Yolanda Reef
Ras Mohammed is a peninsula of land jutting out into the Red Sea at the southernmost point of the Sinai Peninsula. Most of the Ras Mohammed Peninsula is, in fact, a raised reef plate, indicating that the sea level was once higher than it is today. In 1983 Ras Mohammed was given National Park status, the area the park covers was increased in 1989 to include much of the surrounding seas. There are some 1,000 species of fish and 150 species of coral to be found in the waters here, hence the need for preservation.
World-renowned, no diver visiting the Sinai can afford to miss out the dive sites of Ras Mohammed. There are essentially 6 dive sites here: Ras Za’atar, Jackfish Alley, Eel Garden, Shark Observatory, Anemone City and the world famous Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef.
You can do a variety of dives here and can take in both Shark and Yolanda as well as Anemone City on a single dive. At Anemone City you will, of course, come across sea anemones with their ever-present anemone fish darting in and out of the anemones tentacles. At Shark Reef you can enjoy the Gorgonian fan corals, while looking out to the blue where you can expect to see schools of barracuda, Batfish and Jackfish. Yolanda Reef is named after the Cypriot ship which sank here in 1980 with a cargo of sanitary bathroom ware, cases of whisky and a BMW car. New visitors to the site usually find it amusing to see all the toilets and baths, etc on the sea bed. Bluespotted stingrays are common in the area as are moray eels
by boat
good
30
40
Yes
No
Yes
Jackfish Alley
A dive at Jackfish Alley will give you the opportunity to see some caves and watch the fantastic light effects they produce. As well as Jackfish, you may well see Bluespotted stingrays, Triggerfish, Whitetip Reef Sharks and Manta rays.
by boat
good
10
30
Yes
No
Yes
The Alternatives
Some 3 miles west of Ras Mohammed lies a fringing reef (a chain of coral pinnacles) within which you will find a sheltered lagoon with maximum depths of between 10 and 15m. The area has been named The Alternatives as it serves as an alternative for diving when the seas are rough at the more exposed dive sites in the vicinity. There is a mooring (shamandura) on the sheltered side of two of the middle pinnacles so dives are usually conducted around here. The reef here has an abundance of life – large groupers, Blue-spotted stingrays, squid, nudibranch and Leopard sharks are commonly seen here. White-tip and grey reef sharks may also be encountered. Several coral pinnacles along to the west you come to Stingray Station, so-named because of the many Blue-spotted stingrays which seem to congregate here, especially in Spring-time. The lagoon at the Alternatives is ideal for mooring up overnight and the shallow depths make it an excellent site for night dives
by boat
good
15
30
Yes
No
Yes
Small Crack
Small Crack is a small break in the Sha’ab Mahmud reef system and is navigable by small dive boats only. The passage is 6m deep and 2-3m across with reef walls on both sides. Both hard and soft corals abound here – you can see Gorgonian fans, porites, salad coral and Acropora as well as anemones and their omni-present anemonefish. There is also a small eel garden at a depth of 19m and many species of reef fauna. Pelagic fish also frequent the site
by boat
good
15
30
Yes
No
Yes
Thistlegorm
Lying some 31 miles from Sharm El Sheikh, the Thistlegorm is a popular site often visited by divers on day trips as well as liveaboard boats. Built in 1940, the Thistlegorm was a sizeable British transport ship. Early one morning in October 1941 while moored at Sha’ab Ali, she was struck by German bombers and sank. She was carrying a cargo of munitions, anti-tank mines, motorcycles, Bedford trucks, spare parts, tyres and medicines amongst other things for the British troops in North Africa. She lies at depths of between 16 and 33 metres and both the ship and her cargo are very well preserved, making her arguably the best wreck dive in the Red Sea. Not only you will you enjoy seeing a ship and cargo so amazingly intact, you will also see plenty of marine life in and around the vessel making the Thistlegorm, effectively, an artificial reef!
by boat
good
25
40
Yes
No
Yes