The shore of the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

A cove like place on the shore in the Ras Muhammed water park near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

A small covered structure on the shore of the water near the Ras Muhammed marine park near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh. This seems like a very sharp place, with the structure near the water surface, and everything seems very sharp. However, this is also very close to the place where tourists come there through the overland route from Sharm el Sheikh. Tourists come here on vehicles, and enter the water through a much smoother section of the shore, where they can do snorkeling and visit the coral reefs that are to be found in the Ras Muhammed marine park. However, when somebody does get in the water, they need to be careful that they do not come close to these sharp surfaces.

Buildings on the shore in the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Some buildings on the shore in the Ras Muhammed marine park near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh, near the Red Sea in Egypt. This is near the Sinai Peninsula, near the southern tip. A large number of tourists come for snorkeling, coming on small ships that take the small distance between the Sharm el Sheikh harbour and the Ras Muhammed marine park. However, other tourists come here through the road route, and these buildings seem to be built for the purpose of catering to these tourists who come through the road route. These tourists come to the shore of the water from here, and then slip into the water and visit the coral reefs.

The rough terrain on the shore in the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh

All these photos were taken while we were on the ship, approaching the coral reefs in the Ras Muhammed marine park. The marine park is a protected area, where there are no commercial activities allowed, although tourists are allowed in this area (but there are rules for tourists as well, the prime one being not to pick up coral or disturb the animals over here). The state of this section of the coast shows how the land over here would have been desolate, and except for some facilities meant for tourists, there is nothing else that is allowed to be constructed for them.

Some buildings on the shore in the Ras Muhammed marine park, near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Like a photo above, this photo is of some building like structures on the shore of the Ras Muhammed marine park, some distance away from Sharm el Sheikh. The Ras Muhammed marine park is a prime tourist attraction, that draws people here for the snorkeling and scuba diving that is done here. These buildings are colored in such a way that they seem to blend into the desolate desert kind of location.

Ships lined up next to each other at rest in the Ras Muhammed marine park in the Red Sea in Egypt

These are 3 ships all lined up next to each other in the Ras Muhammed marine park. The Ras Muhammed marine park is a protected place, because of the delicate coral reefs found in the region, and the marine life that is found clustering around these coral formations. Ships are allowed to come close to the coral reefs so that tourists can reach these reefs quickly from the ship. We wore all our snorkeling equipment and went off the edge of the ship and reached the coral reefs for the purpose of snorkeling.

Oxygen cylinders and other equipment used for scuba diving near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Scuba diving equipment - oxygen cylinders and regulators

Sharm el Sheikh, located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsular is famous for the adventures you can have in the water. The Ras Muhammed protected marine park is nearby, and there are a large number of coral formations, along with sunken ships. These together provide a lot of attraction for tourists, to indulge in the sports of snorkeling and scuba diving. For scuba diving, there is the need of more equipment, such as oxygen cylinders, masks and regulators. These are typically stored in the rear portion of the ship carrying them, and this is a photo of such equipment loaded on the ship right next to ours.

Oxygen cylinders stored in the back portion of a ship in the Red Sea

Another view of the oxygen cylinders stored in the rear portion of the ship. These are some of the most important of the scuba diving gear, since you are going to be at a depth of 20-40 meters and you should know how long the oxygen needs to last for your trip, so that you do not run out of oxygen (for most tourist dives, that would never be a problem since these dives would never be long enough to cause these kind of worries). The photo was taken at full zoom, and is a bit fuzzy since it was taking a photo of something in the ship that was moving next to us.

Wet suit, used for scuba diving, and even for the snorkeling guide

These are some of the wet suits, used by the scuba divers. In our case, we were doing snorkeling, so none of us was wearing wet suits, except for the guide. The guide was wearing wet suits, since he was going down deeper into the water while we were all staying at the surface of the water. So, we did see some of the wet suits in operation.

A more detailed close up of the oxygen cylinders that are used for scuba diving. These cylinders are normally stored on the rear part of the ship during the travel to the scuba diving locations, and deployed when the people reach there. They are one of the most critical part of the equipment used for scuba diving.

Ships inside the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Rear view of a small ship taking tourists from Sharm el Sheikh to the Ras Muhammed marine park in Egypt

This is a classic example of a ship taking tourists from the pier of Sharm el Sheikh to the Ras Muhammed marine park located at a distance of around 12 km away. The Ras Muhammed marine park is a prime tourist attraction because of the number of coral reefs in the region, and because of the snorkeling and scuba diving that happens in the region. Since we were both moving, the photo did not come out as focused as I thought it would. I liked the image of the tourists casually sitting at the back of the ship, relaxing so close to the water. This photo was shot soon after we had left Sharm el Sheikh, and the ship was in front of us, but somehow the angle of movement was such that it actually seemed that Sharm el Sheikh was in front of us.

