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Where it's at
The Red Sea is located along the east coast of Egypt, and
among dedicated divers the sea is held up with Great Barrier
Reef as one of the world's best dive locations. Though the
countries of Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Djibouti
and Eritrea also border the almost 2000 kilometers of turquoise
waters, some of the best and most accessible diving locations
are found in the north, in Egypt.
Sealife
The Red Sea is one of the world's most diverse tropical reef
ecosystems and the richness here contrasts sharply with the
stark dry desert: a kaleidoscope of fish, soft corals, hard
corals turtles and shark species are nurtured in the calm
waters of a sea that is almost entirely cut off from the world's
oceans. With so little exchange of fresh seawater and the
high desert temperatures (which fuels evaporation) the Red
Sea waters are far saltier than other tropical seas around
the world, making coral grow faster providing fish with more
protection.
Where to go diving
Diving the Red Sea has taken off in popularity in the last
15 years, particularly with the construction of resort hotels
all along the coast. Protection has been late in coming, but
slowly the country's government has realized the importance
of protecting this unique ecosystem.
Off the southern tip of the rocky Sinai peninsula is
the national park of Ras Mohammad and the Straits
of Tiran. Both sites can be reached from the largest diving
centres of Sharm al Sheik and Dahab, which,
depending on your personality, can be heaven or hell.
Sharm al Sheik has developed into a string of five star hotels,
discos and fast food restaurants, but is closer to Ras Mohammad.
Dahab has more in common with a backpackers hangout with cheap
guesthouses and relaxed bars and is further from Ras Mohammad,
but many dive trips here are combined with desert treks.
Diving options and costs
Both dive centers offer day trips that are shore excursions
instead of dive boat operations common in places like Cairns,
Australia. These are better for inexperienced or beginner
divers and explore shallower reefs and gulleys that have almost
no currents. These day trips are cheaper, often as little
as $50 for two dives.
Multi-day live-aboards are also available, these luxury boats
cruise the little visited sites of the Red Sea like the Straits
of Tiran. Because of currents these sites are for experienced
divers, and can cost anywhere from $500 to $1000 plus for
a seven day trip. Though they seem expensive, the unlimited
diving offered by these live-aboards and the untouched diving
sites visited make it worth it.
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