Tourists near the water at the Red Sea close to Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Vehicles on the shore near the coral reefs off Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

A couple of vehicles on the shore, very near the water, near the tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh. The waters of the Red Sea have some beautiful coral reefs at this location. But it's not only the below water, but the above water. In addition to trips on the water surface through ship, where people can come there for snorkeling or scuba diving, there are options for people to drive around on the fabulous locations. The land surface almost looks like a desert, being barren in great parts. There are excursions from Sharm el Sheikh that allow tourists where they can take vehicles to go near the water and then slip into the water for snorkeling and for other purposes.

Tourists from Sharm el Sheikh on a tourist bus near the water surface

If you are staying in Sharm el Sheikh, there are a number of excursions that are possible from there. You can get into a cruise ship that goes from Sharm el Sheikh to the Ras Muhammed marine park which is a short distance away, and then enjoy either snorkeling or scuba diving (after having got the necessary equipment before you get onto the ship), you can go to the monastery of St. Catherine (where Moses is supposed to have received the 10 commandments from God), or you can go for a land tour that also offers you the chance of doing snorkeling (while getting into the water from the coastline rather than from a ship). The photo shows a bus full of tourists who have decided to take the option of going by the land option to do snorkeling near the coral reefs.

An obervatory kind of structure on the coast near the coral reefs near Sharm el Sheikh

When you get to the coral reefs of the Ras Mohammed marine park near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh (located near the tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt), you can see a coastline that seems barren. However, there are plenty of signs that show that the coastline is not barren; there was this strange structure just off the coastline that seemed like an observatory. And soon we could see buses and other vehicles that came close to the water line, with tourists either donning snorkels and getting into the water, or donning suntan lotion and deciding to get some tanning on the beach near the water.

The fin of a dolphin that was diving into the waters as we were leaving

As we were heading to the Ras Mohammed marine park located at some distance off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh, we came across these small number of dolphins that were there at the water surface. Since the presence of dolphins was so interesting, all the tourist ships spent some time in the vicinity before deciding to proceed to our destination. This was the scene as we were leaving the area and the dolphins were going under the water.

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.

Dolphins in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Dorsal fin of Bottle Nose dolphin over the surface of the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Bottle Nose dolphin breaking the surface of the water in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Part of the body of the Bottle Nose dolphin above the water level of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

This was an incredible sight. There were these dolphins on the surface of the water, sometimes below, all the time very graceful. How did we come to see these dolphins ? We had done the proper tourist tour of Egypt, seeing all the monuments related to the pharaoh, had a trip to the museum in Cairo to see the mummies of those incredible kings of the past. But once done, we wanted to break away from the past and get into a different kind of environment, and the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh provided such an opportunity. Sharm el Sheikh presents a beautiful and temperate environment, and draws a large number of tourists. The Red Sea right next to it has some great coral reefs, and that is where we were headed for doing some snorkeling and on the way we came across a pod of Bottle Nose dolphins, with some 3-4 visible on the surface of the water. We spent around 10-15 minutes there while the dolphins remained in the area, and once they moved away, all we were left with were memories and these photos.

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Head of the Bottle Nose dolphin moving out of the water near Sharm el Sheikh

Body of dolphin emerging from below the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh. For around 10-15 minutes, we just watched these Bottle Nose dolphins moving in and out of the water surface.

Head of the Bottle Nose dolphin causing a wave in the water of the Red Sea in Egypt

The Red Sea is a narrow stretch of sea, primarily between the countries of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This sea has a number of coral reefs along with the associated marina life. The area near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh boasts a protected water sanctuary called the Ram Mohammed Park; and a large number of tourists come to this area to see the coral reefs - both at the surface in the form of snorkeling, and under the surface through the form of scuba diving. We were on our way to this area on a boat, when we saw that a number of ships in front of us were all circling around and soon the staff of our ship told us that they were all circling a small group of dolphins. Now the prospect of seeing dolphins in the wild was something very exciting, and so we also soon reached the area. This was the first time I had seen dolphins outside of a movie, and it was an incredible site, watching these intelligent mammals on the surface and below the surface. Dolphins are estimated to be the most intelligent out of the various species in the water, and humans have a fascination for these animals.

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The sight of dolphins at the water surface at the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

The head of the Bottle Nose dolphin emerging from the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh. It was great fun watching these mammalian creatures moving fluidly in and out of the water.

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

Dolphins are supposed to be one of the more intelligent species of animals in the world, counted among the whales, elephants and other animals that are supposed to have a high degree of intelligence (next only to humans and some of the ape species). Dolphins are also killed world wide, many times caught in the major industrial fishing operations, and also hunted down as well. Other species such as river dolphins face problems due to the increasing amount of pollution in rivers and also the various restrictions on the free flow of water in these rivers (dams, and other such restrictions). We got a sight of some Bottle Nose dolphins near the Ras Muhammed marine park near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh. We were on our way to the coral formations for some snorkeling, and on the way, came across these dolphins on the water surface. For around 10-15 minutes, we had a sight of 3-4 dolphins on the water surface, and sometimes under the water surface. Finally, they left and then we moved on from that area.

