Snorkeling at Sharm el-Sheikh

We awoke in this little bay filled with yachts backed by the rocky mountains at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula.  We were in Sharm el-Sheikh.

 When Israel captured the Sinai in the 1967 "Six-day War", the area was a naval base for the Egyptian military and an occasional stopping place for local fishermen.  The Israelis recognized the potential of the area due to its favorable climate, long sandy beaches, and beautiful coral reefs.  They built a city they named "Ofira" and opened it to tourism.  After the Sinai Peninsula reverted to Egypt due to the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979, it continued to grow into what our guide told us is the 5th best resort area in the world.   It is sometimes called the "City of Peace" because of all the peace conferences that have been held there.

This pedestrian promenade forms the center of the area's nightlife.

The 3 resorts present in 1982 grew to 91 in 2000.  

I signed up for the snorkeling excursion.  David had planned to view the coral reef from a glass bottom boat, but after yesterday's arduous trip to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, he wasn't up to the 6:45 am start.


The snorkeling excursion included enough guests to fill 3 buses and 3 boats.  We boarded in Naama Bay.

The 22 of us fit comfortably on the large boat.  There were five crew members who helped fit us with flippers, masks and snorkels.  They gave basic instructions then kept track of us while in the water.  After our first dive, they provided a light lunch.

We sailed for about 45 minutes past non-stop resorts.  

The temperature was very pleasant while cruising on the boat.  When we got into the water I was surprised to find it much cooler than I expected.  The visibility in the water was great and there were many different varieties of fish and coral.  

My first snorkeling experience was 7 1/2 years ago when I came to Israel to visit Crystal and her family.  There was a place to snorkel at a beach near Eilat and I instantly fell in love with the sport.  I found it so calming to leave the surface world of man and enter the underwater world of marine life.  I've loved having a chance to do it again on this trip in Bora Bora, the Great Barrier Reef, and again in the Red Sea.  

Our fun ended all too soon as we had to be back on the ship for an early sail-out in order to be in position the next morning for our transit of the Suez Canal.






Here's my "you don't see this everyday" moment.  These cell towers could probably pass for a real palm tree except for the fact that no palm grows that tall.  Maybe cell towers come in this variety in California, but not in Utah.