Reef Oasis Dive Club

Itineraries - Red Sea Liveaboard

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A rich collection of itineraries in the Red sea covering Dahab, Sharm el Sheikh, Gulf of Aqaba, Gulf of Suez , and Hurghada Area, exceptional for divers and cruise travelers


This three-day safari is the unbeatable option if you want to dive top spots like Ras Mohamed and the World War II wreck of the Thistlegorm

Good To Know

This three-day safari is the unbeatable option if you want to dive top spots like Ras Mohamed and the World War II wreck of the Thistlegorm away from the crowds of daily diving boats whilst combining your stay in Sinai with land-based activities.

You need to be a PADI Advanced Open Water certified diver or equivalent with at least 20 logged dives. You must have dived in the last year and recorded this in your log book to join this safari. Scuba Tune-Up is available on request. This trip is suitable for snorkelers to join.

The itinerary is an example so if you have a special wish for a certain place in this area just let your dive guide know. Liveaboard itineraries are subject to various unpredictable changes including weather conditions. All dives and especially some wreck dives are subject to divers' experience and weather permitted. Liveaboard itineraries are depending on Egyptian Government, Coast Guard and/or Marine Police approval.

Every effort is made but we cannot guarantee diving at specific sites. The final decision lies with the captain and guide.

Safety always comes first!

Schedule

Day 1. Evening: a transfer to New Marina (El Wataneya) Port and embark. Welcome on board, cabin arrangement and boat-briefing. Getting permissions from the port authority, sailing very early next morning.
 
Day 2. Morning: a check dive at Temple or Ras Katy. Next dive is Jackfish Alley where you can easily enter the small caves there. The third dive will be the Alternatives, a chain of seven pinnacles with numerous sand patches and resident leopard sharks. Night Diving is very popular here.
 
Day 3. Morning: the boat sails to the wreck of the Thistlegorm, the most famous of the Red Sea wrecks, maybe even worldwide. There is so much to explore, so the plan is a minimum of two dives. The first one is an orientation of the outside and the second dive is a penetrating one. For the third dive the boat sails to Small Passage where two channels cut the reef system of Sha'ab Mahmoud and connect the sheltered lagoon to the open sea. A night dive inside the lagoon is optional.
 
Day 4. Morning: the first dive of the day will take you to the historical wreck of the Dunraven, which sank in April 1876 - an old wooden wreck with plenty of room for passing through thousands of glassfish that live here in the shade of the wreck. Next dive is Shark and Yolanda Reef, the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula with an endless wall unique in the Red Sea. Sailing back towards Sharm for your third dive at Ras Zatar, Ras Ghozlani or maybe Ras Um Sid. Return to New Marina (El Wataneya) Port and disembark

Thistlegorm Wreck

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

THE THISTLEGORM, its Gaelic name meaning BLUE THISTLE, was a British transport ship belonging to the Albyn Line shipping company, is 126.5 meters long, a capacity of 4,898 tons and had a `three cylinder steam engine developing 1,860 HP that gave the vessel a speed of around 10 knots. The Thistlegorm was built to transport refurbished wartime materials for the British troops. In May 1941 with a crew of 39 men it had left the port of Glasgow, Scotland, with a cargo of munitions, bombs of different kinds, anti-tank mines, Lee Enfield MK III rifles, hundreds of BSA, BSA W-M20, Matchless G3L and Norton 16H motorbikes. Bedford, Morris and Ford trucks. Four light Brengun Carrier MK II tracked vehicles. Two steam Stanier 8 F locomotives complete with two coal tenders and water tankers. On the night of the 5-6 October 1941 two German Heinkel HE III bombers, coming from their base in Crete, sighted and attacked the ship. It was hit by two bombs on hold no.4 where the munitions deposit amongst other things was situated. The Thistlegorm sank in an upright position on a flat, sandy seabed 30 meters deep at 1.30 am on the 6th October 1941. Jacques Cousteau discovered the wreck in 1955 and mentioned it in an article published in February 1956 in the monthly National Geographic Magazine. Jacques Cousteau did not reveal the position of the wreck, thus it went forgotten for almost 40 years until 1991 when it was rediscovered by an Israeli skipper. In a short time The Thistlegorm has become a great favorite with scuba divers from all over the world and is now the most visited wreck in the whole Red Sea.