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Presence of dolphins under surface of Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

The shape of the dolphin can be clearly made out below the water surface of the Red Sea

The dorsal fin of the dolphin visible on the surface of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Why do people get excited over some sights ? Well, when you watch something magnificent, the sight looks incredible. One such sight is the view of animals in the wild such as whales, dolphins, and sharks. People think about sharks with fear and about whales and dolphins with great enjoyment, even paying sums of money for trips where you could get to see dolphins and whales in their own surroundings. We got to see some dolphins near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh, on the way to the Ram Muhammed water park. In this park, there are a large number of coral formations, along with the beautiful marine life that accompany such coral formations. On the way, we noticed other tourist ships stopped and circling and could see that they were circling a group of dolphins in the water. As we got closer, we could see that there were around 3-4 dolphins present, and they were there for around 10-15 minutes before sliding under the surface of the water and vanishing.

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Appearance of Bottle Nose dolphins under the water surface of the Red Sea

Shadow of Dolphin under the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Shadow of 2 Bottle Nose dolphins under the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

It is a treat of nature to watch wild animals (especially large animals). So people go long distances to watch whales in their environment, people spend large amounts of money to go to the vast animals herds in Africa and to watch great predators in action. And them sometimes one comes across some wonderful animals in the wild, almost by change. We were in Sharm el Sheikh as part of the final leg of the tourist trip to Egypt (after having visited a number of ancient temples, the pyramids, the Sphinx and also having done a cruise on the river Nile). In Sharm el Sheikh, we were on our way to the Ras Muhammed marine park, a protected sanctuary which houses some amazing coral formations. The plan was to do snorkeling at 3 different locations, and we were promised some wonderful coral and the marine animals that lived there. However, there was no mention of dolphins, and so it was a huge treat when the ship slowed down on the way to the coral formations, and we could see dolphins in the water (there were around 3-4 dolphins that were visible), making their way on and under the water surface, such as can be seen in these shadows of the dolphins under the water. It was a magnificent view.

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Dolphins diving under the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Bottle Nosed dolphin diving under the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Spectral shadow of the diving dolphin as it dives under the water of the Red Sea

This was one of the plus points of our trip to Egypt. Now most people who go to Egypt go there to admire the ancient heritage, the various monuments that attest to the history of pharaohs in Egypt (and some of those monuments are incredible, leave you with a feeling of awe and grandeur). But Egypt also has another location which draws a large number of tourists - this is the city of Sharm el Sheikh. Sharm el Sheikh is located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, and sees a large number of tourists. Sharm el Sheikh has excellent weather, especially in the winter months which are very cold in Europe and Russia (which draws tourists from those regions to Sharm el Sheikh). In addition, the water of the Red Sea, the beaches, all these factors make it more attractive. And then there are the coral formations, and the marine animals. However, on the way to these coral formations, we came across these dolphins in the Red Sea, and we were near them for 10-15 minutes before they finally dove under the water.

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Dorsal fin of bottle nosed dolphins on the water surface

Dorsal fin of the Dolphin as it dives below the surface of the water near Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea

Splashing of water around the dorsal fin of the dolphin in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Most people do not get a sight of dolphins in the wild, in their natural environment even if it is from the distance of a ship. We had this luck. After this experience, I realized why people have the wish to see animals in the vast wilderness of Africa, or pay a lot of money to see whales through whale tours. It was an incredible experience. We had headed out from Sharm el Sheikh harbor in a small ship along with some other tourists towards the Ram Muhammed water sanctuary around 12km away, and were close to the destination when we saw the ship slowing down and other ships slowly circling ahead. Our guide grew very excited and told us that there were dolphins in the area, and we all crowded the front area of the ship to see these dolphins. There were not many that were to be seen, around 3-4, and they were there in the area for around 15 minutes, swimming below and on the water surface and coming up to breathe. It was great fun.

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Bottle Nosed dolphins in the Red Sea near the town of Sharm el Sheikh

An ephemeral shadow of Bottle Nosed dolphin under the Red Sea water surface

Sharm el Sheikh is a tourist town near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. A large number of people arrive there from all over, with many charter flights reaching there from different parts of Europe (especially in the winter months when it gets bitterly cold in those regions and the weather remains excellent in Sharm el Sheikh). There is a protected marine sanctuary near Sharm el Sheikh called Ram Muhammed Park, where commercial fishing is not allowed (except in certain times of the year) and the coral formations and marine life remains protected. Because of this protection, the coral here remains safe and thriving, and that brings in a large number of tourists on a regular basis for snorkeling and scuba diving. At the same time, the Red Sea also houses some species of dolphins, and we were fortunate to come across some of these dolphins while on the way to the coral formations. For around 10-15 minutes, the dolphins remained there, and we also were on the boat circling around them, watching them until they decided to leave.

