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Diving in Ras Mohammed
 
The words ‘Ras Mohammed National Park’ have an iconic appeal about them that collectively describe Sharm El Sheikh’s biggest draw. The Park has become a ‘must see’ on the itinerary of most visitors and few will leave the region of Sharm without finding out what it has to offer. Unlike other national parks Ras Mohammed has two major draws: Under the water and above the water. Each is equally spectacular in scenery and each pulls in thousands of visitors every week. There are over twenty national parks in Egypt. Some are known as Protectorates. Ras Mohammed is flanked by the Gulf of Aquba, The Gulf of Suez and the vast Red Sea itself, which runs for over 2,000km before joining the Indian Ocean. It is because of the convergence of these three significant bodies of water that the undersea world of Ras Mohammed is so popular for visiting divers and snorkelers. Currents wash around Ras Mohammed everyday providing an abundant feeding source. With that comes a food chain worthy of the attention of the world’s leading underwater photographers, documentary makers and travel writers. There are twelve main dive sites within the National Park boundary. The sea part of the boundary stretches far out to Shab Mahmoud, the five mile long remote reef that is home to the ship wreck of the SS Dunraven. All dive sites have names and those found in the Park include such descriptions as Jackfish Alley, Ras Zataar, Eel Garden and the world-class sites of Shark and Jolanda Reefs. The latter protrude directly from the southern-most point of land and as a result their exposure attracts the strongest currents. Water temperatures range from 21c in winter to 30c in the summer and visibility is a constant 25m to 35m all year.Â
The words ‘Ras Mohammed National Park’ have an iconic appeal about them that collectively describe Sharm El Sheikh’s biggest draw. The Park has become a ‘must see’ on the itinerary of most visitors and few will leave the region of Sharm without finding out what it has to offer. Unlike other national parks Ras Mohammed has two major draws: Under the water and above the water. Each is equally spectacular in scenery and each pulls in thousands of visitors every week. There are over twenty national parks in Egypt. Some are known as Protectorates. Ras Mohammed is flanked by the Gulf of Aquba, The Gulf of Suez and the vast Red Sea itself, which runs for over 2,000km before joining the Indian Ocean. It is because of the convergence of these three significant bodies of water that the undersea world of Ras Mohammed is so popular for visiting divers and snorkelers. Currents wash around Ras Mohammed everyday providing an abundant feeding source. With that comes a food chain worthy of the attention of the world’s leading underwater photographers, documentary makers and travel writers. There are twelve main dive sites within the National Park boundary. The sea part of the boundary stretches far out to Shab Mahmoud, the five mile long remote reef that is home to the ship wreck of the SS Dunraven. All dive sites have names and those found in the Park include such descriptions as Jackfish Alley, Ras Zataar, Eel Garden and the world-class sites of Shark and Jolanda Reefs. The latter protrude directly from the southern-most point of land and as a result their exposure attracts the strongest currents. Water temperatures range from 21c in winter to 30c in the summer and visibility is a constant 25m to 35m all year. 
Little Jolanda is a smaller third reef that is located next to Shark and Jolanda reefs. On the other side of Shark and Jolanda, separated by a short swim across ‘the blue’, is the clown-fish infested Anenome City. If you can’t find Nemo here then go to the opticians, there are literally thousands of them swimming among the proliferation of anemone plants found between depths of 10m and 20m. These four adjacent reefs can be done in one dramatic dive where unlike many other sites around Sharm a diver can drift, wall dive, wreck dive, deep dive and visit several coral gardens all in one submersion.
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Depths range from just a few meters to an abyssal 800m with plateaus, drop-off’s and many interesting features in between. Over 200 coral types and 1,000 species of fish have been recorded here. Shark and Jolanda has appeal at different times of the year. In the summer months of July and August the place is alive with shoaling fish such as barracuda, snappers and batfish in their thousands. With waters approaching 30c these shoals attract the larger predators and it’s not unusual to have at least five different species of shark around these sites. On a warm summer’s day, it is possible to hover near shark reef with upward of five thousand fish within visible distance. They don’t seem to mind the divers either who arrive in their dozens and interact quite comfortably with the floating walls of silver scales.