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Ras Mohammed is an area of many different dive sites that offer some of the best diving in the Red Sea. Ras Mohammed is the oldest National Park in the Sinai region. It is found in the main part of the Red Sea and high above the ocean there is a cliff wall. This cliff is said to resemble the outline of the Prophet Mohammed’s face, as he gazes over the Red Sea, and this resemblance gives the National Park its name. It was set up in 1983 and covers not only the land up to Sharm el Sheikh but also the coastline, and the ocean alongside it. It is now the best-kept area for diving within the region and diving is limited to specific areas.
Within this National Park, there are many different dive sites including Jackfish Alley, Ras Za’atar, Ras Ghozlani, Eel Garden, Shark and Yolanda Reefs, Shark Observatory and Dunraven Wreck. These are mostly coral reefs that have many vertical walls that go down to more than 100 meters; whilst Yolanda reef and Dunraven Wreck are wreck dives.
Ras Ghazlani is a drift dive that has only just reopened after being closed for many years to divers. It is now the healthiest dive spot in the Red Sea as a result of these years of preservation.
The two best dive sites in the area are Yolanda Reef and Shark Reef where it is possible to see almost every marine species found in the Red Sea. These reefs peak out from the sandy bottom and they are located very close together. Many sharks can be spotted here, giving the latter reef its name. There can also be many other pelagic fish such as hammerheads and tuna in the area. Ras Mohammed is also well known for batfish, stingrays, moray eels, hogfish, scorpionfish, barracuda, snappers, and Napoleon wrasse. The Yolanda Reef is actually a wreck of an old British cargo boat that was carrying many toilets, bathtubs, and tubes, with many of these now resting on the bottom of the seabed. These artefacts add to an already unique dive and make this dive one of the most enjoyable in the region.
Map of Sharm El Sheikh, Ras Mohammed dive site.