People doing snorkeling near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, near the Sinai peninsula

Person wearing snorkeling gear and holding onto a tube for floating purposes

Close up of a photo wearing the complete set of snorkeling equipment (goggles and the attached air tube which fits into the mouth) along with a life vest (and interestingly, the life vest has totally climbed up the back of the person and does not seem to have been properly attached). The person is holding onto a tube that helps in giving confidence about floating in the water, and in this photo, you can also see the closeness of the ship and the shore. We had just got down from the ship and were grouped around the guide, who was taking us towards a certain set of coral reefs, all of which were located very close to the water point.

People wearing snorkeling gear heading in the direction that the guide is leading them towards

A number of people in the water, wearing snorkeling equipment and with some of them hanging onto the rubber tube (being used as a flotation device). They are in the Ras Muhammed marine park, which is a protected marine park close to the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh, close to the Sinai peninsula. There are a number of coral reefs in the park, and this is what draws tourists there for the purpose of snorkeling. In this photo, a number of tourists are there in close to the guide who is leading them to a specific direction. The tourists are a mix of men and women, all heading towards a specific direction, which is the direction in which the guide is leading them towards.

A flotation tube, where the person holding onto the tube suddenly ducked under the water surface

For people who are doing snorkeling for the first time, or who have done it after a gap of some years (which was my condition), the first immersion in water that was deeper than the foot could reach took some time to get used to, even if one was already wearing a life vest. In such a condition, this simple tube (or even a rubber tube with air in it) was like a life saver, giving a lot of confidence to the person. In the photo, there was a person holding onto the flotation tube, but who was suddenly called away by his family to the other side and hence the splash of water away from the tube.

Catching hold of the tube and looking down into the water while snorkeling

This was one of the most interesting experiences while snorkeling. Given that the water level in some of the areas was several feet deeper than the height of a person, the flotation tube provided a lot of support. So, for those who did not have the confidence, you had people holding onto these tubes while still doing snorkeling, and so in this photo, you can see people with their faces into the water, looking inside the water and looking at the coral and fish. Because these were small tubes, you could have a number of people in the same small area, all clustered around the tube.

Doing snorkeling in the Red sea off the town of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

2 people doing snorkeling in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

The area near Sharm el Sheikh is very famous for water related activities, given that Sharm el Sheikh is located on the Red Sea, at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula. The water temperature here is excellent, and most importantly, there are enough attractions for people who want to do snorkeling or scuba diving. The presence of coral reefs in the region along with the marine life that is found in and around these coral reefs draws a number of adventure seekers. This photo shows a couple of people doing snorkeling, with one of them wearing a life vest and the other making do without one. Both have the snorkeling gear on and are drawing in air from their air pipes (helping them breathe when their faces are under water).

A lady wearing snorkeling gear and with her face outside the water in the Ras Muhammed marine park

The face of people wearing snorkeling goggles and the other snorkeling gear can seem very different, as can be seen in this photo. The presence of the goggles and the air tube which extends into the mouth totally distorts the facial features and can make a person difficult to recognize. This is near coral reefs in the Ras Muhammed marine park, close to the Sharm el Sheikh in the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. Though the photo shows only one person in the area, there are a number of tourists in the area, around the multiple tourist locations.

Family doing snorkeling in the water of the Ras Muhammed marine park in the Red sea

A man, woman and a child in the water of the Ras Muhammend marine park close to the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh, in the waters of the Red Sea. We had all just got down from the ship that was taking us to these coral reefs for enjoying the colorful reefs and the very colorful marine animals and were assembling around the guide before we left for the actual coral reefs. The guide had told those who wanted to go with him to accompany him, while those who were experienced or were comfortable could go on their own around the coral reefs. I preferred to be around the guide for the experience and the comfort, although being with the guide meant that we learnt some more about the reefs and the coral and also got to see more colorful fish that we would have missed otherwise.

Determining the direction in which we wanted to swim towards the coral reefs

Once we got down from the ship at a short distance from the coral reefs, we wanted to determine the direction in which to proceed. There were several sections of reef close by, and needed to figure out which we wanted to go to, and to swim in that direction. However, some of the more experienced swimmers had already proceeded in that general direction.

