THE RED SEA FOR SCUBA DIVING AND SNORKELING
SHARM EL SHEIKH GUIDE

Index of Diving Places of Sharm el Sheikh

• Pinky Wall / Barrier
• Tower
• Sodfa
• Race to Katy
• Temple
• Race to Umm Sid
• Paradise
• Turtle Bay
• Amphoras

Pinky barrier

GPS Coordinates: 27°52.250'N, 34°19.400'E
Distance: 31 minutes

Pinky barrier, those pink wall, is first of a long set of snorkel places between Tower and races to Umm Sid. As snorkel the Canyon at the Tower offers itself and goes into southern (right shoulder to the reef - reef right side) as entrance. This place owes its names the multiplicity of pink-colored Alcyoniidae. The condition of the reef of Pinky barrier essentially differs from other places of the region, since the reef roof normally bordering on the beach is hardly present and the wall covered with a multiplicity of soft reef drops steeply into swindle-exciting depths of approximately 200 meters. It does not become nevertheless also for snorkeler boringly, because the rock columns serve a set of interesting fish types as "hideout". Since this area usually "was unaffected" more is felt hardly impressed the fish by us. At this snorkel place is to be particularly paid attention to the current and the wave course. Note: For safety reasons we snorkel this range only if the current from southern direction lay close, so that the "way there" was more living forces, on which "way back" to the Canyon we without considerable movements by the current was floated.

Tower

GPS Coordinates: 27°51.000'N, 34°19.100'E
Distance: 34 minutes

This place owes its names to the existing Canyon. The direct environment of the Tower is a great snorkeling place with a deep Canyon, whose walls drop vertically on over 100 meters of depth. Those contemplative reef fauna and the reef roof in width up to 10 meters is with numerous parrot -, fires -, a soldier -, luggage and glass fish settles. Impressing, without envy, we watched a group of divers around the midday gladly, how these are submerse in the Canyon. One clear view, more than 25 meters, the incident sunbeams and ascending air brought a marvelous light out - shade - play.

Sodfa

GPS Coordinates: 27°54.000 N, 34°19.500 E
Distance: 35 minutes

This place is northeast from the Tower here many corals, both soft and hard corals, are particularly to see and an extensive reef fauna, which with parrot -, fires -, soldiers -, luggage and glass fish, as well as Muraenen is settled. Before each snorkel course we have the direction of flow to determine: This ran toward the north, we at the Tower entered and us with the current between 700 to 1000 meters of direction Sodfa to float leaves. There to approximately 50 to 70 minutes out of the water risen and the way back to the Tower to foot gone. If the current ran toward the south, we realized the snorkel course in that direction. Also with daily 3 to 4 snorkels - routes never arose boredom. With each snorkel course there was something new to discover.

Race to Katy

Distance: 12 minutes
GPS Coordinates: 27 51.000 N 34°18.200 E

Race to Katy lies some hundred meters further west of Temple and has in certain respects a similar condition. The boats here normally anchor with the tail to shamandura, which in the proximity of a large, until to the water surface handing the Madreporal stocks is fastened. Since this place is protected against the prevailing hoists optimally, one can stay here problem-free. The dipping course begins at the Madreporal stick, which down-slides from the easily bent Sand plateau of an original depth of S meters up to 16-18 meters up to the steeply dropping abyss, where some gorgons are to be seen. With the investigation of the sand plateau one meets Broccoli corals two, and at Alcyoniidae rich coral stocks from each other convenient in a distance from some dozen meters with numerous copies of Lithophyton or arboreum. These sticks are a preferential place of residence of a vielfaltigen and rich reef fauna, in whom Anthias and Falterfi (Genera Chaetodon and Heniochus) outweigh. In the columns, which run along their walls, one sees glass fish, red fire fish and pop-eye-bar, during itself on the sandy reason crocodile fish (Cociella crocodila), skate of point of blue (Taeniura Iymma) and some scorpio fishes (Scorpaenopsis FR.) stop. Sometimes one can find a sufficiently strong local current with rising water level, in order a flow dipping course up to 400 meters removes convenient Temple to undertake, by "flying over" many other madreporal formations and large Table corals.

Temple

GPS Coordinates: 27°51.000 N 34°18.600 E
Distance: 17 minutes

Temple is in the center of the large bay, which between race yourself Umm Sid and race to Katy extended and from a high fossil corals can be found, on which the two large holiday villages Farana King Snefru and Reef Oasis was built. From a large sand plateau lain deeply between 6 and 24 meters three coral stock strive like the columns of an antique temple up, which were decisive for the name, which the first divers at the beginning of the 70's gave to this place. Two on the two sides of the largest stick fastened anchorages reaching up to the water surface permit an easy anchorage, which is facilitated additionally by those absolutely wind and wave-protected situation of the bay. Temple is one of the usually-visited places of this area, because he guarantees easy dipping courses without technical difficulties and independently of the weather conditions. Although he suffered certainly from the enormous attack, this place has also today still interesting aspects and is particularly suitable for night dipping courses. In addition is the operational readiness level of numerous kinds of Falterfi, parrot fish, red fire fish, emperor fish and above all the Arab emperor fish (Pomacanthus macu losus) and some Napoleon fish practically guarantees. Although Temple is relatively narrow, the dipping courses can be amended to its investigation at will.

