Strait of Tiran
Includes the following dive sites:
Gordon reef, Thomas reef, Woodhouse reef, Jackson reef, Kormoran, South lagoon, South lagoon outside (the Light house).
In general, diving at Straits of Tiran has one main restriction. If it is windy from N-NW, it is not recommended to start and finish the dives on the north side of the reefs (also called “Outside”). This side is often exposed to strong winds, the waves are breaking on the reef and that makes it almost impossible and very dangerous to climb the lather after finishing the dive. However, this whole area is rich with pelagic fish as well as the coral fish such as different kinds of groupers, moray eels, trigger fish, hammerheads sharks, ref sharks, etc. Corals here are also numerous and of all different kinds.
This is a dive site where you can use the moorings to make an easy dive or where you can start a “semi-drift” dive. The south part is shallow with lengthy sandy bottom where even the less experienced divers can experience a nice dive. Be careful about the shallow area which is often used for mooring the boats. Make sure you always ascend close to the reef or, if necessary, on the mooring line. Watch out for the currents as they can get stronger as you dive further away from the reef (at apx. 15-20 meters), especially towards the West side. Typical underwater life for this area includes Red sea garden eel in shallow parts and Red Sea bannerfish.
This reef is the shortest and for the most of the divers the most intriguing one. Strong currents often occur here, so be very careful if you dive it in windy conditions. In such cases, you should dive with experienced divers only. Most of this dive site is a vertical wall dropping down to 30- 40 m., only on south-east side there is a nice small sandy platform at 20- 25m depth with nice Gorgonias. Most of the east side is marked with famous “Thomas canyon” which is very tempting to dive in. You are NOT ALLOWED to dive the canyon without a proper qualification and equipment as it starts at 33 meters and descends up to 100 meters. Also be careful on the corners where you can get swept away by the currents into the BLUE, always keep the wall as a visual reference. From the fish, you can often see here a Yellowfinn tuna or Bluefinn trevally passing by.
The safest part is the third of the 4 reefs in the middle of Aquaba chanel and it is also the longest one, 0,8 miles. Watch out for the depth, as the vertical wall descends sometimes to more than 30 meters and on the corners you should stay close to the reef so you will not get swept by the currents. At the north end of the reef there is a nice coral garden of all different types, among them /Gorgonian sea-fan coral, Broccoli soft coral, Salad coral /etc.
It is the most interesting reef with many different possibilities to dive it.
The busiest place is so-called “the garden” which is on the west side. Boats are allowed to more here on the special moorings (pins) in the reef and if a north wind prevails it is a good place to make a “Shamandoura dive” and to have a lunch brake as well. In this area you should watch out for all the boats overhead some of them can start moving without any warning. Also, in windy weather, make sure you will stay in the “inside part” of the Jackson reef as currents often splitg on the south corner to west and east side. Make sure you are not ascending under the boats and approaching them in a shallow water. Always ascend close to the reef!!!
If you are doing the “Hammerhead dive” on the “outside” make sure that you are not descending deeper than your guide. This place is known for the Scalloped hammerhead sharks in the summer and for Malabar grouper, Yellowfin tuna etc.
- this is a shallow dive site that is not difficult to dive at and should be dived only in not-windy conditions. This shallow wreck is easy to dive, but you may get entangled or stuck in some of the openings of the wreck. Also, if diving in windy conditions, make sure you stay far away from the reef as the waves will try to push you on it.
- this dive site has a wall descending in 60 degrees to the depth of more than 40 meters. If you are diving towards the Light House you should watch out for the currents as they are often very strong here! If you are diving towards the Lagoon, stay close to the reef and the bottom too as there are often boats passing above in and out from the lagoon.
- this is the only place in Strait of Tiran where you can make an introductory dives for the non- certified divers. This shallow area with some pinnacles is often visited by many boats, so watch out for their propellers. Make sure you descent and ascent close to the reef. Currents can also make this dive a bit difficult, so stay close to the reef were you will have some protection.
