Boxes
"Do"s
-- Whether you go snorkelling solo or with a guide, the first thing you need to do is check your equipment every time you snorkel. Make sure your mask is well sealed onto your face so the water doesn't leak in.
-- Whether you're in Ne'ma Bay, Ras Mohamed or Tiran Island, memorise the name of your boat so that you don't make the mistake of joining a different group on your way back.
-- If you go snorkelling from a glass boat in Ne'ma Bay you probably won't be accompanied by a guide, so stay near your boat and keep an eye on it while you swim.
-- In Ras Mohamed and Tiran, snorkel next to your guide. If you get tired raise your hand, and your guide will be by your side in no time, but don't risk swimming back to your boat on your own.
"Don't"s
-- Don't be tempted to break the coral thinking its vibrant colours will decorate a corner of your house. Colours fade and corals turn white when they die.
-- Don't try to touch types of fish which you are not familiar with. Beauty is sometimes deceptive. Some fish turn out to be poisonous, such as the lion fish which injects poison through its needles. Also the stone fish Synanceiidae has strong poisonous spines that inject a powerful neurotoxin, the effect of which can be fatal. This fish's name reflects its nature: divers and swimmers mistake it for stone due to its skilful ability to conceal itself in mud. Keep in mind, therefore, that when a guide advises you not to walk on corals and rocks, he's right!
-- Don't go too close to the corals and keep a distance of two metres. The corals may be fiery. An instant sting will be felt and the water will sting as well due to the excessive acidic feeling. Fiery coral reefs are more colourful than others. Another reason to keep your distance is the moray eels Muraenidae. They are snake-like fish which hide in holes and caves. They have no poison gland but their bites often turn septic.
Quick tips
-- It's very difficult to touch fish: they won't let you. Out of experience, fish with longer antennae keep more of a distance from swimmers than others. The golden rule to getting close is to let fish approach you. Stay still in the water, relax all your muscles and let the calm waves drift around you. In a couple of minutes fish will get curious and come to you. When I had long hair, fish would swim through it.
-- When using underwater cameras, make sure you take photographs on clear sunny days. If it is windy, waves will be high and the water will become a bit sandy. This will make your photos blurred and dull.
Major snorkelling spots in Sinai
Ras Mohamed
The Key
Katy's Head
Marsa Bereika
Marsa Ghozlani
Tiran and Sanafir
Laguna
Jackson
Woodhouse
Thomas
Shark Bay
The White Knight
Ras Nasrani
Ne'ma Bay and Umm El- Sid Hill (Al-Hadaba)
The Far Garden
The Middle Garden
The Near Garden
Sodfa
Tower
Pinkie's Wall
Amphoras
Paradise
Fiasco
Temple
Turtle Bay
Dahab
The Caves
The Southern Oasis
The Lighthouse
The Eel Garden
The Blue Hole
Ras Abu Galoum
Nuweiba and Taba
Ras Shittan (The Devil's Head)
Ras Al-Burqa
Marsa Muqabila
The Sun Pool
The Pharaoh's Island
Facts and legends
-- Besides Ne'ma Bay and Ras Mohamed, Tiran and Sanafir islands are other snorkelling choices. The two islands are located side by side. Both are only accessible by sailing boats. The straits of Tiran close off the Gulf of Aqaba in the south and are bound by the Sinai Peninsula to the west and Saudi Arabia to the east. At the centre is Tiran Island, and a little to the east is the smaller island of Sanafir.
-- Because of strict military regulations, it's not possible to access the islands. However, you can still snorkel around. There are four reefs rising in a line from the floor of the Straits of Tiran Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson. The southwestern point of Jackson is a Red Sea highlight offering amazing soft corals, fish and the chance to see large pelagics. Strong currents provide exhilarating drift driving on Thomas and Woodhouse while Gordon has a shallow bed covered in hard corals.
-- To us, the name Tiran may bring to mind the picture of peaceful azure blue lagoons, offering great snorkelling and diving spots. However, a Bedouin legend tells of something very different. The legend has it that once there was a princess from the Arabian Peninsula by the name of Sanafir deeply in love with Tiran. Her father forbade their love and separated the young couple onto two separate islands in the Red Sea. The brave Tiran fought the waves to reach his beloved but was surrounded by sharks. The legend goes on: "If you listen carefully, you can still hear the wind carrying the voice of the princess calling out to her lover."
