EGYPT - Red Sea

The History 

The Red Sea, a long narrow deep valley of water seperating two continents, Asia & Africa, holds beneath it's crystal bleu surface an oasis of living creatures, reefs and coral formations. It's use as a highway between East and West has attrcted man since the begining of time
In the 16th Century B.C., a female Pharaoh named Hatshepsut built her Temple at Dir El Bahari, on the west bank of Luxor City. The Temple's particular interest are the reliefs which tell the story of Hatshepsut's divine birth, and her trade expeditions to the exotic land of Punt (Somalia). Recorded journeys beside the Red Sea disclose clearly differnt drawings of fabulous fish carved on the walls, resembling today Red Sea fish: Napoleon, Needle, Doctor, Parrot fish, Eagle Ray, Sharks and even Dolphins.
The Gawasis bay, 20 km south of Safaga, which is an interesting diving spot, was one of the main Pharaonic harbours. The geological history of the Red Sea is by no means less interesting.
The first origination of the Red Sea was in the Eocene period, 42 million years ago, as a gulf of the Mediterranean Sea which extended far south of Safaga. As a result of constant movement in the Earths crust during subsequent geological periods, the gulf became separated from the parent sea, the Mediterranean. Because of this, the Red Sea increased in both, depth and extent, this forming a separate basin.

Hurghada Area

Hurgada has featured on international diving itineraries since the 1950s, and is today more popular than ever thanks to the accelerated pace of recent development.
Flights from Europe, as well as Cairo and Luxor, land here on a daily basis.
Hurghada is widely considered the capital of the Red Sea, and boasts all the facilities of a modern city without losing its timeless desert ambience.
Commercial diving is well established in Hurghada. Some operators use this as a point of departure for sites lying further afield such as Abu Nuhas, Bluff Point, and the wreck of the Thistlegorm. But it is the local sites which really guarantee Hurghada's especial popularity.

Sharm El Sheikh

The morphology of Sharm El Sheikh's coastline is unique. At Ras Nasrani, opposite Gordon Reef the level beaches typical of this part of the Sinai are suddenly transformed into a belt of sheer, flat-topped cliffs extending vertically out of the sea. At various points along these cliffs, particularly at Ras Mohammed, traces of fossilized coral can still be found a tell tale indication of their genealogy. The entire reef at this point was forced above the waves during a period of marked geological shift. The line of cliffs starting at Ras Nasrani, continues virtually unbroken until the western side of Ras Mohammed, where flat terrain predominates once more from The Quay onwards.

Running parallel to these cliffs along their entire length is a flat narrow stretch of reef, commonly termed the reef table. The reef table extends downwards either as a sheer slope or as a fully fledged wall. The 80m (260 feet) wall at Ras Mohammed is a supreme example of this phenomenon.

This 65km (40 mile) stretch is justly considered one of the richest and most famous reefs in the world. For mile after mile, hard and soft coral species, reef and pelagic fish abound in a dazzling display. Not an inch of this region is without its attractions, but for reasons of access and convenience, diving is usually restricted to a limited number of points.

The straits of Tiran

The Straits of Tiran rank among the finest attractions of the Red Sea thanks to their crucial historical and geographical importance, their distinctive topography and, of course, their first-rate diving sites. The straits are formed by the island of Tiran to the east, and the Sinai coastline to the west.

Technical information