Dolphins in the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Shadow of a Bottle Nose dolphin below the waters of the Red Sea in Egypt

We were on our way to some of the coral reefs located at the Ras Mohammed protected marine park near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh. The protected park has a number of coral formations, and these are the ones that draws tourists over here. The coral formations attracts a variety of colorful marine animals, and these in turn bring in tourists for snorkeling and scuba diving. We were her for the snorkeling, and on the way, we came across around 3-4 dolphins in the water. The presence of dolphins in the water was an attraction for all the tourists who were nearby and we watched these intelligent mammals, sometimes on the surface and sometimes just under the surface of the water. This is a photo of one of the dolphins just under the surface of the water.

Dolphin emerging from the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea in Egypt

The dolphins spent around 10-15 minutes, watching these large white animals (that meant, all the tourists in the ships) circle around them, and hopefully they did not feel threatened. We got to see some antics (but not the type you get to see in a dolphin show in a water park), such as when they suddenly went below the water surface, or came out of the water with some force, such as in this photo, where you suddenly saw the dolphin emerging quickly out of the water.

From a distance, you would not know whether this was a shark or a dolphin

If you have seen an overdose of shark films and dread the prospect of that shark (with just the fin showing above the surface of the water) salivating at the prospect of wanting to bite you, you might even get scared of these dolphins. The fin on the dolphin looks pretty similar to the sharks of the movies, unless you are more informed or an expert.

Light shining around the body of this dolphin in the Red Sea, near Sharm el Sheikh

It is incredible to see these large intelligent animals in the water, especially when the impression that most people have of the dolphin is of a friendly creature (unlike the sharks which have a horrid reputation). The water looks great, and when you see these large animals gliding through the water, you can only admire.