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| Red Sea Dive Sites : Ras Mohamed |
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Ras Mohammed National Park |
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There
are many dive sites to visit at the Ras Mohammed National
Park area, but the most spectacular reefs-Shark Reef
and Yolanda Reef- located at the southern tip of the
park are only available by boat.
These sites are so popular that the National Park
had to put a rotation system to control the amount
of divers per day. |
Located
at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula strong
underwater currents provides lots of nutrient for
all living species. Over thousand fish and over hundred
different hard and soft coral species have been recorded
in the Ras Mohammed area. Napoleon Wrasse, Moray Eels
and turtles are permanent inhabitants. If you can
cope with the summer heat Ras Mohammed is spectacular
from mid June to mid August. It is mating season for
a lot of fish species and large schools of fish can
be seen in the blue. It is just breathtaking!
Like the Straits of Tiran some of the dive sites are
challenging with unpredictable currents and steep
drop offs. Guests diving with us will not be taken
to Ras Mohammed on their first day. |
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| Shark Reef/Yolanda Reef |
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These
are two small twin pinnacles, peaks of a single coral
tower rising out of the depth just off the Ras Mohammed
coast.
This dive is conducted as a drift dive either with
water entry at Shark Reef or at Anemone City. |
Shark
Reef, the eastern most of the two, stands out with
its breathtaking drop off to 800m depth. The steep
reef wall is covered with soft corals and strong currents
can be recognized by watching schools of snappers
lining up in a vertical row. A shallow saddle between
the two reefs gives marine life the chance to hide
from currents, huge moray eels, groupers and blue-spotted
stingrays can be found.
Yolanda Reef, less steep covered with little coral
pinnacles and heads, ends with a shallow patch at
the south side. Remains of the Yolanda wreck gave
it the name. The cargo - Ideal Standard sanitary equipment
- is spread over the reef and nowadays used for shelter. |
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| Anemone City |
Located just inshore from Shark
Reef, it is a popular boat entry point for a drift dive
around the twin pinnacles. The reef is a steep slope
with rich coral growth and huge numbers of anemone,
with attendant anemone fish, which gave the dive site
its name. |
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| Shark Observatory |
Situated just beside Jackfish
Alley, this dive site can be accessed by boat and shore.
It is named after the observation point on the cliff
top on shore. The cliff formation continues underwater
as a vertical wall, sloping outwards at its foot. Visibility
is excellent and keeping a little distance from the
wall gives the impression to dive in an amphitheater.
Crevices and little caves in the wall invite for a closer
look. |
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| Jackfish Alley |
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dive site is often dived as the second dive of the day.
Drifting with the current it is an easy and relaxing
dive. Two penetrable caves, each with separate exit
and entrance holes and an alley formed by a second reef
plateau parallel to the coastline made this site popular.
Plenty of jacks and stingrays can be seen in the alley
and white soft coral gardens make you dream. |
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| Ras Zatar |
Located on the northern tip of the Ras Mohammed Peninsula
it is not visited as often as the other sites. Steep
walls with some large caves filled with glass sweepers
and soft corals make the drift dive enjoyable. In shallow
areas of the wall many small invertebrates, like the
feather worm tubes and nudibranches can be found, an
excellent dive site for macro photography. |
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