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A school of fish glides over a coral reef in the deep blue water off Ras Mohammed, near Sharm El Sheikh.

Sharm El Sheikh · Egypt · Reef

Naama Bay Jolie Ville

Coral blocks from 2 to 40 m on a sea-grass bottom

Area photo: patano · CC BY-SA 3.0

A dive spot in the middle of Naama Bay, where coral blocks stand between 2 and 40 m on a bottom of sea grass. The bay is a protected area with no boat traffic over it and there is nearly no current, which is why the life on the blocks is as varied as it is. Depth is a matter of which blocks you work along.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Naama Bay Jolie Ville: typical dive 2–40 m (7–130 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit2 m40 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

27.9110° N, 34.3282° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The site sits in the middle of Naama Bay rather than out on an exposed headland, and what you dive is a set of coral blocks standing off a bottom of sea grass. They begin in 2 m of water and the deepest of them reach 40 m, so the profile is set by which blocks you choose to work along rather than by the shape of a single reef.

There is nearly no current to plan around, and the bay is a protected area without boat traffic across it, both of which show in how diversified the marine life is. Sea grass fills the ground between the blocks, and the shallow end of the site gives somewhere unhurried to finish a dive that started on the deeper blocks further out.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Naama Bay Jolie Ville
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFair

Season follows Sharm El Sheikh: Hammerhead sightings at Tiran peak June–September; winter winds can make Tiran crossings choppier.

Sources

  1. Naama Bay Jolie Ville — Scubago

In The Logbook

More dive sites in Sharm El Sheikh

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Jackfish Alley

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6–20 mintermediate

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Ras Ghozlani

Table corals still intact on a slope opened to divers recently

6–30 m · max 40 mintermediate

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Temple

A tiny swim-through that opens out into the blue

6–30 mintermediate

Wall

Ras Umm Sid

A column of gorgonian fans standing from 14 to 28 m

15–40 m · max 70 mintermediate

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White Knight

A gully with swim-throughs at 10 m and at 35 m

10–35 mintermediate

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Ras Ghamila

Feathertail stingrays, barracuda and grouper over a broad plateau

14–26 mintermediate

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Gordon Reef

The freighter Loullia aground on the reef since 1981

10–24 mintermediate

Wall

Thomas Reef

Whitetip and leopard sharks resting on a ledge at 25 m

to 25 m · max 90 mintermediate

Similar dives elsewhere

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Umm Sid

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to 35 madvanced

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Walk-in bay entry onto north and south reefs

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A 5 m platform off the beach, and diving down to 40 m

5–40 mintermediate