10 Reasons Why The Red Sea Still Offers The Best Diving
The Red Sea still offers some of the best diving in the world. We share with you Dive Magazine’s ten reasons why it is so special, from wrecks to marine life to live aboard delights.
1. Schooling Fish - Ras Mohammed
In the height of summer there is nothing so wondrous as diving with the vast schools of fish which gather at Ras Mohammed at the tip of the Sinai. Swarms of fish such as the blacktail snappers (above) gather in heaving crowds and you can be immersed in perfectly synchronised marine life.
2. The Wreck Of The Thistlegorm
The mother of all wrecks - this Second World War treasure trove rightly deserves its status as one of the world's most popular wrecks.
3. Off The Wall
The Red Sea is renowned for the quality of its wall dives - from the reefs around Tiran in the North to the wilds of the Outer Islands in the South. Plunging, dramatic walls festooned with life make for the very best drift dives.
4. Think Big - Whale Sharks
Nothing is more exciting than when the crew call out 'Whale Shark' and you all rush for your mask and fins to get in the water with the ocean's largest fish.
5. Outer Islands - Red Sea Gems
The Brothers, Elphinstone, Daedalus and Rocky are the sites of diving dreams. Wild and remote - these are some of the top dives in the Red Sea. Fast currents, dramatic coral walls, lots of shark action and excellent wrecks.
6. Technicolour Soft Corals
The vivid explosions of soft corals are common the length of the Red Sea. Undulating forests of these hungry filter feeders gently sway in the current along walls, in coral gardens, hanging from caverns. Underwater candy floss.
7. The Caves & Gulleys Of St John's
Here's a dive you want to get lost on - the shallow nooks and crannies of St John's reef in the Deep South is the ideal place to slowly explore. You never know what you are going to come across - perhaps a bumphead parrotfish or a sleeping turtle!
8. A Beautiful Wreck
The Numidia which lies vertically on the steep wall of Big Brother Island is possibly the prettiest wreck, not just in the Red Sea, but the world. The soft corals on the bridge area are a particular treat.
9. Lone Stars - Oceanic Whitetips
This pelagic wanderer often approaches dive boats and can be more than 3m in length. A beautiful and highly curious shark which can add a certain frisson to your safety stop!
10. Down In Sudan
For the few that do venture this far South there are some spectacular dives and the wreck of the Umbria is one of the best - besides the Fiats in the first hold, don't miss the engine room!
Article originally published in http://divemagazine.co.uk/travel/
