Ever
since Jacques Cousteau first explored its waters four decades
ago, the Red Sea has attracted and amazed divers from all over
the world. Nowhere are the coral walls and gardens more brilliantly
abundant, the waters more crystalline, or underwater life more
varied and plentiful.
Along
the Southern and Eastern shores of Sinai astounding sites are
scattered like pearls for hundreds of miles, from the celebrated
walls and holes of Dahab to the truly unmatched splendor of Ras
Mohamed's lush underwater scenery.
The Red Sea, in Arabic Bahr el-Ahmar, is
part of the Indian Ocean and lies between Africa and Arabia. It
is linked to the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal. In geological
terms the sea bed is a fault dating from the Tertiary Era and
is a depression with sheer sides.
The
depth of the depression reaches 2000 m (6,562 ft) in parts, although
the average depth is about 500 m (1,640 ft) and the coastal areas
are built up with shelfs and coral reefs. The water is very saline,
containing about 4% salt and is astonishingly warm.
The average temperature of the water is
22 ؛C (72 ؛F), but the surface temperature in summer
can reach up to 34 ؛C (93 ؛F).
Along
the Southern and Eastern shores of Sinai astounding sites are
scattered like pearls for hundreds of miles, from the celebrated
walls and holes of Dahab to the truly unmatched splendor of Ras
Mohamed's lush underwater scenery.
The
depth of the depression reaches 2000 m (6,562 ft) in parts, although
the average depth is about 500 m (1,640 ft) and the coastal areas
are built up with shelfs and coral reefs. The water is very saline,
containing about 4% salt and is astonishingly warm.