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| 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.
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Sharm El Sheikh Dive Sites – Ras Mohammed |
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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 7 dive sites here: Ras Za’atar, Jackfish Alley, Eel Garden, Shark Observatory, Anemone City, Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef.
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| Sharm El Sheikh Dive Sites – Ras Mohammed |
Ras Za’atar
Ras Za’atar is a rocky outcrop of land which plunges almost vertically into the sea. You can descend at the start of your dive to around 28 – 30 metres to enjoy some gorgonian fan corals. There are also some colonies of black coral. Rising back up to a depth of about 15 metres, you will see the reef wall covered with red and pink Alcyonarians. You will also see two splits in the coral which give rise to rather impressive chimneys in which you will find the likes of Lionfish and Glassfish. The dive takes you round the promontory of Ras Za’atar and into the bay of Marsa Bareika. You can expect to see schools of Jackfish and Barracuda out in the blue. |
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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. |
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Eel Garden
As the name of this site indicates, you will find garden eels on this dive. Garden Eels are timid creatures which are usually found gently swaying in the current with two-thirds of their body length visible from their cylindrical holes in the sandy bottom. As you pass by they will quickly sink back into their holes. Eel Garden is quite well sheltered, too, making it a good site for snorkellers. |
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Shark Observatory
This site takes its name from the piece of headland that overlooks this stretch of water. It is a great wall dive and you can enjoy the Alcyonarians and caves and gullies with all their reef life, while still keeping an eye on what may be lurking out in the blue! Whale sharks have been spotted in this area.
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Shark and Yolanda Reefs
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. |
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