Diving in Sharm el-Sheikh
EEL GARDEN
The Eel Garden is one of the most diverse dive sites in Ras Mohamed Nature Park.
Sand from the beach pours onto the reef through a small sun lit cave at a depth of 5-6 meters and forms a giant sandy slope or alluvial cone.
The flat sandy surface goes to a depth of 45 meters at 45 degrees inclination. You will have a funny feeling that something is wrong with the horizon :-). The sand is inhabited by colonies of garden eels - long, harmless creatures as thick as a pencil. When you look at the colony from afar, the eels half protrude from the sand and sway slightly from the waves and current. The picture resembles grass on the lawn. Hence their name – the garden eel. Once you approach the colony, eels will hide in the sand, leaving small holes in its surface. Lie on the sand without moving and the eels will begin to stick out their muzzles. The slightest movement and the sand is bare again. Next to adult eels, the younger generation also lives. These are small nimble fish that can instantly dive into the sand.
In addition to eels, you will see numerous boxfish, lionfish, puffer fish. And sometimes stingrays of different sizes: from a small blue spotted to a giant combtail. The place is also a home leopard sharks and large eagle rays.
After examining the sandy slope, we turn to the reef with our right shoulder and move along the most beautiful vertical wall at a depth of 18-20 meters. The wall is cut by deep cracks, caves and grottoes. A variety of reef and pelagic fish, turtles, colonies of glassfish in caves, sunlit gorgonians and a variety of soft corals await you. The current is often tailwind, which allows you to reach the nearby site of the Shark Observatory. That if you are a good diver with excellent air consumption.
This dive is suitable for Open Water Diver.
EEL GARDEN CANYON
If you move from the sandy slope towards the sea at a depth of 15-20 meters, then after 10 minutes of swimming, a colossal underwater mountain will open up in front of you. The top of the mountain is at a depth of 24 meters. The mountain is split in half by a deep winding canyon that goes down to 55-60 meters. Clear blue water, arches, vertical walls make this canyon one of the most beautiful places in Ras Mohmed. An underwater mountain always attracts large schools of pelagic fish. Grey reef sharks are frequent visitors to this hidden and wonderful place during the summer season.
After visiting the mountain and the canyon, you should move towards the main sandy slope, gradually reducing the depth to 8-10 meters. Ideally, you will make a safety stop and rise to the surface directly near the reef wall.
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When diving into the canyon, it is important to keep in mind the following:
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