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Dolphins at the water surface in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Blowhole of the bottle nosed dolphin in the Red Sea, off the town of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Upper part of body of bottle nosed dolphin above the surface of water in the Red Sea in Egypt

This was a sight that was incredible, given that it was not something that we were expecting to see. You see dolphins in movies, and see them doing amazing stuff in videos from places such as water parks; but seeing them in the wild is something else. Dolphins are mammals, and are supposed to be one of the most intelligent species in the wild; it was incredible seeing them like this. We were in a ship that was taking us a protected marine sanctuary, the site of some great coral reefs and the marine animals that are present in such places. Now, the coral reefs was where we were going to do snorkeling and catch a view of some great fish, but this was a bonus in between. During the route, we suddenly a number of similar ships that were stopped in the route, and seemed to be circling around. Out ship captain informed us that the ships had caught sight of a small pod of dolphins, and had stopped. We were eager to get there, and once there, we could see a small number of dolphins near the water surface, and we stayed there for some time till the dolphins finally went under the water surface and left.

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Water and dolphins at the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Tail of a diving dolphin as it dives into the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Dolphin in the water with moutains in the background at the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

This water seems incredible. In fact, the entire location was incredible. We had done a round of Egypt, going through some of the ancient tourist attractions such as the Pyramids, the Abu Simbel temple, the Valley of the Kings, and so on. These were all incredible, but since we were a large group, historical locations were not everybody's cup of tea. For such people, Sharm el Sheikh was an incredible place, given the long stretches of beach, the resorts having their own beaches, the excellent weather (I was coming from a place that was freezing in winter, and here the weather was excellent), and the beautiful waters of the Red Sea. The other great stuff about Sharm el Sheikh is the coral formations over there along with the marine animals that exist, not really visible from a ship; these are visible through either scuba diving or snorkeling (and a large number of people come here to do that). One of the greatest sites we saw were these dolphins, and all the tourist ships were moving around these dolphins, since tourists from everywhere got real excited at the prospect of seeing these dolphins.

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Dolphins on the surface of the water near Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea

Couple of bottle nosed dolphins on the water surface at Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea

Dolphin emerging from the waters of the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

We had gone on a trip to the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh. This is a town located on the Red Sea, near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It is very different from the rest of the tourist destinations in Egypt, which focus on the monuments from ancient Egypt (from the time of the pharaohs). However, Sharm el Sheikh is an entirely different location, more famous for the water, the excellent temperate weather, and the long beaches. People come here to relax on the beaches (and many of the large resorts located here have some great beaches of their own), especially in the winter months when many parts of the Northern Hemisphere are drowning in snow and ice (and many countries in Europe have temperatures below to or close to the freezing point). Another great attraction of Sharm el Sheikh are the protected water sanctuaries that protect coral formations (and the large amounts of marine animals in these coral reefs). People come here to do scuba diving or snorkeling, and once in a while you can get to see a sight of dolphins that also live in the Red Sea. These were a set of such dolphins that we were able to see while on the way to the coral formations, and it was incredible seeing them, since I had never seen a dolphin except on TV.

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Dolphins under the water surface, off the coast of Sharm El Sheikh

Dolphins just under the water surface in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Bottle nosed dolphin, just under the water surface in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

The waters off the coast of the city of Sharm el Sheikh are a very rich place; being a protected place in the Red Sea. A large number of tourists come to Sharm el Sheikh all around the year, with some excellent weather (especially in winter when North Europe and North America is freezing under the bitter cold) with the weather being temperate all year round. In addition, the blue water, the coral formations in multiple locations, and the scuba diving and snorkeling available with such coral reefs draws a huge number of people the year round. The Red Sea also contains dolphins, and with many chunks of the marine area having been declared as protected area, these animals do not face any threat from fishing, and the coral formations are also protected. Tourists take boats or small ships to these coral formations, such as we did. On the way to these coral formations, we came across a pod of dolphins, and had some great fun watching them (especially since for city slickers such as us, the chance of watching dolphins in the wild would never happen). In these photos, the dolphins were under the water surface, but clearly visible.

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Dolphins frolicking around in the waters off Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea

View of dolphin under the blue water of the Red Sea off Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

A number of bottle nosed dolphins in the waters of the Red Sea off Egypt

A view of dolphins enjoying themselves in the waters of the Red Sea. There are a number of different species of dolphins in the waters of the Red Sea (a thin sea between the main part of Egypt and the Sinai peninsula (also a part of Egypt)). Since many parts of this waterway are protected, the dolphins find shelter here. We were on our way to the coral regions off the tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh and in the middle of the trip, there was a commotion. The people handling the boat told us that there were a number of dolphins to be seen in the water, and our boat (along with other such tourist boats) headed towards them, almost forming a ring around them. Although the dolphins did not do anything other than just generally swim around, it was a great experience to see them like this, and we stayed there till the dolphins submerged and went away one after the other.

