Dive Site: Three Sisters
Location: Ponta Malongane, Mozambique
Description: Reef
Depth: 21 – 25 metres (69 – 82 feet)
Visibility: 40 metres (130 feet)
The three sisters of the sea are 3 pinnacle rocks about 50m apart. A prospect not to be missed where there is huge amounts of fish life – black cheek moray eels, honeycomb morays, lionfish and large rays are just some of the examples.
Dive Site: Vadoo House Reef
Location: South Male Atoll
Description: Reef
Depth: 10 – 20 metres (30 – 65 feet)
Visibility: 30 metres in December (100 feet)
From the boat the dive started quite shallow at about 10 metres. Large coral heads with the most unbelievable amounts of small fish. Large shoals of sweetlips, wrasses and lots of small Maldivian reef fish and lion fish. At 20 metres along a sand bottom there are sand eels and large clams. One can come across good size ray on the ascent.
Dive Site: Sinai House Reef
Location: Dahab
Description: Reef / shore / night dive
Depth: 18 metres max (60 feet)
Visibility: 10 metres (30 feet)
Diving with Sinai Divers located in the Hilton, the friendly dive Center is located just off the beach and a 10-dive package entitles you to 5 free dives on the house reef. Entrance to the site is from the beach, starting in the confined area designed for training purposes. The sandy slope drops off to about 15m with patches of sea grass, anchors, tyres, broken pots and other things designed to encourage reef life. There is also a natural reef about 15 minute swim from the shore. The visibility is fairly poor, due to the tidal currents within the lagoon, however it is well worth the effort with a good variation in sealife.
This dive was best done at dusk, before the Center shuts, as this is when the fish are out hunting, lionfish come out from their home in the tyre to start hunting, and trevally and jacks are rounding up shoals of smaller fish into the shallows.The elusive seahorse within the seagrass patches at about 6m. The seagrass also provides a home for pipefish and pepper morays, with yellow moth morays found within the reef itself. Flounders, hermit crabs and goatfish can also be found feeding on the sandy seabed.
Dive Site: Three Pools / South Oasis
Location: South Dahab, 28°26.139N; 34°27.481E
Description: Reef / shore dive
Depth: 20 metres (65 feet)
Visibility: 30 – 40 metres (100 – 130 feet)
The second dive from the South Oasis after a lazy lunch. This was a mammoth dive and was the beginning to get a bit chilly in a shortie. Starting off by swimming out to an overhang, with schools of barracuda and ending up at 5m swimming around the shallower corals.
You literally go through three pools at the start of this dive. The coral is beautiful. Lots of lionfish, barracuda, two bar sea bream and a little ray.
Three sandy pools interconnected by saddles of coral form the entry and exit point for this dive. Outside of the third pool a young resident napoleon fish might catch your eye just before you descend to the deepest point of the dive by following a sandy alley with brain corals, pipe corals and salad corals along the sides. The alley brings you to a coral garden with pinnacles. A resident turtle often patrols the area. The later part of the dive is a shallow area where sand and coral blocks seem to compete to catch a bit of sun, showing wonderful red coloured details. Crocodilefish and scorpionfish try to hide in the sandy parts, while octopuses blend in wherever they go, but divers with an eye for detail will spot them for sure.
Dive Site: The Sinker
Location: North of Hilton Hotel, Nuweiba
Description: Reef and buoy
Depth: 3 – 35 metres (10 – 115 feet)
Visibility: 20 metres (65 feet)
This is really two dives in one, you wade off the beach until the depth is about 2 metres, drop down and swim to the reef. With the reef on the left shoulder go deeper until you make out what looks like two lines coming up from the seabed. This is the Sinker, an old Israeli buoy that was sunk by mistake when they either measured the depth wrong or dropped it in the wrong place. The buoy is now underwater at a depth of 8 metres. Divers’ air bubbles have trapped under the buoy causing a mirror like effect and the chains going down to the seabed are covered in beautiful soft corals. Many lionfish hang around the chains. Once you have circumnavigated the chains up to the buoy it is time to head back to the reef which can clearly be seen when visibility is good. Your safety stop is done finning back to shore. An easy dive if there is no wind on the surface.
