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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Ras Mohammed location page.
Overview
The narrow channel between the Sinai coast and Tiran Island, where Red Sea water funnels into the Gulf of Aqaba and four reefs sit in a line across the current. South to north they run Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson, each named after a 19th-century British cartographer who mapped the strait. The Cypriot freighter Lara grounded on Jackson's northern face in 1982 and her rusted bow plates still break the surface, with the rest of the 137 m hull leaning down the wall to 70 m. Hard coral gardens cap the reef tops at 5 m and drop into walls and saddles patrolled by grey reef and whitetip sharks; Thomas Reef hides three arches that begin at 35 m, and a school of scalloped hammerheads is regularly sighted off the back of Jackson in late summer.
Briefing note
Currents in the strait can run 1–4 knots and reverse with the tide — brief on direction with the boat before splashing. The reefs are part of Ras Mohammed National Park; park fees apply and certain sectors are subject to access restrictions due to the Egypt–Saudi maritime boundary. Hammerheads in summer require a back-of-Jackson drop in blue water with no reef reference; only attempt with an experienced guide.
What you'll see
7 species curated- seasonalScalloped hammerhead sharkPeak: Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- year-roundGrey reef shark
- year-roundWhitetip reef shark
- year-roundNapoleon wrasse
- year-roundBigeye trevally
- year-roundHawksbill turtle
- year-roundAnthias and gorgonian fans
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- medium confidenceScalloped hammerhead shark
- Last confirmed
- Oct 2025
- Recent records
- 45 within 50 km
- Cluster months
- Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Wildbook (Sharkbook, Whale Shark, Manta Matcher) — Wild Me
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21–23 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Feb | 20–22 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Mar | 21–23 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Apr | 22–24 °C | 25–40 m | moderate |
| May | 24–26 °C | 25–40 m | moderate |
| Jun | 26–28 °C | 25–40 m | strong |
| Jul | 27–29 °C | 25–40 m | strong |
| Aug | 27–29 °C | 25–40 m | strong |
| Sep | 26–28 °C | 25–40 m | strong |
| Oct | 25–27 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Nov | 23–25 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Dec | 22–24 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- SMB + reel — Most dives end as drifts off the reef corners into open water between reefs; surface marker is required for boat pickup in the strong channel current.
Next step
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