Boats headed out to the open sea and with smaller boats tied to buoys in the water

Multiple ships, including small ones and a large cruise liner in the Red Sea off Sharm el Sheikh

The waters in the harbour of the Egyptian tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh can get very busy. The place attracts a large number of tourists since Sharm el Sheikh is blessed with a number of features that makes it very attractive for tourists such as the temperate weather in the region in winter when large sections of the northern hemisphere, especially regions of Europe and Russia are facing the harshness of their very cold winters. The long beaches make it very attractive to come here. And, to add a bonus to the whole package, and the reason for all these ships, the presence of a number of coral formations in the waters nearby - these coral reefs support a large number of marine creatures and encourage people to do snorkeling and scuba diving. We had also headed out in one of these smaller ships to head to these coral reeds where we had a lot of fun doing snorkeling.

A Life Guard boat tied to a buoy in the water of the Red Sea off Sharm el Sheikh

With the presence of such a large number of tourists in Sharm el Sheikh, and so many of them taking to the water, it was important for the Egyptian Government to ensure that these tourists are safe. After the scare of many years back where tourists were attacked by militants, including a bomb blast even in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt saw a reduction in tourism. Given the dependence on tourism to provide employment for a large number of people, it was important that tourists felt safe. This includes ensuring that tourists in the waters of Sharm el Sheikh see that there are facilities available if they get into trouble, and this boat is an example of that. Of course, I have no way of ensuring the response time if an emergency does happen.

A broken boat taken out of the water for repair in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

The water of Sharm el Sheikh sees a large number of tourists, but with commercial fishing banned from the region. Boats are typically used by the crew of the tourist operators and for other such purposes, although like any other sea, the presence of boats in the water can be corrosive. In this case, the boat seems to have either been corroded by the water, or broken through impact with some hard object. The boat has been taken out of the water and mounted so that it can be repaired.

Boats headed out to the open sea and with smaller boats tied to buoys in the water

This is a view from the ship that we were in. We had just set out from the pier, and were following a number of other boats who had already set out for the coral reefs in the distance. There were of course other ships that were going to set out after us, and was an example of the high popularity of the coral reefs in the region (both for the purpose of snorkeling and scuba diving). In the short distance, one can see some small boats tied up.