The Red Sea

For my last week in Egypt, I decided to take a trip to the Red Sea Coast for a few days. It is one of my favorite places in the world and I wanted to share it with you! 

This picture was taken from Shark's Bay in Sharm el Sheik.  The lighter color water shows where the coral reef is and then it drops off into the sea where it is darker blue.

Snorkeling is one of my favorite activities when I go to a warm destination and the Red Sea Coast is perfect for that and especially for diving. 

This picture shows a few people snorkeling in the sea and a group of people on the dock about to enter, learning how to dive.  

Any hotels that have a coral reef out front also have a dock to protect the reef from any damage from humans. 

The city of Sharm el Sheik is located at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula and you can see it on the map below. What is interesting is that most of Egypt is in the continent of Africa, but the Sinai Peninsula is actually in Asia. 

There are many great places that you can go to enjoy the Red Sea besides Sharm el Sheik. Some of the other popular cities to visit along the Red Sea in Egypt are: El Gouna, Hurghada, Dahab, Nuweba, and Taba.

The abundance and variety of sea life is spectacular with over 1,200 different species of fish, 300 species of coral and over 10% of which are not found anywhere else in the world.

When you go underwater, you step into another world.  Here is a sample of some of the sea life you may encounter in the Red Sea:

  Picasso Trigger Fish

Trigger fish have their name because of the shark-fin shaped trigger they are able to raise in defense. They use this to jam themselves into a crevice in the coral. The trigger is actually the first spine of its dorsal (top) fin. 

Giant Moray Eel
I will never forget snorkeling and having a huge eel swim right underneath me.  I just froze until it swam all the way by. I was scared, but they will not harm you unless they feel provoked or threatened. 

Lion fish
These are truly majestic and beautiful to see when you are underwater. You can even see them on the banks because many swim close to shore.  They are poisonous, so if you see one underwater, make sure not to touch them.

Masked Butterfly Fish

You generally see them in pairs or large groups.

Butterfly fish are small, and colorful with a continuous dorsal fin. Most species are active during the day, resting among corals or rocks at night. Many species are heterosexual pairs that may remain together for years, if not life.

Blue Spotted Stingray
When you discover one of these, it looks like the blue spots are glowing.

Surgeonfish

  This picture was taken right from the shore.  You can see some beautiful fish without having to snorkel or dive.
Surgeonfish are found in small groups with a dominant male fiercely protecting his females over outer reef flats. They feed on plankton and algae.  


Napoleon Fish/Humphead Wrasse
These are large, gentle creatures.  I chose this picture next to a diver to show you how big they can get. 

An adult humphead wrasse are identified by thick lips and a prominent hump on their forehead, while juveniles are a light green color, with two black lines extending from behind the eye. The species changes in body form, color and can even change sex during its lifetime. Adults are found on the reef during the day. At night they rest in reef caves and under coral ledges. 
Humphead wrasse feed primarily on mollusks, fish, sea urchins, crustaceans, echinoderms, and other invertebrates, using their strong teeth. The species may be one of the few predators of the toxic crown of thorns starfish, boxfish and sea hares.



Masked Puffer Fish/Panda Puffer
They feed on algae, corals, sponges, sea squirts, crustaceans and mollusks.
 When they are threatened they will puff up like a football to deter predators.The bodies of Pufferfish are covered in a toxic mucas. So, if you see one, make sure you don't touch it! 



Masked Banner Fish
The Red Sea Bannerfish has an elongated white dorsal filament with a base color of white with two wide black stripes.  The soft dorsal and causdal fins are yellow, and there are black marks above their eyes.  You may have seen on in an aquarium or even in the movie Finding Nemo!

Parrot Fish

You can see why they have their name with their beautiful colors and a beak.  When you are snorkeling you can hear them feeding off off dead corals to get the algae; it's a light crunching sound. 

They are not territorial and live in harmony with other species.  At night they create a sleeping bag made out of slimy bubbles to protect them against predators.

In the Red Sea, you will also find a variety of Sea Turtles, dolphins and sharks. Here are just a few:

Hawksbill Turtle

Spinner Dolphins

Whale Shark

Fun facts about the Red Sea:
1. It is one of the warmest seas in the world.  The average surface water temperature in the summer is 79 degrees in the North and 86 degrees in the South. There is only about 3.6 degrees variation during the winter.

2. There are over 17 different shipwrecks in the Red Sea. Divers come from all over the world to explore them.

3. The Red Sea stretches towards the north to the city of Suez starting from the straits of Babl-Mendeb. It extends up to a distance of 1450 miles with a width of 205 miles. Average depth of the Red Sea ranges from 2500-3500 feet with its deepest point located north of Straits of Tiran. 

4. It is located between Africa and Asia; the Red Sea covers nine different Countries.

5. Scientists believe that about 30 million years ago, the Red Sea was created as a result of the movement of the plates of the earth’s surface. During that time, the Arab Peninsula was torn off from Africa, forming a thin break line that was filled by the water from the ocean.  

6. There are 25 islands in Red Sea; they have excellent snorkeling and dive sites all around them.

7. Due to the pressure built along the shoreline (beach resorts, housing, etc...) and industries, the coastal region of the Red Sea has become environmentally fragile and regulations have been put in place to protect the coral reefs and sea life.

This is my final post from Egypt.  I hope that I have inspired more of you to visit, not just for the history, but for the beauty throughout this great country too!

Masalama, Mrs. Otto