Sharm El Sheikh · Egypt · Reef · Wall · Drift
Ras Ghozlani
Table corals still intact on a slope opened to divers recently
Photo: mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
A corner of Ras Mohammed National Park dived as a slow descent down a sandy slope from 6 m to a drop-off at 25 to 30 m. There is rarely a current, the hard coral is still intact because the site opened to tourism only a few years ago, and the dive is closer to a coral-garden wander than to the park's wall dives.
Also known as Ras Ghazlani.
Where it is and how deep
27.7948° N, 34.2612° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The route winds along an extensive sandy slope that starts at about 6 m and descends to the drop-off at around 25 to 30 m. The table corals here are ancient and still whole: the site was opened to tourism only a few years ago, and the state of the hard coral shows it. Below the edge the reef keeps going past 40 m, but the dive has no reason to follow it that far.
There is rarely a current, so this is a dive you can set your own pace on. The table corals are the thing to look under: marble groupers use them as a resting place, and crocodile fish and blue-spotted stingrays are often tucked underneath them too. Gorgonian fans stand along the edge of the drop-off, and turtles are easy to spot along this stretch of reef.
It is worth turning away from the reef now and again. Eagle rays and whale sharks come in to feed on plankton that currents push up from the depths, and keeping an eye on the blue off the drop-off is occasionally rewarded with a manta ray. The site is always dived from a boat, on the same day-boat circuit as the rest of the park.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Stingrays
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sharm El Sheikh: Hammerhead sightings at Tiran peak June–September; winter winds can make Tiran crossings choppier.
Photos from Ras Ghozlani
mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Ras Ghozlani - Diving in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt · The Depth Explorer on YouTube
Diving in Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh. Ras Ghozlani divesite, 2020. HD · Scuba Notes by Dmitry on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Ras Ghozlani suitable for newly qualified divers?+
The slope starts at 6 m and there is rarely a current, so the shallow half of the dive is comfortable for new divers. The drop-off at 25 to 30 m is the part that needs Advanced-level depth training.
Sources
- Ras Ghazlani - Ras Mohammed dive site — PADI
- Ras Ghozlani Dive Map — Camel Dive Club & Hotel
- Ras Ghozlani, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt — Scuba Spot Advisor
Photo credits
- Coral head covered in purple and white growth with orange anthias schooling above it at Ras Ghozlani. by mattk1979, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
- Reef slope of hard and soft coral with orange anthias fish at Ras Ghozlani. by mattk1979, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
More dive sites in Sharm El Sheikh
Reef
Anemones holding a permanent population of anemonefish
Reef
The freighter Loullia aground on the reef since 1981
Reef
Two enormous caves filled with shoaling glassfish
Scalloped hammerheads off the back of the reef in late summer
A 1984 freighter broken up in 10 to 12 m of water
Lagoon
Shallow hard coral lagoon on the west side of Tiran Island
Wreck
A 175 m bulk carrier aground off Nabq since 1996
Coral blocks from 2 to 40 m on a sea-grass bottom
Similar dives elsewhere
A mushroom-shaped reef with a labyrinth of caves along its south side
An anemone garden of 40-plus anemonefish above a 35 m plateau
A resting pod of 60 to 80 spinner dolphins in the lagoon.
A vertical eastern edge dropping to 30 metres off Small Giftun