Strait of Tiran & North

Itinerary Highlights:

Strait of Tiran
Only accessible by boat, this dive area is found in the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba and is made up of four main reefs that form the top of an underwater bridge. These reefs, named after British cartographers (Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas, Gordon), are world-famous for their extraordinary diversity of corals and strong south westerly currents make them home to many large pelagic fish.

Jackson Reef is the most northerly reef and on its northern edge lays the wreck of a freighter serving as a stark warning to ships in the narrow straights. Dives are usually conducted from the moorings on the south side which is sheltered from the main swell and currents. Moving northwards you will come across a forest of spectacular gorgonian fan coral at about 20 to 30 metres as well as many different kinds of reef fish. This site can also be done as a drift dive heading from the mooring towards the East with the reef on the left where it is mostly wall diving with excellent corals. Diving the back of Jackson in late summer can give you the chance to see the resident hammerhead sharks.

Woodhouse Reef is the longest reef of the four in the Strait of Tiran. Home to reef sharks and eagle rays, it is dived as a drift dive usually from south to north. Jumping at the southern part of the reef is a wall to about 30m covered with coral from the surface all the way down. There is a canyon going along the reef at about 25m which spreads out into a coral garden with sand alleys.

Thomas Reef is the smallest reef in the strait and diving here is governed by conditions as there are potential strong currents. The ends are vertical walls with a large plateau at about 25m on the south eastern side. This plateau is covered in colourful coral has a fence of gorgonian fans where you can find longnose hawkfish.

Gordon Reef is the most southerly reef of the four and has a different topography from the others offering both a shallow plateau area and drop offs. There is a huge variety of reef fish and the chance to see sleeping whitetip reef sharks on sand patches. At 4 to 5 metres there is an eel garden area along with coral encrusted drums. The top of the reef, with its lighthouse, is also home to the wreck Louilla which sits almost parallel to the wreck on Jackson Reef.

SS. Thistlegorm
Probably the most famous of the Red Sea wrecks. The 126.5m English Freighter was bombed by German aviation on 6th October 1941. Today she creates an artificial reef on a sandy bottom at 32m max depth. She is home to an enormous variety of marine life and is especially popular with large schooling fish.

Please note: Due to CDWS regulations, you must have a minimum of 20 logged dives in order to dive on this wreck. Other dives on the itinerary are not affected. Additionally, HEPCA, in cooperation with the Egyptian Navy, will be installing mooring blocks around the wreck to prevent the potential damage caused by mooring lines incorrectly tied on to her. The 15 day installation of these mooring blocks will be taking place during January 2016 with exact dates TBC, during which time access to the SS. Thistlegorm will be restricted.

Ras Mohamed - Shark & Yolanda Reefs
This is a world renowned dive site, situated at the tip of the Sinai. Two small ergs are joined by a vertical wall dropping into the abyss. At Shark Reef the current allows you to drift along the wall, rich with colourful corals. Moving towards Yolanda Reef you reach a plateau scattered with small ergs and coral outcrops. Continuing around the reef you will come upon the scattered remains of the wreck 'Yolanda' complete with its cargo of toilets and baths. The whole of this area is big fish territory so keep an eye on the blue!

Gubal Island
At the gate of the Straits of Gubal is 'Bluff Point', which gets its name from the turbulence created by strong currents that beat the eastern wall of the island. The wreck of the 'Ulysses' lies on the reef 300m north of the lighthouse, starting at 5m and sloping to 25m. 'The Barge' wreck, south of the lighthouse, provides divers with a fun and unusual night dive. The wrecks skeleton creates protection for all types of night creatures.

QUALIFICATION NEEDED: You must be a PADI Open Water diver or equivalent to join this safari. Please note that although the qualification needed for this itinerary is Open Water; Tiran is not for beginners and there can often be strong currents.

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