The Straits of Tiran and Ras Mohammed peninsula hold more than 220 coral species and 1,100 fish species in a marine corridor that connects three continents.
Protected since 1983 as Egypt's first national park, Ras Mohammed sits where the Gulf of Suez meets the Gulf of Aqaba, creating nutrient-rich upwellings that sustain schools of barracuda, jackfish, and seasonal hammerhead sharks along vertical walls that drop beyond recreational diving limits.
Scuba diving in the Red Sea Egypt centers on two primary zones: the southern Sinai reefs around Sharm el-Sheikh and the offshore sites near Hurghada on the mainland coast. Visibility averages 20 to 30 meters year-round, with water temperatures ranging from 22°C in winter to 28°C in summer. The Yolanda Reef and Shark Reef sites within Ras Mohammed offer drift dives through channels where strong currents attract pelagic species, while White Island's shallow lagoons provide sheltered conditions for novice divers and snorkelers. Hard corals dominate the reef structure, including table corals, brain corals, and fire corals that form terraces along the continental shelf.
The region's dive infrastructure supports both day-trip excursions and liveaboard itineraries, with operators launching from Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, and Hurghada. Beginner certification courses run in shallow bays with sandy bottoms, progressing to reef dives at 12 to 18 meters. Advanced divers access the Thistlegorm wreck, a British merchant ship torpedoed in 1941, resting at 30 meters with intact cargo holds and motorcycles. Conservation fees fund mooring buoys that prevent anchor damage, and ranger patrols enforce no-touch policies across the park's 480 square kilometers of protected seabed. The absence of freshwater rivers along this coast preserves the clarity that makes Red Sea diving distinct from other tropical destinations.
9 hr
