Ras Mohammad, National Park (Part II of III)

My epic Sharm El-Shaik trilogy continues, although this entry details my day trip to Ras Mohammed, a National Park that encompasses the Southern part of the Sinai Peninsula and the surrounding sea. It is 480 square kilometres in size and hosts a multitude of wild and plant life, both in and out of the water. My primary concern was the sea life, as I took a boat/snorkelling tour of the peninsula. As soon as I got in the water, I could see why this is a world renowned dive spot - it made the most exotic fish tanks look like those glass bowls with single goldfish in them. But I am getting ahead of myself, let me start again at my beginnings (Thanks, Kipling).

Aqua Vision, our faithful vessel

I arranged the trip through my hotel, and I was picked up promptly at 8:30, out front. I was nursing a rather large hangover (see Part III of this series), and the buffet was just starting to kick. Luckily we had a half hour wait at the tourist harbour, and with the aid of a large bottle of water, I was good to go. I also took the chance to rent a snorkel and mask. The group I went out with on the trip wasn't very talkative, but maybe it was the visible effects of the before mentioned hangover that deterred them. They were also all couples, so according to some people (no names mentioned), they don't need to socialise anymore. The weather was sunny and clear when we set out, and I used the opportunity to make up some sleep, and work on my tan.

The 1st snorkelling spot, the thing in the middle is a diving buoy

After a short safety briefing (5 fish to look out for, I later found one of them). We cruised for about half an hour until we got to the first snorkelling reef. There were several other boats around, so I gathered it was quite a popular spot. In line with the rules of the National Park, I wasn't allowed to swim over the reef, but there was plenty to see on its sides. For the uninitiated, coral reefs are similar to tree trunks, in that only the outer layer of coral is alive. The bulk of the reef is made up of the skeletons of the dead coral. The top layer attracts all manner of kelp, sea urchins and fish. I really enjoyed cruising along, and then diving down whenever I spotted something interesting. The fish were incredible too, most of them were brightly coloured, to blend in with the reef.
The first reef I visited was 5m high, and a couple of square kilometres across. The half hour I had was no where enough time to fully explore the reef, but alas, we had plants to see.

The cunning dolphin, posing for a photo

The Aqua Vision then set off for the next spot, just around the point of the Sinai Peninsula. While we were cruising along, dolphins were spotted off the port bow (I've always wanted to use that expression). Being the intelligent buggers that they are, they soon hitched a ride on the ships wake, and presented all aboard with a great photo opportunity. Apparently they are quite comfortable around boats, in fact, humans in general, and they seem to be having fun all the time. Basically that makes them smarter than most humans.

The 2nd Snorkelling spot, the change in colours indicate different salinities

The next reef we stopped was near to a lagoon, which had lots of Mangroves growing on its shore. A mangrove is a species of plant that can survive off salt water, using a built-in filtration system. The fish were slightly bigger (some amazing big flat ones, angel fish, I think), attracted by the leaves from the mangroves. After another too short snorkel, we set off back towards the harbour, since our final snorkelling spot was near to it. On the way back we had lunch, which was an interesting challenge, since there was a bit of a swell. Luckily my hangover had long since been banished, and everything stayed in its right place.

The cliff that bordered the final snorkelling spot

The final snorkelling spot was outside the National Park, and it has suffered as a result (lot less fish and plants). It also seems to be a popular practise spot for scuba divers, and was quite crowded with them. We stayed here a bit longer than the other spots, and so I got a good chance to swim around the reef. The reef was also fairly close to shore, and I could see the holiday houses on top of the cliff, just a few metres from the beach. If anything it was a powerful reminder of why it is important for governments to protect nature, as this reef was in the process of dying.

A salty sea cat, hanging around the harbour, preying on unsuspecting rat tourist

With the sun on the wane (about 3:00pm), we made the short trip back to harbour. I really enjoyed the cruise: the reefs were amazing and a boat trip on a sunny day is always nice. I got sun burnt too, something I haven't managed in about a year (ahem, university). All in all, a grand day out.

Coming Soon: Egyptian Nightlife (part III), I should finish this tonight.

A Shoppers Guide to Egypt: Paying 20% of the asked for price.