This is not a comprehensive listing of all dives sites in the Sinai area -- only the ones we've been to. It's our condensed, combined logbook.
For more on our Red Sea dive trips see our Trip Reports page.
Special thanks to contributing guest diver Robert Solomon.
Dates: Sep 6/1996
Depth: 34m
Location: 10km north of Nuweiba. Coming from Nuweiba, turn right after Village Stars. There is a stone wall at the turnoff. The dive starts at the bay at the south end of the beach. There is a narrow entrance to the reef in the water on the north side of this bay.
Description: Dive south-east through the canyon at 15m. The canyon suddenly drops to a 40m depth. As you come over the drop-off you feel like you're flying. We dove to 35m and returned. The seascape was spectacular. There was lots of coral but not such impressive fish life. Can't wait to do this one again.
Dates: Sep 6/1996
Depth: 27m
Location: 10km north of Nuweiba. Start the dive just opposite the center of El Mangana Village.
Description: Dive straight out from the beach, through a deep canyon looping to the north. The loop is complete and you come out where you went in. The area features beautiful coral and fish.
Dates: Sep 5/1996 (twice)
Depth: 15m
Location: 10 minute boat ride from the Nuweiba Hilton
Description: This was a small reef we explored at different depths. We missed the dolphins that were playing in the area while we did our first dive. On the second dive, a huge ship passed close by and really stirred up the bottom sands destroying visibility and making the water very warm. With a port right next to the hotel, this probably happens quite often.
Dates: Feb 12/1998
Depth: Snorkeling only
Location: 10 minutes drive south of the Nuweiba Hilton hotel
Description: You pay $3 for snorkeling with the wild dolphin Oolie that hangs around there with the local Bedouin tribe. She mostly swam in circles around us and ignored us.
Dates: Feb 12/1998 (twice)
Depth: 20m
Location: 1 hour dirt road drive south of the Nuweiba Hilton hotel. You drive south from Nuweiba on the dirt road that follows the shoreline. Go through two passport checkpoints. The dive site is near the big antenna with the solar panels just past it. See if you can see a stone camel to your right just before the spot.
Description: We did two dives at this site. One to the left down to 20m and the second to the right and down to 16m. Both dives were beautiful. On the first we saw a good selection of fish including a few small jellyfish. On the second we saw even more fish and two turtles, a blue-spotted sting ray, calamari, and a moray eel. There are a l ot of big fish in this area.
Dates: Feb 13/1998
Depth: 33m
Location: About half an hour drive north of Dahab opposite a dive shop/restaurant
Description: Dive starts in a sandy lagoon. Swim southeast through a opening in the reef, exiting the lagoon and turning left. At about 15m there's an entrance on the east side of a big coral rock, go through into a big room full of glass fish. Go down to 30m, a tight canyon starts. You can either go down the canyon (exits at 45 and 60 meters) or start going up and south to see some nice corals and fish along the reef. Exit the same way you came in at the lagoon. Quite a few divers died trying for the bottom exit of the canyon.
Dates: Feb 13/1998
Depth: 17m
Location: 200m south of the Small Canyon
Description: We entered from the beach walking to the edge of the reef in the water and then jumping in at the edge of the reef. We dove south along the reef with the current and came up after about 45 minutes near a fishing hut on the beach. The last half of the dive featured some beautiful coral formations.
Dates: Feb 13/1998
Depth: 10m
Location: In Dahab not far from the Red Sea dive shop
Description: Go to the beach opposite the dive club and head left to avoid entering on the reef. Enter in a sandy place and dive to the right along the reef and then back. We did this one as a night dive. Saw the usual nice night life and also an octopus and a crab who seemed to be wearing Dendrophilia coral on his back (if such a thing can really be).
Dates: Feb 14/1998
Depth: 23.6m
Location: About an hour drive south from Dahab
Description: You start the dive in a small sandy bay that slopes gently down and southeast towards the reef. Exited at the same spot. We saw a baby electric ray on this dive.
Dates: Feb 14/1998
Depth: 19.8m
Location: About an hour and ten minutes drive south from Dahab It is a bit tricky finding the exact spot but there's an opening in the reef with a slope on your left side and a wall on your right.
