Why Ras Mohammed is worth the trip
Two reasons: convergence and protection.
Ras Mohammed sits at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, where the Red Sea's Gulf of Suez meets the Gulf of Aqaba. Two gulfs meeting at a single point means constant water movement, which means nutrients, plankton and fish. The biomass is particularly rich at Shark Reef and Yolanda.
What separates it from most Red Sea diving is scale. The walls don't taper off at 30 metres and flatten out. They drop. Sharply. The west side of Shark Reef goes to over 80 metres.
…the soft coral coverage from the surface to 40 metres is some of the densest I've seen anywhere in the world. Oranges, purples, reds, packed so tightly the rock underneath is barely visible.
Manie Eksteen, PADI Staff Instructor
It is also a protected national park: no anchoring, no fish feeding, no taking anything. The regulations are enforced, and they've worked. Reef health is noticeably better than at most unprotected Red Sea sites.
The park covers 480 square kilometres including the marine environment. Most divers only reach two or three sites by boat from Sharm, but the park extends much further and the diving stays strong throughout.
Visibility is consistently good, typically 15 to 25 metres and sometimes more in winter. Current ranges from mild to strong depending on the site and the tidal cycle. Shark Reef can push hard on the incoming tide, which is when the big pelagics show up.
I've dived Ras Mohammed national park a few times, always departing from Sharm El Sheikh, and it has never failed to deliver.
Manie Eksteen, PADI Staff Instructor
More on diving from Sharm in the Sharm El Sheikh guide.
The dive sites
Shark Reef needs comfort in current; Anemone City suits every level.
| Site | Depth | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Shark Reef | 5–40 m+, most divers work 15–30 m | Intermediate and above; comfortable in current required |
| Yolanda Reef | 5–30 m+, wreck debris deeper | All levels comfortable in current; wreck sections need buoyancy control |
| Anemone City | 6–15 m | All levels |
Shark Reef
This is the headline act, and it earns the name. Shark Reef is a submerged pinnacle on the southern tip of Ras Mohammed, best dived as a drift along the western wall. You drop in at the north end, let the current carry you south and watch the wall unfold. Wall dives here drop past 80 metres, far deeper than most divers go; most divers work 15–30 metres. Open Water certification stops at 18 metres (60 ft) and Advanced Open Water at 30 metres (100 ft), so stay within the depth limit of your certification and experience.
Soft corals drape every ledge and overhang in colour. But what you're really watching is the blue water. Grey reef sharks cruise the drop-off regularly. Hammerheads appear, usually in the morning, and usually deeper than 30 metres. That is beyond the limit of Advanced Open Water, so don't chase them below your own limit. Oceanic whitetips are occasional visitors in the right season.
The dive typically ends with a drift across the saddle between Shark Reef and Jolanda (Yolanda) Reef, where you can slow down and work the shallows before surfacing. Go early in the morning for the sharks, and on the incoming tide for current and pelagics.
Yolanda Reef
Yolanda Reef sits next to Shark Reef and takes its name from the MV Yolanda, a Cypriot cargo ship that went down here in 1980. The wreck originally sat upright in the shallows, but over successive storms it has slid down the reef slope. The main cargo now rests at around 25–30 metres, with debris deeper.
The cargo is the thing: the Yolanda was carrying bathroom fittings. Toilets, bathtubs and pipes are scattered across the reef, half-encrusted in coral. It is surreal: a full bathroom suite at 25 metres, with fish darting in and out of porcelain fixtures.
The reef is excellent independent of the wreck: large table corals, solid hard coral coverage and consistent fish life. It is often dived as part of the Shark Reef drift, ending in the Yolanda shallows before a safety stop.
Anemone City
Less visited than the headline sites, Anemone City is exactly what it sounds like: a shallow reef plateau blanketed in anemones and their resident clownfish. If you've hammered the walls and want a relaxed second dive, or you're diving with a mixed-experience group, this is the site.
The fish life is rich and unhurried. Without the current drama of Shark Reef, you spend more time watching behaviour: clownfish defending nests, moray eels hunting at dusk on late afternoon dives, the constant traffic of anthias in the anemone fields.
