Ships in the Ras Mohammed protected marine park near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Tourist ship in Sharm el Sheikh, full of tourists enjoying the trip

The waters around the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh (located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt) are full of these ships, especially in the winter months. The waters around Sharm el Sheikh see a large number of tourists, because of the temperate weather of the area (especially when many areas of the world are freezing in brutal winter temperatures) and also to see the coral formations in the area which are famous for offering tourists the option of doing either snorkeling or scuba diving. This ship seems so full of tourists, and if you look towards the back of the ship, you can see the oxygen cylinders piled there, needed for scuba diving along with other equipment.

View of a ship carrying tourists a short distance away from Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

This is an example of the standard small ship, used for carrying tourists from Sharm el Sheikh harbour. Typically, these ships carry tourists to and from the harbour and the Ras Muhamed protected marine park, where they get to see a number of coral formations. These coral formations almost come to the surface of the water and are near the shoreline (atleast for those who prefer snorkeling, such as we did). For those who prefer scuba diving, places are shown with more depth, including coral reefs as well as sunken ships, which are abundant with marine life.

Ship close to the shoreline so that passengers can get access to coral reefs

This photo shows the ultimate destination of those who use the ships from Sharm el Sheikh to go for snorkeling in coral formations. Here, this ship is inside the region of the Ras Mohammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh, where there are a number of coral reefs. Many of these are are located fairly close to the shore, and in this photo, you can see a small objects in the water, very close to the shore. These are actually tourists, who are busy snorkeling and who are mostly face down in the water, admiring the coral formations. The ships can come to a safe distance close to the coral formation, so that tourists can get to the reef easily.

Tourist ship at anchor close to a coral reef so that people can get to the coral

In this photo, you can see a small ship inside the Ram Mohammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh. The park is a protected area with prohibitions on commercial activities which also includes no fishing. Tourism is the key activity in the region, famous for the number of coral formations where which allow people to do snorkeling for those coral near the surface, and scuba diving for those at greater depths. If you look closely at the photo, you can see a person at the rear of the ship, with the flippers showing. There are some structures on the shore and a vehicle (with the structures meant for those visitors who come there over the land route, not over the water).