateau there
are large acropora corals, around which schools of
pelagic fish swim. |
Access to the dive: By
shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El
Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Gentle
and sheltered, with easy profile.
Experience grade:
Everyone
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Ras
Nasrany
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Facts about
dive:
This site is a sloping wall at the point
of Ras Nasrani (Arabic for Christian Point). In
profile, it varies between very steep to
moderately sloping, depending on location - the
steepest wall section lies south of the point,
while the reef to the north flattens somewhat.
Inshore, a shallow mini-wall follows the edge of
the reef top.
The reef is well covered in
dense hard and soft corals, with lots of massive
coral heads, some good branching forms, and a
nice selection of colorful soft corals. Fish
life is spectacular, with a huge range of reef
and schooling species. Morays hide in reef
crevices, fusiliers, jacks, surgeons and
barracuda school of the reef, and nedle fish
shimmer near the surface. Large turtles are also
a common sight, paddling lazily along the reef
slope. |
Access to the
dive: By shore, or by local or
live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay
or other ports.
Conditions: Current can be
fierce - novices be aware.
Experience grade:
Everyone |
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White
Night
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Facts about
dive:
The site, lying inside the bay formed by
Ras Nasrani to the north has numerous points of
interest. Just inshore from the boat mooring a
deep canyon extends down from the shallows, while
to the north of this mixed sand and coral patches
lead to a wide sand slope colonized by garden
eels. To the south, a wooden wreck adds even more
interest.
Most dives begin at the entrance to
the canyon, a narrow, sand-bottomed canyon
descends steeply, passing through a series of
overhangs and two covered swimthroughs, one at
around 15m and a second, for advanced divers only,
leading out to the reef face at 35m.
After
leaving the canyon, there are two options -
turning right takes you south along the reef to
the wreck, while a left turn takes you across the
reef slope to the eel garden and a series of
beautiful shallow reef patches.
Swimming south
and gradually ascending, ou will see a dense
assortment of species, including star and cabbage
corals, staghorn and table acropora, and several
varieties of soft coral. At around 14m, ten
minutes swim south from the canyon, you will
encounter the upturned bulk of a wood-hulled wreck
- the Noos 1, a local dive boat that sank in 1994
after an electrical fire in the engine
room. |
Access to the dive: By
local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama
Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Some deeper sections
require caution.
Experience grade:
Everyone |
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Shark
Bay
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Facts about
dive:
This site, lying just in front of the
Shark Bay Camp and Dive Center, is a sloping
reef broken by a large sandy area which houses
the dive center's jetty and boat area.
To the
south, the reef has a moderate slope and is well
covered in coral; north of the jetty is a
shallow area good for relaxed
snorkeling.
Directly in front of the sandy
shore entry point, a deep canyon drops through
the reef; its mouth lies at the foot of the reef
wall forming the sand slope's southern edge. The
canyon's steep and sandy floor descends rapidly
to depths of 60m and more - take care not to be
drawn too deep.
Exiting the canyon, you can
explore the moderately sloping reef to the
south, gradually ascending before turning back
to the north. This section shows dense growth of
both hard and soft corals, although less
pristine than at some places along this coast.
Fish life is diverse and interesting, with
angels, parrotfish, grouper, wrasse and morays
among the attractions on the reef, and rays and
flatfish lying on the sandy entry
slope. |
Access to the
dive: By shore, or by local or
live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay
or other ports.
Conditions: Easy shore entry,
but watch out for boat traffic.
Experience grade:
Everyone
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Far
Garden
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Facts about
dive:
A
garden-like reef of colorful corals running northwest to
southeast, the northwest portion of the reef is steeply
sloping with a sharp drop off toward the point, while
the southwestern section has a more gradual slope
pinnacles and outcrops dot the reef, and the tops of
these, together with the shallow inshore reef top, make
for good snorkeling.
Coral growth throughout the site
is concentrated in small patches, with strong growth of
dozens of species, from staghorn and antler coral to
delicate Dendronephthya.
Fish life is good, with lots
of wrasse - Napoleons in particular - as well as big
parrots and grouper. Hawk fish, scorpion fish, fairy
basslets, damsels, and many lizardfish and crocodile
fish can be found on the many sandy
areas. |
Access to the dive: By local or
live-aboard from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay or other
ports.
Conditions: Generally calm and
carefree. |
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Middle
Garden
Facts about
dive:
As it's implies, this
site lies in the central of the bay between far
garden and near garden, more or les on a
line with the impressive Hyatt Regency
complex.
Totally sheltered from
wind, waves and currents, Middle Garden has fixed
mooring point just opposite the central section of
hotel. Dives are made onto a vast sandy plateau
that is from 6 to 10 meters deep: from here you
can go northeast, keeping the reef on your left
and then descending to maximum depth of 14 meters,
where you will see the drop off .
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Access to the dive: By
shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El
Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Gentle
and sheltered, with easy profile.
Experience grade:
Everyone
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Near
Garden
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Facts about
dive:
This site begins on an inshore mini-wall
that drops from the surface reef table to about 15
m. From here, the reef slopes gently outward,
maintaining an even profile to 25m, where the
slope steepens considerably. A huge number of
pinnacles, heads and coral clumps dot the reef as
it descends, hosting populations of colorful small
reef fish. The larger reef fish are also present
as the bluespottet stingrays resting half hidden
on the sandy bottom.
The undemanding profile of
this reef, with its ample sandy areas, make it an
excellent venue for novice divers and the shallow
reeftop and upper reef mini-wall are perfect for
snorkel. Advanced divers will find plenty of scope
for exploration on the deeper reef
slope. |
Access to the dive: By
local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheik, Naama Bay
or other ports.
