A ship stopped near a coral formation with tourists taking a look at these coral formations near Sharm el Sheikh

The shoreline near the Ras Muhamed Protected marine park near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Sharm el Sheikh is one of the non-historic tourist locations in Egypt (well, you can get to an ancient Saint Catherine Monastery from here, but otherwise it is non-historic places, atleast none of the ancient temples and other signs of the age of the Pharaohs). It is more famous for the excellent weather, especially in winter, and also for the Red Sea. There are a number of coral formations, and the Government has given them protection in the form of the Ram Muhammed park where commercial activities except for tourism are banned. When you do get here, you do end up seeing a number of small ships and other boats that are carrying tourists here for the purpose of snorkeling or scuba diving. In this photo, you can just see a sample of the number of ships (there are a large number of ships that are visible here, with these just being a small set).

A typical example of the small ship used to carry tourists to the coral formations in Sharm el Sheikh

This is a typical example of the small ship that is used to carry tourists from the Sharm el Sheikh harbour to the various tourist locations in the Red Sea. The prime aim of these ships is to take people to the various coral formations where they can do snorkeling (fairly close to shore, and in waters that are typically not deeper than 20 feet), or they can do scuba diving in the more deeper parts of the coral or in sunken ships (all of these attract a large number of colorful marine fishes and others). While on the way to these locations, sun-bathing is a common time spending activity.

A ship stopped near a coral formation with tourists taking a look at these coral formations near Sharm el Sheikh

This is a ship meant for taking tourists for scuba diving (you can see scuba diving equipment at the rear section of the ship including the oxygen cylinders). The ship is full of tourists, on the lower deck and the upper deck. The ship has stopped near a coral formation, with the coral being pointed out to the tourists on board the ship. If you look closely, you can see that there is a difference in the color of the water near the back of the ship, which is a sign of there being some coral formations here. Some of the tourists have obviously seen this before, since they remain where they are instead of heading to the rear of the ship.

A ship close to our ship, moving at a fairly fast clip, close to the Sharm el Sheikh tourist town in Egypt

This is a view of a ship, fairly close to our ship, heading towards the Ras Muhammed Park, located a few miles away from the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula. I like the view of such ships, since they seem to be fairly sleek and fast, and look well maintained (atleast from the outside). You can also see some tourists at the lower and upper levels of the ship.

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.

Ships and yachts in the harbour of Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea in Egypt

Small ships and boats in the harbour of Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea in Egypt with backdrop of hills

Ships and yachts in the waters of the Red Sea off Sharm el Sheikh

The town of Sharm El Sheikh near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt is very famous with tourists, given the temperate weather, the great water, and the beaches. In winter, when it is freezing in Europe and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere, the place sees a large number of tourists arriving. Part of the attractiveness of the location is the scuba diving and snorkeling that can be done over there. With a number of coral reefs and the associated marine life, people can enjoy these through scuba diving for admiring life below the waves while the snorkeling lets people enjoy the corals and colorful fish at around the water level. These are located some distance away from the town, and hence tourist operators have ships, boats and yachts to take tourists to these location, as you can see with these large number of ships that are normally full of tourists.

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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Rubber dhingy next to the tourist boat near the shore of Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea resort of Egypt

Rubber floats (small boats) powered with powerful small engines can be very fast and move easily even in shallow waters. This is such a boat next to a tourist craft. The Egyptian Red Sea coastal city of Sharm el Sheikh is a very popular tourist region, both for the beaches over there, and the coral reefs (which draw people wanting to do snorkeling or do scuba diving). Most of the tourist boats in the region cater to the needs of these tourists who come to visit the various coral reefs in the region (we were taken to 3 such coral reefs, with the ability to do snorkeling at all of them). It was a lot of fun, since in most of the cases, the coral reefs were right at the water level (in fact, it was difficult to move over the coral reef and one had to go by the side of the reef). When we were there, there were a number of such ships and tourists at the coral reefs, and we just joined the others who were also having fun over there.

