Egypt is an ideal place to engage in water sports. Fascinating charm of the underwater world make scuba diving attractive and many hotels have a beach and diving center where you can rent all necessary equipment and the services of trainers.

Egypt – Diving – Sharm El Sheikh.

Just after sunrise, dock at the seaport city of Sharm El-Sheikh, recalls an anthill. Thousands of diving enthusiasts from around the world hurry to get into boats.

This picture reminds an Arabic bazaar; only local coast guard in uniforms is keeping full peace and order. Daily diving in Sharm El-Sheikh is very popular because there is no sense in the long offshore cruises. All the most beautiful and strategically important dive sites north of the Red Sea is literally at your fingertips in Sharm el Sheikh.
Sharm El-Sheikh is growing every year, a major resort town, and more and more specializing in diving. Almost all the hotels in Sharm el Sheikh have diving centers, as well as climate all year round is just great, the demand for diving centers keeps being popular.

Big importance is given to the security in Sharm el Sheikh underwater slopes. Each diving center (they are over 100) each month gives money to the development of the Center of Hyperbaric Medicine of Sharm El Sheikh, managed by well-known physician Dr Adel Taher. This center deserves a separate article, as well as the activity of Dr Adel in safety diving is worthy of respect and individual attention. Just going to this center would be of interest to every diver, to get acquainted with the various programs of the center.

Reefs for diving around Sharm El Sheikh

The most accessible and beautiful reefs are located to the south and the north of Naama Bay town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Ras Nasrani is translated from Arabic as «Christian Bowl». Diving is recommended to start from the 12 meter platform, fully bespangled with red anemones. Next, you will start diving in the 20-meter platform. With almost perfect round year visibility underwater photo shots here will be particularly successful. A little deeper, holding the course on the North, at a depth of 30 meters you will find a lot of clams – this is where the largest population is in the Red Sea. Then you can slowly, following the reef wall, make ascent and after the safety stop come to the surface where you the boat will wait for you.

Far Garden Diving
Far Garden – a dive heaven, where you’ll find underwater coral gardens. A huge amount of hard and soft corals are very harmonized with the constant movements of fish stocks. At a depth of 35 m among corals there is a beautiful grotto, and if you dive during the day, then you can get fantastic underwater photo. At a depth of 45 m there is a constant east flow.

Middle Garden Diving

Middle Garden – is a central part between the near and far parts of Garden Reef. At a depth of 15 meters – a magnificent sandy alley, a little deeper (21 m) – the solid ground with corals. Flow is at a depth of 30 m. The site is convenient to dive with the return of the ship, also is very convenient to carry out a course of underwater navigation.

Near Garden

Near Coral Garden: this place is close to Naama Bay. In this regard, there a lot of dead coral, and starting from 20 meters end starts. However, here you’ll most likely encounter trigger fish and large-Napoleon.

SODFA Diving

On the surface a complex of hotels is built, carefully guarding this dive site. The underwater reef, concentrated in a cluster of hard corals and gorgons, goes to a depth of 25 m. Further reef is cut into an abyss, where the west flow will take you to the next dive site – Tower, if you stay still.

Tower Diving


It is an interesting dive site for advanced divers, as there is a deep canyon of 120 m depth. Down to 32 meters, you’ll find picturesque grotto, and if you move to the east upwards, you will come to a plateau at a depth of 12 m , where a huge variety of corals is inhabited by colorful fish. This plateau is on the way of the deep down in the canyon. Crystal-clear water is observed almost all year round. The flow on the surface of the plateau is absent, which makes this diving site very convenient.

Pinky Wall Diving


This dive site is exclusive with its excellent wall, which stretches from the Tower to the Ras Umm Sid. The wall goes down to a depth of 180 m, but first 40 m there are concentration of soft corals. Particularly beautiful they are at night dives. At night here, you can see the amazing marine creatures that appear only at this time.

Amphoras Diving


Name Amphoras this place has received because of the collapse of the Turkish galleys with a cargo of amphorae with mercury in it. Moving to the south, at a depth of 24 meters you’ll find thrown an anchor with the anchor chain, a number of chimneys in the reef, you can find one more ancient anchor. At a depth of 50 m and the flow constantly changes and deep dives are not recommended.

Turtle Bay

Turtles Bay – for those who are breathing economically, this dive site may be a continuation of the previous one. If this dive limit to the depth of 25 meters, it is actually possible capture a lot of good photos. At this depth many corals and all kinds of fishes are accumulated. This is an excellent place for swimming in a set number 1.

Paradise

Place of huge corals growing between sand alleys. These corals resemble their dimensions rather underwater sculpture of red, pink, orange and yellow flowers. A large number of fish, rays, reef sharks makes this diving site very attractive to newcomers. There is also a convenient venue for educational programs, as well as the abrupt stall at a depth of almost non-existent, and the shallow slope goes from 24 m to a maximum depth (64 m). All year round visibility is excellent, and the underwater shots are produced very well. From the above dive sites – this is not an exhaustive list of possible sites that are accessible to divers of all diving qualifications. It is important here that all sites are located in close proximity to the Sharm El-Sheikh, and do not require a long and tiring road.

Tiran Diving


The island of Tiran is located opposite to Sharm El-Sheikh. Through the south of the Gulf of Aqaba (Akhaba) towards the West, east of the island of Tiran are four magnificent reefs – Jackson Reef, Woodhouse Reef, Tomas Reef and Gordon Reef. All four of these reefs are divided between the straits Grafton and Enterprise. With regard to the geographical features of the magazines reefs are always warmer and more saline water, and in the vicinity of the Straits and the concentration of micro-plankton, which attract whale sharks and manta. It promotes plankton growth of corals and coral fish reproduction. In this regard, this underwater region is attracting huge number of divers, and enjoys well-deserved reputation as one of the most beautiful places in the north of the Red Sea. Few know that the massive reef Thomas Reef, there is a unique deep-water canyon. We have been able to make this an exciting dive.

TOMAS REEF Diving

This is one of the most spectacular places to dive in the northern Red Sea. Reef walls, rich colors of coral, then go down to the sandy bottom at a depth of 25 m. Going down deeper to 35 meters, you find a crack in the reef, passing over the edge to a depth of 109 m. This rift is called Tomas Canyon. In the canyon water is clear and transparent, but all kinds of corals and fish are absent altogether. Canyon begins from the depth of 35 m, and gently falling into the deep, you find yourself in a cleft width of no more than three meters. The first arch of the canyon is located at a depth of 50 m, and if you are have photographic equipment, it makes no sense to drag it deeper because the pressure can easily kill your equipment. Reasonable just leave the camera on the roof of the arch. Diving the first arch (which is already 65 m) and literally swim 20 meters, a little farther and deeper you find another arch, beautiful, but already at a depth of 75 m. Then, if you’re still alive, deadly gift awaits you! Another arch at a depth of 90 m. And if, having gone through this arch, you turn and look at the canyon bottom to top, then you open a fantastic picture! Sunlight. Piercing the sea water, concentrated in the reef break and an unusual glow. But, alas, the technology we did not take, and we had to start a long and very boring rise to the surface, with decompression time.

Read also my another entry:  Egypt Dive Sites

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