Scuba Diving in Sharm El Seikh

Sharm El Sheikh is a city located on a strip of land that runs between Mount Sinai and the f the Red Sea.  The water is a brilliant glittering blue, very clear and near enormous coral reefs on the coast.  These watery graveyards are home to hundreds of sunken ships from many centuries.

 

The city is located very near Ras Mohammad, which is a national park with protected reef walls that are 2,600 feet in height. The area is quite remote but the East Delta bus service takes you to the five star hotels there, which include the Movenpick, Hilton, Ghazala and the Marriot. You can also book excursions where you camp out in the desert like ancient Bedouins.

 

The water is warm and perfect for diving all year round but the most diversity of marine life is available for viewing from May to August.  The area is notable because there is an access point called The Small Crack that allow you to dive from the city streets of Gubal right into an underground passage that leads to the inner lagoons.  Night diving is very popular on these shoals, which have spectacular coral displays.

 

The area is also very well known for the Yolanda shipwreck which was once a cargo ship loaded with bathtubs and toilets that is now overgrown with coral.   Another popular wreck is the Dunraven, which is an old British ship that sunk while carrying gold and spice from Indian.  The ship broke right in half when it sank leaving plenty of underwater rooms for diver to explore.  Yet another is the Carantic that carried wine bottles and gold and then sunk in 1869.

 

The area is known for its visibility (from thirty to seventy meters) and great diversity of marine life, which includes sponges, turtled, Napoleons, Masked Puffers, Tuna, Scorpion Fish, Eagle Rays, Giant Moray Eels, Flashlight Fish and Blue Spotted Stingrays.  The waters are known for being exceptionally warm and calm.  Another great thing about this hot diving spot is that every great diving area is actually accessible from the beach or even the streets of the small town of Gabal.