Dive Site: Sharm El Naga House Reef
Location: Sharm El Naga
Description: Sloping reef
Depth: 0 – 30 metres (0 – 100 feet)
Visibility: 20 metres (65 feet)
The reef at Sharm El Naga is in surprisingly good condition considering that it is an incredibly popular location with snorkellers. The entry and exit points are from the shore, close to where the dive shop and amenities are located. As you enter the water, the sandy bottom quickly alters into a coral covered ledge that slopes away down to depths that those who are snorkelling cannot reach. For those who are snorkelling, there is an area roped off that you are asked to stay inside. Please do not go beyond the barriers as they are there to stop the coral becoming damaged. However, we do recommend that you swim out as far as you are comfortable with going as the reef improves further from the shore.
Both snorkellers and divers alike should see a healthy selection of coral including fire, table and fan corals. There is also an abundance of marine life with giant clams, rays and octopus as more infrequent sightings as well as the usual Red Sea menagerie of sergeants, butterflyfish, parrotfish, lionfish and anthias.
Dive Site: Sinai House Reef
Location: Dahab
Description: Reef / shore / night dive
Depth: 18 metres max (60 feet)
Visibility: 10 metres (30 feet)
Diving with Sinai Divers located in the Hilton, it is friendly dive Center that is located just off the beach and a 10-dive package entitles you to 5 free dives on the house reef. Entrance to the site is from the beach, starting in the confined area designed for training purposes. The sandy slope drops off to about 15m with patches of sea grass, anchors, tyres, broken pots and other things designed to encourage reef life. There is also a natural reef about 15 minute swim from the shore. The visibility is fairly poor, due to the tidal currents within the lagoon, however it is well worth the effort with a good variation in sealife.
This dive was best done at dusk, before the Center shuts, as this is when the fish are out hunting, lionfish come out from their home in the tyre to start hunting, and trevally and jacks are rounding up shoals of smaller fish into the shallows. The elusive seahorse within the seagrass patches at about 6m. The seagrass also provides a home for pipefish and pepper morays, with yellow moth morays found within the reef itself. Flounders, hermit crabs and goatfish can also be found feeding on the sandy seabed.
Dive Site: Sha’ab Umm Usk
Location: 27°35.130N; 33°52.270E
Description: Reef / night dive
Depth: 9 metres (30 feet)
Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)
A popular night mooring spot with the safari boats. You are most likely to be diving Sha’ab Umm Usk as a night dive due to it’s safe overnight mooring in its lagoon. It is a horseshoe shaped reef with the open ends of the horseshoe pointing south.
My advice with most night dives in the Red Sea is to stay small. Don’t try and cover large distances. This site is unlikely to be affected by current. I have seen Spanish dancers here on many night dives, and shoals of lunar fusiliers around dusk come in close to the reef for shelter. The normal clearfin lionfish should be out hunting and there is also a healthy population of featherstars. This site is best dived in around six metres of water and if you spend the night here whilst heading north then you are likely to be heading for the wrecks of Abu Nuhas in the morning, or even waiting to cross the Straights of Gubal and dive the S.S Thistlegorm. Either way you are in for a great set of dives, so a gentle night dive at Sha’ab Umm Usk the evening before is just the ticket.
Sha’ab Umm Usk has changed little in 10 years of diving it. The day dive can be quite good moving along the sand bed, peppered with coral heads, with the wall on the left. Usually the boat is moored in the lagoon entrance and the depth under the boat can be around 25m. On day dives you quite often see several large Napoleon wrasse and large clams are dotted around. As dolphins quite often play in the lagoon these are sometimes encountered as well.