People wearing snorkeling equipment and using tubes as flotation devices near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

People wearing snorkeling equipment and using tubes as flotation devices

This is a scene in the Ras Muhammed National park, where a number of tourists come to enjoy the coral reefs. This marine park is located close to the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh, which itself is located on the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula. In the marine park, there are a number of coral reefs, and tourists come here for snorkeling and to the deeper regions for scuba diving. In this photo, you can see the snorkeling equipment along with a rubber air float being used as a flotation device. The shore is not very far away, as can be seen in this photo.

Person breathing using a breathing device as a part of snorkeling equipment, looking into the water

This is a view of a person using snorkeling equipment and floating over a coral reef. The person is wearing the snorkeling goggles and is face down, the purpose of being face down is to ensure that the person keep on viewing into the water and the front part of the face is covered with water. In this situation, the breathing tube is the one that ensures that the person is able to breathe easily and gets air from the air above. It always seems interesting to see a person doing snorkeling, since most of the body is at the water surface (or rather just slightly below the water surface).

Multiple people doing snorkeling in the water near Sharm el Sheikh near the coral reefs

A view of multiple people doing snorkeling in the Ras Muhammed marine park near Sharm el Sheikh. Tourists come to this region for enjoying snorkeling, and sometimes you can get scenes where a number of people are in the same area and with coral reefs in the vicinity. This is a photo taken soon after the tourists got down from the ship and started moving towards the coral reefs, which led to a number of tourists in the same location. There are people wearing flippers, and a lot of splashing as people try to move to another direction.

Person wearing life vest and air tube as part of snorkeling equipment in the Red Sea in Egypt

A tourist wearing a colorful (red and orange colored) life jacket in the Red Sea, in the Ras Muhammed marine park, near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh. Snorkeling is a very interesting experience, with people facing down into the water and looking below (typically to look into coral reefs that are located below the surface of the water and the colorful fish that are near these coral reefs). They get air through a tube that connects the goggles (and hence the nose) through a tube that connects to the air above.

People with snorkeling gear in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh and the coral reefs

People with snorkeling gear in the Red Sea

These are people in the Red Sea in Egypt. Near the Egyptian tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh, there is the protected marine region of the Ras Muhammed park, which contains a number of coral formations. Tourists can reach here by ship or by the overland route, carry their snorkeling equipment. If going by ship, the ship takes them near the coral formations, close enough that you can easily swim to the coral reefs (which are at the water level, high enough that you may not be able to cross over these coral reefs); and many of these are close to the shore and you can easily get there from the shore. The photo shows people in the water, wearing their snorkeling equipment and apparently having fun.

The back of people as they look into the water and see the coral reefs and the fish near them

A view of the back of people as they are swimming over coral reefs, wearing their snorkeling gear. Since most people look down into the water and look to see the colorful fish and coral reefs, they swim in a way that their faces are into the water (and that is where the goggles they wear protect their eyes from the water). For those who have not done snorkeling, there is a tube that they wear which allows them to breathe taking air from above the water level. Wearing a life vest and flippers also help, but I saw people just using the snorkeling goggles and tubes and not using life vests or flippers.

Tourists wearing snorkeling equipment and swimming next to a guide in the Red Sea

For those who have not done snorkeling before, or have not done it for quite some time, it can take some getting used to. I had done snorkeling many years before, and stepping into the water from the ship seemed so sudden that it took quite some to get used to the water (which was deeper than 10 feet, so there was no question of my putting my foot down). So, there was a guide from the ship who was there to calm us down and provide a security for those who were looking for some support, and that is the person to the right side of the photo. And there was a person in front who did not need the services of the guide.

Person wearing a snorkeling kit and kicking their feat to swim further

Catching a person wearing a snorkeling kit and swimming near the coral reefs in the Ras Muhammed marine park near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh. The water during winter has an excellent temperature and one can do snorkeling in the water easily for long stretches. The person in the photo is trying to move from one place to another, and really kicking up a storm using his legs.