Conditions: Generally calm and
carefree, no adverse conditions are
likely.
Experience grade:
Experienced |
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Tower
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Facts about
dive:
This site, named for a tower-like rock
formation on shore, lies just below the Tower
resort complex.
For shore entries and exits,
especially at low tide, it is worth knowing
about a short-cut, halfway across the reef top,
directly out from the steps, is a small
submerged cave mouth - this opens out into a
passage leading through to the open water,
cutting out half of the awkward clamber across
the reef top.
The reef is most interesting in
its upper reaches, with the exception of the
canyon which drops to depths of 40m: Coral in
the top 20 to 25m is excellent, with a very wide
variety of species. Quality is good,
particularly nice site to dive in the morning,
when the sun's rays reach down into the canyon
and the deeper reef
slopes. |
Access to the
dive: By shore entry or local or
live-aboard boat from Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay
or other ports.
Conditions: Shore entry can be
tricky at low tide.
Experience grade:
Everyone |
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Pinky
Wall
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Facts about
dive:
Access from shore requires a
four-wheel-drive vehicle to get to the clifftop,
then a rather strenuous scramble down a narrow
wadi. You will then need to make a surf entry
across the jagged reeftop. This shore entry should
only be attempted by fit divers experienced in
rough shore entries.
Once in the water,
conditions are near perfect; generally clear
visibility reveals a beautiful sheer wall dropping
to great depths, well grown with coral.
Particularly the pink soft corals for which the
site is named.
Coral growth, especially soft
corals like Dendronephthya, is what this site is
all about. Hard coral growth is not as dense as at
many sites near here, but the profusion of soft
species more than compensates. Glassfish hide in
shimmering schools in the recesses and overhangs,
while schooling fish hang off the reef
face.
There are also good numbers of
parrotfish, rabbitfish grouper and
wrasse. |
Access to the dive: By
shore or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El
Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Shore
access is physically demanding.
Experience grade:
Everyone |
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Turtle
Bay
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Facts about
dive:
This is a medium sloping reef, bounded
inshore by a mini-wall to around 10m, and a
shallow reeftop 30 to 40m wide in places. The reef
face is well covered with outcrops and pinnacles
and boasts an excellent variety of coral
species.
Fish life is equally diverse,
including many sedentary reef fish - scorpions,
devil scorpions, stonefish, lizardfish, hawkfisk
and others- as well as the usual vast array of
free-swimming reef species.
When accessing the
site from shore, particularly at low tide, the
long walk across the reef table can be
exasperation. In all but the lowest tides you can
in fact swim across the reeftop with your fully
inflated scupa gear extended in front of
you.
Like many sites along this stretch of
coast, the route to the shore access point is via
a constantly shifting network of jeep tracks.
Check with local dive centres for up-to-date route
information. |
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, although shore access can be tricky at
low tide.
Experience grade:
Everyone |
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Paradise
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Facts about
dive:
This is really a combination of two dive
sites; the southernmost, Fiasco, lies just north
of the point at Ras Umm Sid, while Paradise is
the northern extension of the same reef.
The
Paradise section has some amazing outcrops -
like a garden of abstract sculptures., To the
south, the pinnacles continue, intersperesed
with some very nice acropora tables. A very good
density of soft corals is complemented by a wide
range of hard species. The quality of coral at
this site, particularly inshore, is among the
finest on the coast.
Big jacks and barracuda
of more than a metre can be seen here when the
current is running as can schooling and solitary
reef fish. Sandy sections host interesting
bottom dwellers such as crocodilefish and
bluespotted stingrays.
Unless a decent
current is flowing, the site can be somewhat
dull as water movement brings out the full
variety of fish life. With a strong current it
is possible to drift from the north end of
Paradise almost to the point of Ras Umm Sid on
one tank. |
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 - drift diving is a good
possibility.
Experience grade:
Everyone |
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Ras Um El
Sid
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Facts about
dive:
This is a steep sloping wall, extending
from the point at Ras Umm Sid inward toward the
bay to the west. The reef follows the shoreline,
and is marked by intermittent sand patches,
coral heads and pinnacles.
Coral attractions
include gorgonians, acropora, fire corals, dense
soft coral patches and some substantial coral
formations. Fish life is more than acceptable,
with lots of big and small jacks/trevally,
emperor and regal angelfish, various parrotfish,
picasso and other triggerfish, yellowspine and
ringtail surgeons, napoleon wrasse, moray eels
and lionfish on the reef, and crocodilefish and
stingrays on the
sand.
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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
possible; shore entry difficult due to wide reef
flat.
Experience grade:
Everyone
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Temple
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Facts about
dive:
This is a flat, sloping reef with two
major, and a few minor, pinnacles adding contour
to the reef face. The largest of the pinnacles is
'The Tower'; its bulk is a split by two major
fissures, one of which can be swum through. The
second should not be entered, to avoid damaging
the delicate gorgonians growing along its sides.
All the pinnacles hide a surprisingly rich variety
of reef animals.
Coral growth throughout the
site is good, with a density and mix of species
difficult to match in the immediate area. The fish
are as pleasant a surprise as the corals, with a
truly amazing range of species colonizing the
reef.
The surprising richness and diversity of
this site make it one of the region's most
underrated sites. |
Access to the dive: By
shore, or by local or live-aboard boat from Sharm El
Sheikh, Naama Bay or other ports.
Conditions: Gentle
and sheltered, with easy profile.
Experience grade:
Everyone
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