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Couple sun-bathing on the lower deck of a small yacht used for tourists off the shore of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Couple on the lower deck of the yacht off the shore of Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea in Egypt. Sharm El Sheikh sees a large number of tourists from Europe and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months, times when these lands are groaning under the snow and ice of winter while the weather in Sharm el Sheikh is perfect, with sun, beaches and perfect temperature water. Part of the activities at Sharm El Sheikh deals with making a trip to the various coral formations off the shore of Sharm El Sheikh (these are protected areas with restrictions on commercial shipping and fishing in order to preserve the coral formations), and since the journey can take some time, a number of tourists take the time to get some sun. Also, this is one of the few regions of Egypt (which is otherwise a conservative Islamic country) where tourists can wear a bikini or swimwear and not cause raised eyebrows.

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Snorkeling mask, air pipe and life vest at the water surface at Sharm el Sheikh

One of the biggest pleasures of the water at Sharm el Sheikh is the coral reefs. They provide an incredible assortment of reef, colorful and other marine creatures that visitors come a long distance to see. Visitors can do either of 2 activities - they can put on scuba diving equipment and dive to slightly deeper sections and enjoy the marine life there, including the viewing of sharks and dolphins; or you can do snorkeling on the surface near the coral reefs. If you are doing snorkeling and are a beginner, it is recommended that you have the protective gear such as safety vests (unless you are a good swimmer), snorkeling tubes and the goggles (the safety vests are useful for beginners since the water depth can be 15 feet or more, enough to drown you if you are not careful). The photo shows a young man having all these protective equipment and also clutching onto a rubber tube for added safety and flotation. Doing snorkeling and admiring the beauty of the coral reef can be really incredible. We had taken a water proof camera and were able to take a number of shots of the area.

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A view of the sea near Sharm el Sheikh - liked the shine in the sea

The sea near Sharm el Sheikh is very attractive. This was a scene where we were on a tourist ship, heading towards the coral reefs for some snorkeling. This was fairly warm water, and it was fun just standing there and watching the sea pass by while we whizzed by at some speed (not too much speed, but when you are standing on the lower deck and looking at the water going by, it can seem that the water is going by at some speed). There was a shine on the water surface that was pretty interesting, and you can see it in this photo, a shine or glimmer on the surface of the water.

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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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Tourists relaxing on the deck of a yacht in the Red Sea off Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

The Red Sea is a fairly narrow sea compared to other seas or oceans, being bounded by Asia on one side and Africa on the other side and being a channel that goes through them. In addition, the parts near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh are even narrower, and there are a number of coral formations near Sharm, with these coral formations attracting a large number of tourists. The Red Sea can be very deep in parts, with an average depth of 490m, but is also famous for some shallow regions that have coral formations. These coral formations provide a magnet for tourism in the region, since the shallower coral formations let tourists enjoy snorkeling while the slightly deeper coral formations and reefs providing an extensive location to enjoy scuba diving. Tourists are taken to the site of these coral formations in the Ras Mohammed park (declared protected locations to prevent shipping and to prevent the creation of resorts nearby) through the use of yachts or small ships such as can be seen in this photo. The temperate weather also ensures that getting into the water is not a problem throughout the year.

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Small ship heading towars the coral formations off Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea in Egypt

This is a familiar sight off the waters of Sharm El Sheikh (located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in the Red Sea in Egypt). The water here is great, and the temperate weather of the region ensures a steady inflow of tourists (there are a number of tourists who come here through charter flights from Europe, especially in winter where the weather in large parts of Europe is very cold). This is a photo from February, and as you can see, the temperature seems just fine. Off the shore of Sharm el Sheikh, at a short distance, there are a number of coral formations that draw tourist to them for the purpose of snorkeling and scuba diving (for shallow areas, it is snorkeling, while for deeper waters, it is scuba diving). The coral ensures that the marine life over there is rich and vivid, and yet the amount of danger is very low. Tourists are taken to these coral formations through small ships and yachts, and what you see in this photo is one such ship carrying tourists. It is a lot of fun, with the experience of the ship also being something that a number of people may not have experienced.

