Red Sea diving is an awe inspiring experience. Rich with coral, laden with fascinating wrecks, populated by an incredibly diverse fish population including the ‘big boys’ of the sea, manta rays and sharks as well as being surrounded by towering red mountains and vast expanses of arid desert, the Red Sea offers impressive adventure. Complementing the experience of scuba diving vacations Red Sea are other unique sites.
Diving in Egypt has its benefits. As interesting as it is unique, the Red Sea is a cul-de-sac, which results in an unusual marine life with color bursting from some of the most beautiful and delicate reefs in the world. Fabulous soft corals draped over exquisite hard coral formations, shrouded in swirling schools of glassfish is a typical visual scenario of what Red Sea scuba diving has to offer, with gullies and swim-throughs adding a sense of adventure and mystery.
Fan corals, their edges an ideal perch for feather stars, sway in the current, while lionfish lurk in every nook and cranny, waiting for a tasty morsel to drift past. Sheers walls, such as those found at Ras Mohammed and Sanganeb, plunge into the abyss. Here you can also find patrolling sharks, schools of snapper, barracuda, jacks and other open water species. Scuba diving Sharm el-Sheikh has also become a favorite spot for scuba divers from around the world because of its stunning underwater scenery.
Made popular by Jacques Cousteau in the 1960’s, Egypt diving and the Red Sea is still considered top notch as a travel destination with dives sites for every interest. From the unspoiled Sinai Peninsula in Egypt in the north to St. John’s pristine reefs just north of the Sudanese border in the south, the Red Sea shimmers as an example of dedicated environmental conservation. The success of the region’s sea life is largely thanks to conservation efforts implemented in the early 1990’s.
The south is home to fabulous marine parks, most only accessible by Red Sea liveaboards. Amid the pinnacles and steep walls there are ample scuba diving opportunities for pelagic encounters including schooling hammerheads, mantas, oceanic white tips, thresher sharks and other ‘wish-list’ sharks.
South of the port of Marsa Alam, the southernmost town of any size on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, is Fury Shoal, part of which is famous for its coral pinnacles and swim-throughs with some healthy, large and colorful coral heads. The northern Red Sea offers many impressive wrecks such as the world famous Thistlegorm and Umbria, considered one of the world’s finest wrecks as it acts as a frame for stunning walls colored with soft corals, gorgonians and swarms of reef fish. Other sites offer schools of tuna, barracuda and other pelagics. Sharks are not uncommon to frequent the area as well.
Diving Egypt and experiencing the grandeur of liveaboards on the Red Sea is an experience every scuba diver should indulge in. To get started, simply check out our scuba diving vacations Red Sea selection. Let us help you create an entertaining and safe scuba adventure to the Red Sea.
