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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