Race to Umn Sid

GPS Coordinates: 27°51.000 N 34°19.000 E
Distance: 21 minutes

Race to Umn Sid is the name of the cape, on which a large lighthouse is, which marks the at the beginning of the road of Tiran on the western coast. Of the country from easily accessible dipping place is appropriate directly east of the lighthouse, gegenue more ber for the well-known Italian restaurant Egg Fanar and the dipping center the African various. This place is admits for an unusual vermehrung of Gorgonjen (Subergorgia hicksoni), which rainegg-right forest forms here, the beautifully ten of the entire northern Red Sea. The entrance in the sea of the beach, facilitated by metal stairs, is possible only then, if the water level is sufficiently high, to be able to cross in order that extremely strongly for ent wound reef roof swimming. The classical dipping route sees independent of it, whether the entrance takes place from the boat or from the beach, a descent up to a depth of 25 meters, in order to cross the famous Gorgonienwald, and afterwards an ascent on a 14 meter sand plateau lain deeply forwards, where one covered between numerous madreporischen and with Alcyoniidae sticks on hundreds of reef fish, like red fire fish (Pterois votitans) and, pushes parrot fish (Scarus frame). From here the back route, by maintaining a depth of 5-6 meters and the reef on the right side, begins in order the gaps and in particular a small, from a glass fish colony (Parapriacanthus guentheri) settled cave to investigate for the divers entered by the beach. Who has however a boat, can further-swim toward Paradise.

Paradise

GPS Coordinates: 27°51.000 N, 34°19.100 E
Distance: 26 minutes

Although the morphologic condition of this place from Amphoras and Turtle of the Bay is similar and places a community of the entire coast region, Paradise differs due to the larger Madreporenformationen, which rise from the slope between the reef slope and the drop off, of the others. The korallenstoecke resemble here genuine sculptures, whose multicolorness at red, pink and yellow colours is to be owed to the growth of the Alcyoniidae (towards, Dendronephthya). In this way a magnificent and landscape unique in their kind forms itself. The entrance to the dipping place, which extends between the two small beaches on the height of the Royal Paradise, is also from the country from possible, by ansucht around a permission at diving the center convenient over it. The klassischere dipping course is undertaken however from the boat and plans drift a dive toward the south. After one dipped close at the drop off into a depth of 24-28 meters and the reef on its linking maintains, one slides between the pink-colored korallenstoecken, which are over-rampantly grown sometimes of Acropora frame copies, through. Others, larger Tischkorallen grow on the reason, of which some Gorgonien detach themselves. During the crossing of this magnificent landscape one has the possibility of admiring of fishing from parrot fish to the large Napoleon Lipp a rich reef fauna, from innumerable Falterfi to the pervasive Anthias, without forgetting thereby some beautiful Muraenen in the southern section of the route, which are particularly in the small columns of the korallenstoecke.

Turtle Bay

GPS Coordinates: 27°51.800 N, 34°19.200 E
Distance: 26 minutes

Turtle Bay is directly south of Amphoras. Its topographic condition is in as much very similar to that of the dipping place described before as one discovers also here a slope with a middle angle of inclination of 30°, which is in a depth between 9 and 25 meters and up-strives from which some Madreporenstoecke. The classical dipping course is accomplished depending upon direction of flow both against the north and against the south, whereby the second case is the more frequent, as drift dive. After a descent up to 25 meters the edge of the drop off lain deeply; where a senkrechte wall on approx.. 110 meters drop, begin the ascent on the slope, whereby one the low Madreporenstoecke, between which in a depth of 10 to 18 meters and on the height of the two larger sticks some Gorgonien live, umschwimmt and investigate. On the northernmost section of the route through one traverses oneself one at Madreporen and Alcyoniidae rich zone, which form a "Korallengarten", at whose edge a large Salatkoralle (Turbinaria mesenterina) and some from Porites frames - colonies existing, mushroom-shaped Madreporenformationen find. The existing shamandura permits to undertake also a circle route. The Schnorchler can observe a beautiful and varied reef fauna at the edge of the reef slope, which drops up to 6 meters of depth and attaches to the partial over the water surface rising up, the beach saeumende reef.

Amphoras

GPS Coordinates: 27°52.000 N, 34°19.430 E
Distance: 30 minutes

The name of this place agitates from one in 17. Jh. sunk Turkish ship ago, which transported a charge of Amphoren filled with mercury. Amphoras is southwest from Tower on the height of the northernmost wing cuts Carl clay/tone hotel and is attainable also on the landweg. The topography of the place is very simple. It consists of a sand slope, which approximately in ten meters of depth begins and from which some verschiedenfoermige Madreporenstoecke up strives, which with numerous, the order of the Dendronephthya belonging and multicolor Alcyoniidae, which forms a kind splendour full garden, is verkrustet. Sometimes glass fish swarms (Parapriancathus guentheri) swim between the red Alcyoniidae and primarily in the columns of the wall. LN of a depth of 25-28 meters are still the original, toughly anchor stock with some inscriptions and parts of the Amphoren which are in the reef, with which the sunk ship (its structure today any longer not existed) was loaded, to see. At small distance one, by abtaucht southward into a depth of 24 meters, can discover a second large anchor from recent time with a long chain. Some beautiful and large Gorgonien are in the deepest place of the slope, toward 30 meters the drop off lain deeply.