Description: We went through the hole in the reef and dove to the left (though we could have gone right). Most marine life "action" is happening at around 6m but you can dive a lot deeper. Exit at the same place you went in. We saw a Napoleon swimming along with a tuna for a buddy.
Dates: Dec 15/1995
Depth: 25m
Location: Boat dive
Description: Started at a cave full of millions of small fish. We dove along a wall and back again to the cave. The wall supposedly drops to 50m but the corals and caves are within the first 5 to 15m. Saw a giant sea fan and a huge turtle.
Dates: Dec 18/1995
Depth: 20m
Location: The lighthouse at the north end of Ras Um Sid, south of the Tower. Accessible by car.
Description: Coral wall.
Dates: Dec 16/1995
Depth: 28m
Location: Boat dive
Description: This is a beautiful area with many giant sea fans.
Dates: Sep 27/1996
Depth: 10m
Location: Boat dive
Description: We did this as a night dive following a shallow wall and returning the way we came. There were 3 or 4 boats at the site when we arrived and I'm sure much coral got damaged by the many divers getting knocked into the coral by the very strong current. A pretty enough site but a depressing situation.
Dates: Oct 26/1997, Apr 15/1998, July 23/1998
Depth: 9m
Location: Accessible by car or boat
Description: A table reef and a wall descending to 50m. The usual beautiful corals and fish of Sinai. Did this as a night dive from a boat. It's a great place for a night dive as the night colors are really beautiful here.
Also dived here in the day where we went a little deeper and had a huge Napoleon swim with us part way.
Dates: Sep 27/1996, Oct 10/1997, Apr 15/1998 (twice), Sep 4/1998, Sep 6/1998
Depth: 20m
Location: Near Ras Um Sid
Description: The temple is three coral pillars standing next to one another in an area with a sandy bottom. Nearby is a large area of coral and it is possible to continue to Ras Um Sid. We saw a Spanish dancer here during a night dive but it's not a particularly nice place for a night dive. It's not all that nice for a day dive either but it's an easy spot to go with beginners or for check dives.
Dates: Dec 16/1995
Depth: 25m
Location: Boat dive
Description: This dive features coral pillars. One was especially beautiful with tubes and giant fans.
Dates: Dec 18/1995, Sep 29/1996, Dec 22/1999
Depth: 15-40m
Location: Accessible by boat or from the beach
Description: When we did this off the boat, we started facing the beach by following a wall to the right. There was a lot of garbage floating about in the water -- something we hadn't seen before in Sinai. The spectacular fish in the area made up for our initial disappointment at the dirt in the area.
Dates: Sep 27/1996
Depth: 22m
Location: Boat dive
Description: This site features a canyon. We started near the shore and went down through a cave at about 14m. Then we dove along the length of the canyon at different levels. We found the best fish life to be within the first 8m of the surface though we saw a sea turtle a bit deeper down. Robert says there's a sandy floor with eels here.
Dates: Sep 28/1996
Depth: 12m
Location: Boat dive
Description: We did this as a "twilight to night" dive and kept shallow by staying on top of the reef table. Robert comments that the plateau was rich in coral varieties but we didn't see many fish.
Dates: Sep 28/1996
Depth: 30m
Location: Boat dive
Description: We dove east against the current along a wall then returned with the current at a shallower depth.
Dates: Sep 29/1996
Depth: 20m
Location: Boat dive
Description: We did this as a drift dive, diving with the current along a wall to a point where the current changed direction. Here we continued against the current. There were gorgonians in the area. And though visibility was not great at the start, it improved as we went.
Dates: Sep 29/1996
Depth: 25m
Location: Boat dive
Description: This is a beautiful spot with great visibility. We dove along a sloping wall and back. Deep below us was a canyon where we could just make out leopard and white-tip reef sharks.
Dates: Sep 28/1996
Depth: 20m
Location: Boat dive
Description: We did a drift dive along the east side of Woodhouse Reef and had the adventure of having our boat fall apart as it tried to collect us at the end of the dive.
