Diving
Diving in the Red Sea is one of the most attractive moments for tourists. The most interesting diving sites of the Egyptian Red Sea are located near four resort towns – Hurghada, Safaga, Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab. Experienced divers have begun to explore another Egyptian resort – Marsa Alam and St. John ‘s reef near the border with Sudan, which can only be reached after a long boat trip during a dive safari.
Hurghada
Reefs Abu Ramada – located in the area of the Giftun Islands a few kilometers east of Hurghada. Fantastic underwater relief of vertical rocks overgrown with corals. Depths of 12 – 18 meters are acceptable for beginner divers. In underwater gorges – a real reserve of butterfly fish.
According to Topb2bwebsites, Abu Nuhas reef is the most interesting place near Shedwan island northeast of Hurghada. A flat plateau more than a kilometer wide, located at a depth of only about half a meter. For a long time there was no lighthouse here, so at the foot of the reef four sunken ships lie at the bottom at once – a real paradise for divers who love to climb the holds of the lost ships. In the western part of the reef there is a rather noticeable current.
Curless reef (Carefree reef) – a place to the east of Hurghada. Two insidious rocks, similar to the pillars of a giant gate, which have become the site of several shipwrecks. The depths here are serious – up to 30 meters or more. In addition, sharks have chosen this reef. Of the more peaceful underwater inhabitants – large turtles and funny underwater lumps – Napoleon fish.
Petra reef, located southeast of Hurghada, is known as an ideal place for underwater filming. Shallow depths, crystal clear water pierced by light, picturesque underwater relief, and most importantly – an amazing variety of fish. In these places, there are even artists with scuba gear – originals who paint underwater landscapes and sketches at a depth with special paints.
Safaga
Safaga Island – a large island in the immediate vicinity of the city Safaga, almost all surrounded by a coral reef. Clean, semi-empty beaches, vast reef plateaus, breathtaking underwater views. A great place for snorkeling (diving with a tube) and beginner divers.
Panorama reef is not one, but several reefs located in the form of a kind of amphitheater. It is located about 20 kilometers east of Safaga. The purest water allows you to admire the vertical walls of coral, flung open like a theater curtain. Here the inhabitants of the depths give an eternal “spectacle”. In addition to all kinds of motley “little things”, like butterfly fish, clown fish, parrot fish, sharks, barracudas, moray eels and even manta rays can appear on the “stage” – giant stingrays with a fin span of up to six meters.
The Brothers Islands are one of the most wonderful places in the Red Sea. From Safaga there – a few hours of travel. For the past three years, the islands have been closed to tourists. And now only the wealthiest divers can get there. The Brothers Islands go into the blue abyss for many hundreds of meters. At the depths accessible to scuba divers, there are corals that cannot be found anywhere else. Alcyonaria are also spread out in motley carpets, unique giant gorgonians rise – coral “fans”.
Sharm el-Sheikh
Vacationers in Sharm el-Sheikh it is recommended to visit the Shaab Mahmud reef group. In order to get here, you need to go around Cape Ras Mohammed and move a few more kilometers to the west. In addition to the magnificent Coral Valley, here is the most amazing of the wrecks of the Red Sea – the English transport “Thistlegorm”, sunk during the Second World War. He carried all kinds of equipment. And now motorcycles, cars, tanks and even a locomotive are at the bottom.
The reef group in the Strait of Tirana is also known for shipwrecks. This place holds the biggest secret of the Red Sea – the site of the sinking of the Viking Sun cruise ship, which disappeared in April 1996 and has not yet been discovered for unknown reasons, although the depths in these places are relatively shallow.
Temple. This place is often used by clubs for the first introductory dives. It got its name because of the three wide stone formations that rise from the depths of the sea to its surface and look like small temple columns.
The tower is a large stone shelf descending to a depth of 60 m. The nearby coral garden is located in the northern part of Naama Bay. Allows you to dive no deeper than 30 m.
The Far Coral Garden is adjacent to the northern part of the Near Garden. It has underwater grottoes located in the coral wall at a depth of 10 m.
Shark Bay – here the strongest currents. Dives are made on a coral reef in the southern part of Naama Bay. The reef is divided by a large canyon.
Ras Nasrani is a huge coral formation located right in the Ras Nasrani nature reserve. The richest coral fauna.
Strait of Tirana. Dives are made on reefs Gordon and Jackson. Both reefs break off at a depth of 70 m. Observation of deep-sea fauna and flora. There are different types of sharks. There are very strong currents in these places.
Dahab
Dahab is located 100 kilometers north of Sharm El Sheikh. This is a real mecca for extreme divers. Scuba divers go into the waves directly from the city embankment, and they are transported to dive sites not by boats, but by jeeps – reefs and sunken ships are so close to the coast.
Blue Hole (Blue Hole) – the most famous, if not cult, place in Dahab. This is an almost sheer well several meters wide, which goes deep into the coastal reef. The one who descends into it is attracted by a strange blue light, and it seems that the tunnel is about to end. But it pierces the reef and enters the open sea only at a depth of more than 50 meters.
It is not at all necessary to climb into the insidious Blue Hole – there are countless underwater caves and grottoes near Dahab. Here is the most fantastic relief of reefs and rocks, where many amazing fish live – big emperors, napoleons, imperial and ordinary angels. And in order to dilute this “high society”, predatory moray eels and poisonous scorpion fish lurk next to them.
Ras Abu Galum is a place located north of Dahab. Diving in Ras Abu Galum is tempting because there are not a large number of tourists, thanks to which the dive sites have largely retained their original beauty. The underwater world is represented in Ras Abu Galum most widely. Various coral formations, collected in separate islands, and stretching like a wall along the coast, marine life (moray eels, lionfish, Picasso fish, Napoleon fish.
Gabr El Bent is the best place for a dive safari, located south of Dahab. You can get there by jeep or by boat. Journey to Gabr El Bent by jeep will be remembered as one of the most extreme jeep safari. At first glance, it seems impossible to overcome the barriers of stone boulders that occupy the entire space between the mountains and the sea. Diving in Gabr El Bent is really impressive! Untouched massive coral skeletons, inhabited by numerous fish and other representatives of the underwater fauna and flora, will make you feel like a discoverer of these pristine places. Corals will amaze the imagination with their number and size. Turtles can often be found here.
