Ras Mohammed

This area is the southern part of the Sinai Peninsular and was declared an Egyptian National Park in 1983. Ras is the Arabic word for head, so directly translates into Head of Mohammed. The fee to visit this site is $5 US per day and consists of 2 main reefs :-

  • Shark – Shark reef is a sheer coral wall and has a colourful and diverse population ranging from the large pelagics to the tiny antheas. At  the usual entry point, look out into the great area of deep blue to see barracuda, jack, fusiliers and often white tip and black tip reef sharks. Large numbers of hammerheads can be sighted here but usually around August only.

  • Yolanda – named after a South African ship that sank here in the 1980’s, the Yolanda, which was carrying a cargo of bathroom utilities. The ground is littered with toilets, sinks and baths. The ship itself can no longer be seen since it has fallen over the steep drop off, but the long mast broke off the boat and can be seen before you reach the cargo. The topography of Yolanda reef is a flat plane with a very steep drop off at 30m (don’t even think about it!)

Often Shark and Yolanda reefs are dived as a drift together, entering at Shark reef, then crossing approximately 50m of deep blue to Yolanda reef. The current may be unpredictable and can be very strong so care must be taken and this isn’t a suitable site for very inexperienced divers

 The Thistlegorm - Thought by many as THE wreck to explore in the Red Sea, The Thistlegorm was a British warship carrying a cargo of supplies including, motorbikes, jeeps, bathrooms, weapons, even railway carriages which sank in 1941 after being bombed and was discovered by the famous Jacques Cousteau in 1956. It lies at 18-35m deep and should only be attempted with an experienced guide by confident wreck-qualified divers. The ship is in open sea and entry and exits can be difficult due to tempestuous sea conditions. It is also approximately 4 hours from Sharm El Sheikh, so preferably visited during a liveaboard trip rather than day boats which require a  very early start!

 The Dunraven - The Dunraven was a British steam ship which sank in 1876 on a return trip from India. It now lies upturned and completely covered in beautiful coral. The ship can be fully penetrated easily, and inside large schools of glassfish can be found. There is also the nearby reef the ship collided with hosting the usual coral fauna. Direct surface access isn’t available whilst inside so another site only for confident wreck divers.

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