Temple

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

The Temple is our house reef. It is located on the north side of Sharm El Sheikh Harbor. Formed of a group of three pinnacles that rise up from 20 metres below to the surface. This is a flat, sloping reef with two major, and a few minor, pinnacles adding contour to the reef face. The largest of the pinnacles is 'The Tower'. Its bulk is split by two major fissures, one of which can be swum through. The second should not be entered, to avoid damaging the delicate gorgonians growing along its sides. All the pinnacles hide a surprisingly rich variety of reef animals.
The pinnacles are rather close to each other and have sand channels between them. The pinnacles have sheer walls which are covered with soft and hard corals, fan corals and reef fish. Coral growth throughout the site is good, with a density and mix of species difficult to match in the immediate area. They are a blanket of color. The fish are as pleasant a surprise as the coral, with a truly amazing range of species colonizing the reef. There are lionfish all about, as well as stonefish that do not move and are camouflaged. Around the pinnacles are schools of glass sweepers that move together.
Because The Temple is so close to Sharm El Sheikh and Na'ama Bay, it is a very popular night-dive site. At night the basket stars create the illusion of a curtain in the light current as they feed. As the basket stars are hit by your dive light, they tend to withdraw into a ball. As the light moves away, they expand back out and continue feeding. The feather stars and soft corals have many colors that are very beautiful in the dive lights. You can find parrotfish in the crevices with your dive lights. Some may even have their cocoons around them.
The typical depth range of the Temple is 5 to 20 meters deep and is accessed by our shore.

Ras Ghozlani

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

A beautiful dive site to dive in Ras Mohamed Nationan park. This site has a superb array of beautiful table corals, glassfish covered pinnacles and a wonderful corals landscape.

Ras Za'tar

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

Situated at the southern entrance of the large bay Marsa Bareika, this dive combines a vertical wall, impressive chimneys and blue water. This is a good place to find large tuna, barracudas Jackfish and in summer, cruising grey reef sharks.

Shark & Yolanda Reefs

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

A world ranked dive site formed of two little underwater islands, the Shark reef and the Yolanda reef. Shark Reef, is a vertical wall dropping to 700 meters, covered with fantastic corals. While the Yolanda Reef has a wide plateau with a coral garden and lots of of pinnacle corals. Between Yolanda reef and the Ras Mohamed reef lies the remains of the wreck of the Yolanda that is 74m long and was carrying bathroom supplies heading to the Gulf of Aqaba when she crashed in 1980. The presence of strong currents is often at this site. Diverse marine life to watch : scorpionfish, crocodilefish, groupers, turtles, tuna, big morays and napoleon fish, Red Snapper, batfish, unicornfish, barracudas and more which of course sometimes attracts the predators such as Grey reef or black tip Sharks.

Jackfish Alley

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

The name of this site derives from the white sandy road between the coral ledge bordering the coast and a parallel satellite reef that is often frequented by Jackfish and other predators. Jackfish Alley, which was originally known as Fisherman's Bank, is south of Ras Za'atar. You will have to make it as a drift dive, lookout for Gorgonians, stingrays, trevally, Glass fish, triggerfish and sometimes you might see a Whitetip reef shark.

Alternatives

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

About 30 minutes north west of Ras Mohamed is a system of flat underwater islands, with names like "Lonely Mushroom", "Stingray Station" and sometimes known as the "Seven Pinnacles". Best dive is around the third or fourth erg from the east where the current sweeps through feeding pristine corals with bright vivid colors, however, the visibility can be affected in rough weather.

Small Crack (Small Passage)

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

Small split in the middle of Shaab Mahmoud’s barrier. The tide empties and fills the inner lagoon twice daily, thus creating strong currents that promote an impressive explosion of life. Brilliant soft corals and lot s of fish also make it a premier night dive location - weather permitting.

Dunraven Wreck ( Beacon Rock )

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

This historic wreck was a 79 meters long, British steam sail ship which was built in Newcastle and struck the reef in 1876 en route from Bombay to Liverpool. Soon after she slid off the reef and turned upside down and is now covered in so much coral growth, it is hard to tell where the reef stops and the wreck begins. After taking a look at her rudder and propeller, divers are taken through the hull of the wreck. Swimming inside Dunraven is like swimming through a Cathedral with beams of light pouring through her portholes. Old Hessian ropes and the remains of wooden cargo boxes bring this ship alive and the sight of her enormous boilers are a reminder of the magnificent age of steam engines. A safety stop on the reef brings schools of yellow goatfish, baby barracudas and a numerous of stonefish.

Ras Um Sid

Mini Safari Thistlegorm - Ras Mohamed

The lighthouse marks this fantastic local dive, usually done as a drift with reef to the left shoulder. This dive site is famous for it’s amazing gorgonian forest at 15 meters leading to a sandy plateau packed with soft coral, home to many species of fish. The currents at the corner trap great quantities of plankton which attracts a lot of pelagic fish, good chance to see Napoleons, Eagle Rays, Manta and Shark.

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