During the day the best return to the boat is shallow at around 6-8m, so the swim hits the corner. Here a profusion of soft teddy bear corals are draped over the walls. This wall comes alive at night. The night dive starts from the lagoon, across old coral on the sand until the wall is encountered. Usually the dive starts on the corner which is turned and the reef is on the right, return is reciprocal. It is advisable not to venture too far along the wall as current can be encountered going out.
The coral heads off the wall are fantastic at night with a dense mass of deep red teddy bear corals. Look closely for the white ghost crabs. Shrimps eyes can be seen everywhere, and many small crabs. Many blennies, sleeping parrotfish, hermit and anemone crabs abound. Numerous scorpionfish are about, as are lionfish in places. The sand areas around hold stonefish – yes they are there – it’s excellent camoflauge country for them. On return, going back to the corals at 6-8m, these present a wonderous sight with polyps full out feeding. Yellow anthazoa are out feedng their tentacles very delicate. The profusion, richness and colours of the teddy corals is stunning, with lilac, oranges, reds, and pinks.
Dive Site: Sha’ab Sabina
Location: Hurghada
Description: Lagoon reef
Depth: 14 metres (46 feet)
Visibility: 20 metres (65 feet)
Sha’ab Sabina is a beautiful dive, and is especially good for the novice diver and photographer as the site and surrounding area is fairly shallow giving good light. It consists of several coral lagoons with swim-overs, smaller reef walls/pinnacles and some sandy bottom areas. Diverse marine life inc. moray eels, yellow mouth eels, lionfish, stonefish and so on. Dolphins are known to visit in the afternoon.
Dive Site: The Islands / Seven Pinnacles
Location: Dahab, 28°28.632N; 34°30.692E
Description: Coral garden / shore dive
Depth: 9 – 20 metres (30 – 66 feet)
Visibility: 30 – 40 metres (100 – 130 feet)
A very Dahab dive, in that the whole pace was slow and relaxing. This was pretty much diving a good snorkelling spot. Entry was from the beach near the Hilton the pinnacles section of the dive was spent at about 8m. No large life as would be expected but very warm, light and vibrant colours due to the minimal depth! A meandering swim around all the pinnacles teeming with glassfish, goldfish, angelfish, lionfish etc.
The Islands had very interesting rock formations, with natural rifts. There are some huge brain corals here, and fish included pufferfish and napoleon wrasse.
Entry to this dive site is just to the north of the Hilton Beach and is made by walking across the reef top lagoon and then either dropping in over the top of the reef, or entering through one of the holes in the reef and swimming through. There are some lovely coral formations in and amongst the pinnacles. Look for blue spotted rays hiding under the coral whilst you are weaving through the pinnacles. It is also common to see shoals of blackfin barracuda and even the odd lone great barracuda. This is a very scenic site and ideal for a long second or third dive of the day. Diving this site can be confusing as there are so many different routes to take, however due to the relatively shallow depths if you become disoriented it is best simply to surface and locate the main exit point, then drop back down to safety stop level and continue the dive back to shore.
The coral is fantastic and you can dive through the formations which are fat pillars of hard corals. At the other side of the Islands was a huge shoal of barracuda in a tunnel shape, glistening in the sun, with a couple of trevallies swimming round them. Lots of lionfish, anemonefish, Christmas tree worms, parrotfish, surgeonfish and boxfish.
About 9 years ago an earthquake made the first coral fall down from the islands and created an area called the ‘Maze’. The Islands offer a wide range of hard and soft coral, combined with outstanding topography. You can explore a maze of coral boulders, alleyways, amphitheatres, valleys and gullies all in less than 18 metres. After the entry follow a wide sandy valley before entering the intricate reef system. You can see plenty of big groupers, glittering anthias, jewel-like schools of glassfish, napoleons, lionfish and a dense shoal of barracudas usually roams the northern section of the reef. The Islands is an all time favourite dive site for everyone who dives there.
Scubster 