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Head and upper body of a Bottle Nose Dolphin emering from the water in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

The Red Sea is one of the smaller seas of the world, connecting the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea (almost touching the Mediterranean, this connection was made with the construction of the Suez Canal), but has some exceedingly beautiful coral formations in the shallower parts of the Red sea. Portions of these shallower coral formations are found in the Ras Mohammed marine park (a protected stretch of water containing a number of beautiful coral formations). We were on our way to the coral formations from the Sharm el Sheikh coastline in a tour ship run by one of the operators over there, and on the way we came across a pod of Bottle Nose dolphins; coming across this pod was a treat and we spent some time around the location of these dolphins (along with many other ships that also landed up in the area) until the dolphins made their move and got out of the area.

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A submerging bottle nose dolphin in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

A Bottle nose dolphin, with the body of the dolphin almost fully submerged. The only part of the dolphin visible above water was the fin of the dolphin, which had not yet gone below water. This was one of the dolphins that were part of a small pod of dolphins (not sure about the size of the pod since we could see only 3 dolphins at the max at any point of time). This was off the shore of the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. Control of the town has tossed between Egypt and Israel twice over the past 60 years, but now is fully under control of Egypt. Over the past 40 years, there has been a concerted effort to promote tourism in Sharm, especially related to the waters of the Red Sea along with the incredible coral formations in the region that attract snorkeling and scuba diving. While on the way to the coral formations, we came across this pod of Dolphins, providing a fascinating beginning to the trip. It was not only us, in front of us, there was another ship that had spotted this pod, and our ship and many other ships behind us all started circling the pod of dolphins until they tired of all the attraction and dived under the water.

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Bottle nose dolphin above water in the Red Sea off the shore of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

One of the prime attractions of the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh is the sea, the Red Sea. Sharm el Sheikh is located at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula, and control of the Sinai was transferred between Israel and Egypt after 2 wars in the region. During the control of Israel of the Sinai, there were efforts made to ensure that tourism in the region was developed; this was continued after the Sinai was returned back to Egypt where the efforts to develop tourism was continued and there was the demarcation of the Ras Mohammed marine park as a protected area, in order to ensure that there was no fishing in the area, no commercial shipping, nothing that could impact the coral formations in the area. These coral formations now form the backbone of tourism in the area, since the coral reefs and their colorful fish attract snorkeling and scuba diving; further in the Red Sea there are multiple variety of dolphins. While heading to the coral formations, we were lucky to to come across a small school of dolphins and were able to see these dolphins at fairly close quarters for a few minutes before they decided to submerge and vanished from view.

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Bottle nose dolphin in the Red Sea off Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

The main attraction in the Sharm el Sheikh and other Egyptian resorts on the Red Sea is the water and the weather. Temperate weather all year ensures that people flock here during holiday season in other regions, especially in Europe and Russia. Sharm el Sheikh is easily accessible with a large number of people arriving her through charter flights, and through other airlines as well. Once here, you can relax in resorts, enjoy the water of the beaches (fairly long beaches). The other attraction of the location is the coral formations located fairly close to Sharm el Sheikh, primarily in the Ras Mohammed marine park (a protected marine habitat where fishing and commercial traffic are banned, where people are prohibited from feeding fish and also from picking up any coral); tourists head there in yachts and small ships run by tour operators to do snorkeling and scuba diving (snorkeling is done in places which are shallow while scuba diving is done in places that are deeper). While on the way to the coral formations, we encountered something which was incredible. We came across a small school of bottle nose dolphins, and soon there were a number of ships all around these dolphins, with cameras out in full and people admiring the view. However, after around 15 minutes, they dived and were soon out of view.

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Ships around a dolphin in the waters of the Red Sea around Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

One of the most interesting aspects of going to Sharm el Sheikh (located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in east Egypt) is the presence of the Red Sea. The Red Sea and the coral formations found nearby provide this place with a great deal of beauty (besides of course providing an excellent climate which attracts a large number of tourists when their own countries are in the grip of cold winters). These coral formations are now under the protection of the Egyptian Government with no development allowed nearby, control of marine traffic in these areas, and a tourist driven economy that has a significant stake in ensuring that the coral reserves and marine life in the area remain in a protected condition. Tourists make the journey from the shore to the coral formations through small ships or yachts, and it takes some amount of time. In one such trip, one of the ships detected a small school of dolphins and went close, which meant that soon there were a number of such ships that were around the dolphins, showing them off to the admiring tourists on board.

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