Dates: Oct 24/1997, Apr 18/1998, Sep 4/1998, Dec 25/1999
Depth: 16m
Location: Boat dive
Description: We did this as a drift dive heading south along a wall starting not far from a pair of small caves you can swim through. We start the dive at a steep wall but immediately around the corner the wall becomes a slope going down to a sandy bottom. The first cave was between 5 and 8m and the second deeper. There are a lot of caves to explore on the way and the huge jackfish give the place its name.
Dates: Oct 24/1997, Apr 17/1998 (twice) , Sep 6/1998, Dec 25/1999
Depth: 16m
Location: Boat dive
Description: The quay is a coral wall interrupted by hot springs which pour clouds of warm water and sand into your path. We did this first as a night dive along the wall and back to the boat. We saw our first flashlight fish here, and once saw a spotted eagle ray. The second time we dove here we did both a night dive and a day dive. At night it seems you are in a twisty coral maze due to the limited visibility and the path the wall follows. During a day dive your visual field opens up and you can experience the reef differently.
The diving here is nicer away from the hot spring area since the visability there isn't as good and there are even patches of garbage.
Dates: Oct 27/1997, Sep 7/1998
Depth: 18m
Location: Boat dive in Marsa Bureka just opposite Ras Za'atir
Description: This dive has a coral wall going straight down to about 8m and then sloping to 12 to 20m before reaching the sandy bottom. There's one particularly nice coral formation protruding from the sea bed with a lot of glassfish. On the last dive here, we saw a huge brown stingray and a turtle.
Dates: Oct 27/1997, Apr 18/1998 (twice), Sep 7 (twice), Dec 25/1999
Depth: 29m
Location: We did it as a boat dive though its also accessible by car.
Description: Shark reef is a spectacular spot with a very deep vertical wall. Looking away from the wall, you can often sea large open-water fish. In the past, a lot of sharks came here, but we only saw barracuda and jackfish out in the open.
The currents here can be very strong and are always changing direction though we once dove here with no current at all. North of Shark reef is Anemone city. We sometimes start the dive there and cross the blue to Shark reef. If you continue along the n orth side of Shark reef, you come to a sandy-bottomed saddle between Shark reef and Yolanda reef where you'll find what's left of the wreck of the Yolanda - her cargo of toilets and sinks. If you don't want to see a bunch of broken toilets, follow the south side of Shark reef instead. Depending on the currents you can circle the reef or continue on and explore the Yolanda reef.
Yolanda reef doesn't descend nearly as far as Shark reef and we found visibility to be poorer but this may depend on your currents. And while Shark reef is covered with purple soft corals, Yolanda's soft corals are a golden color. Both reefs are beauti ful with tons of fish of all sizes. Once we saw an eagle ray here (maybe the same one who was at the Quay the day before) and once we witnessed a huge grouper cough up a pretty blue and yellow trunkfish who just swam off unharmed.
Dates: Oct 27/1997
Depth: 17m
Location: Boat dive in Marsa Bureka just opposite Ras Gozlani
Description: We started this dive on the south side of the peninsula and followed a wall to a corner where there was a very strong current against us. Passing through the current, we headed west along a wall. The area has many sea fans and the many caves in the walls were full of glassfish. Just before finishing up the dive, we came across a turtle.
Dates: Oct 25/1997
Depth: 14m
Location: Boat dive at Little Gubal Island
Description: Followed a wall until we got to a very strong current and then turned around and headed the opposite direction. The area is rich in fishes including glassfish and at least one huge moray.
Dates: Oct 25/1997 (twice)
Depth: 26m
Location: Boat dive
Description: There are several boats wrecked here. We did one dive starting from the wreck of the Chrisoula K, a Greek cargo ship sunk in 1981. We started the dive at the bow and headed towards the stern and then continued on following the reef until we came to another wreck. Later we did another dive here starting at the Giannis D (sunk in 1983). The ship is broken in two and the aft lies at an angle. The ship is quite large with many rooms and passageways to explore, some inhabited by lionfish or glassfish. We headed towards the bow and followed the anchor chains up the reef to the anchors. Continuing along the reef, we eventually came to the wreck of the Carnatic but didn't descend to it.
