Egypt’s Red Sea coast runs from the Gulf of Suez to the Sudanese border. This exquisite corridor of tinted mountains and radiant waters known as the Red Sea, has a length of 2350km and joins the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. Despite the fact that it is so narrow, it is a very deep sea. A veritable wall of water of almost 2500 meters in its center dropping to 600-800 meters near the reefs.
The end of the Sinai Peninsula is one of the most beautiful areas in the Red Sea and attracts divers from all over the world, making it one of the most sought after diving zones in the world.
Although the fauna is more or less the same through the Sinai, the sea-bottoms vary greatly. Mask, snorkel and a pair of fins is all you need to explore the extraordinary marine life and coral reefs. For those wanting to explore to greater depths, underwater certificates can be obtained on the spot. Further below, the diver will discover the magic of this underwater Eden, shells, rare fish, coral, turtles and maybe the occasional shark. The sea bottom is also the final resting spot of a few shipwrecks, including the Dunraven that went down in 1876 and the Thistlegorm, Sinai’s most prized wreck, a British war-ship discovered in the 1950’s by Jacques Cousteau, it was rediscovered in 1993, laying at 17 to 35m to the north west of Ras Mohammed. The Red Sea, a favorite tourist destination because of its coral reefs, ancient ports, teeming underwater life, historical sites and mountain range colored red by their mineral content has become Egypt’s most rapidly developing area.
For this reason HEPCA (Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation) and the Egyptian National Parks Office are making great efforts to protect the environment in the Red Sea. Now the whole south of Suez governorate is known as the Red Sea protectorate.
As a responsible tourist please contribute to the effort by following the motto when it comes to the environment ”take nothing leave nothing”.
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