Shark and Yolanda Reef, Egyptian Red Sea
Located at the very Southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Shark and Yolanda is one of the most popular dive sites in the area with the day boats from Sharm el Sheikh. Dives generally begin on Shark Reef where you will often see a school of barracuda. From there, continue round on the second reef where you will find the cargo from the wreck of the Yolanda which ran aground during a storm. Since then, the ship itself has slipped off the edge of the reef coming to rest at a depth of around 145m. There is still plenty of its cargo for Scuba divers to view with bath tubs, toilets and basins all over the place as well as plentiful marine life of all shapes and sizes.
This dive is best done as a drift dive starting from Shark Reef and continuing to Yolanda Reef. These are 2 twin mountain-like peaks rising up from a sandy sea bed that is spread out deep below the surface.It’s about 20 to 50 metres down, but the warm water and good visibility make it a comfortable dive. It’s separated from land by a channel so no wonder the Yolanda was wrecked here. Again it’s more suited to advanced divers. Go in the summer months for the most colourful selection of fish.
The other side, facing the west, is much shallower and constitutes part of the plateau that surrounds Yolanda Reef. There are literally thousands of jackfish, batfish and all kinds of sting rays on the densely coralled saddle. Scorpionfish are regularly spotted here, although it is quite a rare sight elsewhere.Finish your dive above the wreckage of the 'Yolanda', a wreck that made this reef its final resting place in the 70's.
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