Dates: Sep 4/1998 (twice), Dec 22/1999
Depth: 12m
Location: Boat dive west of Ras Muhammed
Description: The Alternatives are a group of small reefs going down to about 12 to 20m to a sandy bottom. Dove here both during the day and night but didn't have very good visibility so wasn't very impressed with the place. The area has more crown-of-thorns starfish than any place we've ever dove. It could also be the destruction they've caused that made the place not live up to its reputation.
Dates: Apr 17/1998, Sep 6/1998, Dec 24/1999
Depth: 30m
Location: Boat dive
Description: The Dunraven lies on the sandy bottom upside down at an angle of almost 90 degrees to the reef. The first time we dove here, we started the dive by entering an opening in the wreck on the left side (while facing the reef) about 2/3 of the way along the wreck (closer to the deeper stern end of the wreck) and swimming towards the broken up middle. We then followed the wreck towards the reef and turned right to continue the dive along the reef.
The second time Michal did this dive, she started at the bow of the boat which is at a shallower depth than the stern. She went inside through clouds of glassfish, had a look at the boiler, and continued on towards the stern to see the propeller. She t hen continued the dive with the reef to her left (against the current though this is unusual as the current is usually in the opposite direction here). After finishing the dive she was towed back to the boat by a zodiac where she found 2 Napoleans waiting to swim with her. One was huge - maybe 5m long - while the other was much smaller. She spent 5 minutes just swimming around in circles with them enjoying their company.
The second time Guy did this dive, he skipped the Dunraven altogether and just enjoyed the reef.
Dates: Dec 24/1999 (twice)
Depth: 15m
Location: Boat dive
Description: We dove this only at night so we can't go into detail here but what we saw consisted of a reef dropping to a sandy bottom at 15m. From where our boat was anchored, there were two places we could dive but the first place we went to was so beautiful (heaps of dendrophilia and purple soft coral) that we did the second night dive there as well.
Dates: Apr 17/1998, Sep 5/1998, Sep 6/1998, Dec 23/1999 (twice)
Depth: 14.6m
Location: Boat dive
Description: The small passage is an opening in the reef with a sandy bottom at about 7m. At one end of the passage you have a reef sloping down to about 20m. At the other end you have a sandy lagoon about 10m deep. If currents allow, you can start the dive on one side of the reef and follow the passage to the other.
On one occasion we dove only the outside reef. Another time, for a night dive, we dove inside the lagoon. And once, we dove from the outside and through the passage to the lagoon. The dive is quite beautiful especially the passage itself which is quite shallow and is full of colorful sponges, soft corals and lots of fish. On the outside reef there are many sea fans and we've seen morays and turtles here.
Dates: Apr 16/1998
Depth: 3m
Location: Boat dive
Description: We stopped for the night in a sheltered lagoon in Sha'ab Ali and decided to night dive there. Mostly sandy bottom which makes the odd coral or fish more exciting.
Dates: Oct 26/1997 (twice), Sep 5/1998, Dec 24/1999
Depth: 165m
Location: Boat dive west of Sha'ab Mahmud
Description: This is a gently sloping reef, rich in different corals and with enough of a current that we did it as a drift dive. The area has many hard corals and a small pillar covered with soft corals and surrounded by glassfish.
Dates: Oct 26/1997, Apr 16/1998, Sep 5/1998
Depth: 154m
Location: Boat dive
Description: This is a sloping reef with many table corals and sponges and lots of fish. The first time we dove here, we started the dive at the wreck of the Sarah H, a fairly small ship. There was a strong current in this area so we didn't stay long on the wreck but went on to explore the reef where we found many big fish at the shallower depths.
The second time we dove this site we went the other direction (with the reef to our left) starting a little bit before the wreck and going with the strong current after passing the wreck. This was an effortless dive since we just let the current take us with the reef. We saw two turtles and two moray eels on this dive.
On yet another dive here, because of the currents, we skipped the Sarah H altogether and just enjoyed the natural sites. Whichever direction we go, we've always done this as a drift dive.
Dates: Oct 26/1997, Apr 16/1998 (twice), Sep 9/1998, Dec 12/1999 (twice)
Depth: 24.9m
Location: Boat dive
Description: This is a huge British ship sunk in WWII and containing cars, motorcycles, train cars, trucks, boots, weapons and ammunition. Around the bow we saw many colorful fish.
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