Multiple ships right next to each other with the shore in the background near Sharm el Sheikh

This seemed very interesting. We were at the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh, where a number of ships come to a rest while the visitors get down from the ship into the water and swim over to the coral reefs (what actually happens is that when you get down into the water, a guide comes along with you and then makes sure that everybody is fine - for example, there was an initial minute of panic which finally settled down). In this case, I was not sure why these ships were so close to each other, with 3 ships of different sizes. I asked the guide with us, and he had no answer why these ships were right next to each other like this, unless they were all part of the same tourist agency.

Smooth beach and sharp rock at the Ras Muhammed marine park in the Red Sea

This seems such an image of contrast. This is one of the main tourist locations in the whole region of Sharm el Sheikh, with the coral reefs spread over different parts of the region, and to enjoy which people come here for snorkeling or scuba diving. The coral reefs are pretty close to the shore, although the terrain of the shore can be pretty diverse - towards the right is a region where the shore gracefully meets the waterline, and towards the left is a region of more violence, where a small cliff with jagged edges would cause much more furious movement of the water. The dark region of the water seems to indicate something very close to the water, which is many cases are coral formations.

Ships circling an outcrop of land in the Ras Mohammed marine park in the Red Sea

If you look at the photo closely, you can see a sharp outcrop of the land that seems to punch into the water like a finger, forcing the ships to take a detour. This is the scene inside the Ras Mohammed marine park, where we are making our way from one set of coral reefs, having spent some time snorkeling here and then decided to make our way to the next snorkeling spot. With this case of land formation, the water depth will not be much, and if you look at some of the maps of the region, there is a certain amount of continental slope only after which the water starts to get deeper.

Ships and tourists near the coral reefs in the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh

Multiple small ships carrying tourists in the waters of the Red Sea - moving from Sharm el Sheikh to Ras Muhammed marine park

Sharm el Sheikh is one of the prime tourist locations in Egypt which is not dependent on the tale of the pharaohs (as compared to some of the other tourist locations such as Giza, Abu Simbel, Luxor or the other which all showcase temples and other structures built by the ancient pharaohs). This place is popular with tourists because of the natural beauty of the place, with the cool and calm waters of the Red Sea, long beaches, and coral reefs within a short distance. These small boats are meant for carrying tourists from Sharm el Sheikh to the waters of the Ras Muhammed park and other places in the Red Sea where tourists go.

Family on a small tourist ship on the way to the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh

The weather in Sharm el Sheikh is very temperate, in winter, when a large number of countries in northern Europe and North America being exposed to very cold weather. At such a time, if you have the inclination to travel, and have the budget, who would not want to go to a place where you can relax in great weather, enjoy large stretches of water, and also get a chance to do snorkeling or scuba diving in some beautiful coral reefs. In this photo, you can see a family enjoying the sun on a ship in the waters of the Red Sea, in the time it takes to get from the pier of Sharm el Sheikh to the Ras Muhammed marine park. In the distance, you can see another ship and also the shore with a cliff.

Tourist ships in the Red Sea, very close to the shore near Sharm el Sheikh

The coral reefs which draw a large number of tourists, starting out from Sharm el Sheikh to the waters of the Ras Muhammed marine park, are fairly close to the shore for the purpose of snorkeling. If you want to do scuba diving, many of the diving locations are also not very far from shore, so the ships look to be very close to the shore when they get to their destination. When we were at our destination, we could see a number of ships not very far away, all of them letting tourists down from their rear position from where they can swim to the multiple coral formations that are close together. In this photo, you can see that the shore also contains a number of cliffs and other such locations.

The turbulence in the water when the ship is coming to a stop in the Red Sea

This seems like a lot of turbulence in the water, but is actually a normal process. The ship, which was moving steadily in one direction, finally came close to the intended destination, and had to come to a stop. For stopping, the ship moves its propeller (or screws) in the opposite direction, which causes the turbulence in the water that you can see, and ensures that it comes to a quick stop. This is preferred than coasting to a stop, since this gives much more control and precision.

The shoreline in the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh

The shoreline near the Ras Muhammed marine park is very sandy and with rough terrain. In this photo, you can get an idea of the same. The terrain here is very rough, although it is near these areas that tourists who have come over the land route for the purpose of snorkeling in the coral reefs also slip into the water and go to the coral reefs.