When to dive Ras Mohammed
Ras Mohammed is diveable year-round, but the experience is very different by season. October to February is the window to target if you're coming specifically for sharks.
| Months | Go for | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| October to February | Sharks and big pelagics; hammerheads most reliably at Shark Reef in November and December | Water from about 27–28 °C in October to 22–23 °C in February, stronger currents, visibility often 20 to 25 m |
| March to May | Active, spawning reef fish; a very good all-round window | Warming water, excellent visibility, moderate current |
| June to September | Enjoyable diving, but the big pelagics thin out | Air above 35 °C, water up to 28–29 °C, busier sites in Sharm's high tourist season |
Water temperature ranges from 22 °C in winter to 29 °C in summer. A 3 mm wetsuit handles summer comfortably; 5 mm is more appropriate from December through April. For every month in detail, see the Red Sea month-by-month guide.
Getting to Ras Mohammed
Ras Mohammed is a 45-minute to 1-hour boat ride from Sharm El Sheikh's main marina, Na'ama Bay. Most dive operators in Sharm run day trips there regularly. It's the default second or third destination after the Thistlegorm for anyone doing a multi-day dive stay.
Day trip. A full day, typically two dives, with Shark Reef and Yolanda as standard. Some operators include a third dive at a nearby site, depending on conditions and the group. Prices vary by operator and by what gear you rent, so ask for the full price with gear included before you book.
Liveaboard. Ras Mohammed is almost always on the north Red Sea itinerary, typically on the second or third night after a night at the Thistlegorm, or as the first stop for check-out dives. This is the way to see it properly: at dawn, before the day boats arrive, with the current at its best. Not sure which itinerary to book? See the north vs south itinerary comparison.
The park charges an entry fee payable at the gate. Most dive operators include it in the trip price, but confirm before booking that yours does. Weighing a stay in Sharm against a boat? Read Red Sea shore vs liveaboard.
What to expect underwater
The current can surprise you. Even experienced divers get caught out at Shark Reef when the tidal flow accelerates mid-dive. Brief your guide on your current experience level. If they're not asking, ask them yourself.
Buoyancy discipline matters here. The soft coral is irreplaceable and very easy to damage. Stay off the walls. Reef health at Ras Mohammed is better than at most Red Sea sites precisely because divers and operators here tend to respect it. See Mastering Scuba Diving Buoyancy.
Boats get crowded. By mid-morning on a busy day, the mooring buoys at Shark Reef can have 8 to 10 boats attached. If you're doing a day trip, get there early. Liveaboards that depart Sharm at 6pm the previous evening and dive at dawn get Ras Mohammed almost to themselves, another reason a liveaboard itinerary is worth considering.
Mantas are possible but not guaranteed. Manta sightings at Ras Mohammed happen, but this isn't a reliable manta site in the way that the Maldives or Raja Ampat is. If you see one here, consider it a bonus. For mantas, see our top 5 destinations for manta ray encounters.
Ready to look at boats?
Questions
Do you need a dive permit to dive Ras Mohammed National Park?
Yes. Ras Mohammed is a protected national park and an entry fee applies. Most dive operators include it in their trip price, but confirm when booking that yours does.
Are there sharks at Ras Mohammed?
Yes, and consistently. Grey reef sharks are resident at Shark Reef year-round. Hammerheads are seasonal visitors, most reliably seen from October to January, usually deeper than 30 metres on the incoming tide in the early morning. That is beyond the 30 metre (100 ft) limit of Advanced Open Water, so stay within your own limit. Oceanic whitetips appear occasionally.
Can beginners dive Ras Mohammed?
Anemone City is suitable for newly certified divers. It's shallow, calm and protected, and often the site for check-out dives before departures further into the gulf.
Shark Reef and Yolanda involve current and require comfortable buoyancy. The walls here drop far below the 18 metre (60 ft) limit of Open Water certification and the 30 metre (100 ft) limit of Advanced Open Water, so stay within the depth limit of your own certification and experience.
My honest advice: complete your Open Water, consider a Drift dive speciality or make sure your buoyancy can be maintained.
Manie Eksteen, PADI Staff Instructor
Our buoyancy lesson is the place to start on that.
Is Ras Mohammed better as a day trip or on a liveaboard?
Liveaboard wins if the budget allows. Diving Shark Reef at first light, before the day boats arrive, on an incoming tide, is when you see the sharks and the pelagics.
Day trips arrive mid-morning when the current has eased and the boats are stacking up. Both options are worthwhile; one is clearly better.
What's the best time of year to dive Ras Mohammed?
October to February for sharks and pelagics: cooler water, stronger currents, better visibility for big animals. March to May for excellent all-round diving and warming water. Summer is the least rewarding window for Ras Mohammed specifically, though diving is still good.