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Blue water and limestone cliffs at the Red Sea off the shore of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

The waters off Sharm el Sheikh can be really beautiful. Sharm el Sheikh is located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula, and boasts of some great weather (and more importantly for tourists, the weather here remains temperate during the freezing and icy winter months for Europe and North America). The sea coast here is extended and provides some great sun and tanning for tourists. The location of Sharm el Sheikh on the Sinai peninsula, on the Red Sea is very strategic. As a result of this location, Sharm was developed as a naval base by the Egyptian army, and was also conquered twice by the Israelis during the combat with their neighbors; and was returned to the Egyptians as part of peace settlements. For the past 40+ years, the Egyptians have been developing Sharm el Sheikh as a tourist location, and the water, the shore line, and the coral formations make this a much visited tourist location. Tourists from all over come here, including many who come here but do not visit the monuments of ancient Egypt.

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Multiple ships heading out from Sharm port to the coral formations in the Red Sea in Egypt

Sharm el Sheikh is a town located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. The town is fairly recent in importance, with the strategic history of the town only being present for the past few decades. Starting near the 1950's, the strategic location of the town meant that the Egyptian navy started using it as a base; and then in the 1956 war with Israel it was captured and then released back to the Egyptians in 1957. Similarly, in the 1973 war, the Sinai was captured and was released back to Egypt in 1982 as part of the peace agreement. Over a period of time, the town was developed into a tourist location, helped by the long stretches of beach, the great weather, and the incredible coral formations in the sea. These coral formations in turn help develop an incredible environment of different types of fish, which has been used by the Government to drive the whole area as a tourism magnet, especially related to snorkeling and scuba diving. A large number of ships head out to the coral formations on a daily basis, taking tourists for their adventures.

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Tourists at the upper level of the small ship at the Red Sea in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

In previous photos, I have described how these small ships set off from Sharm el Sheikh to the coral formations where tourists can go off for snorkeling or scuba diving. For tourists who have come in from Europe or North America and are shivering from the cold in their native lands in winter, the weather in Sharm el Sheikh was great. In winter, you can easily get into the waters of the Red Sea without any issue, the water temperature is great. One of the prime attractions of Sharm el Sheikh are the coral formations, located at a short distance from the port of Sharm. These coral formations are grouped together into a marine park, declared to be a protected environment by the Egyptian Government to ensure that the wonderful formations created over here over the millenia don't get disturbed due to shipping (one oil slick in the region could end up spoiling large sections of coral). Tourists are welcome in this region, but the operators are given strict instructions over how to ensure conservation; tourists are taken close to the coral formations in small ships such as the one in the photo and then are taken from there by a guide.

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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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Small ship loaded with tourists heading off towards the coral formations in the Red Sea off Sharm el Sheikh

When you see images of Sharm el Sheikh, you mostly see photos of water. After all, the major attraction of this tourist town on the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula is that it provides a lot of water for tourists to enjoy. Tourists come here for the excellent temperate weather (imagine that it is January or February in Europe, very cold, and you see this incredible place that is not cold or hot, where you can enter the water of the sea), some great beaches, and a lot of attention paid to finding locations where you can do scuba diving or snorkeling (the coral formations provide an environment for a lot of beautiful colored fish, providing ideal locations for snorkeling in shallower waters, and providing great locations for scuba diving when the water is deeper). There are a number of small ships and yachts that serve to take tourists to these locations, providing facilities for eating and drinking while on the path to these coral formations, and then being the base when indulging in snorkeling or scuba diving.

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Float marking a point in the Red Sea off the town of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Sharm el Sheikh is a major tourist attraction on the shore of the Red Sea, near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. This is different from the rest of the towns that attract tourists in Egypt, most of which are geared towards showcasing the tremendous historical heritage of ancient Egypt, the structures created by the pharaohs from 35-45 centuries back. Those highlight the architecture from those times, and are the ones that also draw most of the tourists. Sharm is more important that it provides a different sort of tourist experience, and the way that we had structured our trip was that we spent the major part of our trip seeing and admiring the monuments of ancient Egypt (and some of those monuments are indeed incredible, such as when you stand in front of the Pyramids, you admire the incredible size and magnificence of such an immense structure), and then we would head over to Sharm el Sheikh (either by road or by flight) where it was all about fun and recreation (and it was indeed fun, especially the snorkeling in those coral formations). This is a photo of a float which we passed by while on a small tourist ship along with other tourists, heading towards the coral formations. I don't know the purpose of this float, but it could be a milestone in the water.

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