Lonely Planet Egypt: Diving the Red Sea

Discover Egypt. Includes FREE planning and background information. In 1989, a panel of scientists and conservationists chose the northern portion of this 1800kmlong body of water as one of the Seven Underwater Wonders of the World. Here divers will find coral mountains, shallow reefs swarming with brightly coloured fish, sheer drop-offs disappearing into unplumbed depths and coral-encrusted shipwrecks, all bathed in an ethereal blue hue. Indeed, the Red Sea boasts a legendary reputation among diving enthusiasts, and undoubtedly deserves its status as one of the world-s premier underwater destinations. The two jewels in the Red Sea-s crown are Ras Mohammed National Park, home to the -Holy Trinity- of Shark Reef, Eel Garden and the Yolanda, and the WWII wreck of the Thistlegorm, a British warship first discovered in the 1950s by Jacques Cousteau.