Sharm El Sheikh · Egypt · Drift · Reef
Woodhouse Reef
A canyon running parallel to the reef's eastern side
Photo: Tim Sheerman-Chase · CC BY 2.0
Woodhouse Reef is a long, narrow reef in the Straits of Tiran, lying between Thomas Reef and Jackson Reef. It gives boats no shelter, so it is dived only as a drift, and the draw is the northern half of its eastern side, where a canyon opens along the reef.
Also known as Woodhouse.
Where it is and how deep
28.0003° N, 34.4658° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The drift follows the northern half of the eastern side. At about 30 m a canyon opens and runs parallel to the main axis of the reef, and following it leads to a sandy ledge where sharks are sometimes seen resting on the sand.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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.
Know before you go
- The water between Woodhouse Reef and Jackson Reef is known as the 'washing machine' for a powerful eddy driven by whirling currents and strong winds.
Dive videos
Diving in Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh. Woodhouse Reef, 2019. HD · Scuba Notes by Dmitry on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What is the washing machine near Woodhouse Reef?+
The stretch of water between Woodhouse Reef and Jackson Reef, where whirling currents and strong winds set up a powerful eddy.
Sources
- Sharm diving sites — Emperor Divers
- Straits of Tiran dive sites — Dive The World
- Woodhouse Reef — ScubaGo
Photo credits
- Close-up of a sea turtle with a pale, dark-blotched head and patterned flippers resting beside blue-tinted coral by Tim Sheerman-Chase, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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 current-swept ridge where grey reef sharks hold out in the blue
An easy drift with turtles asleep on the coral at 20 m
A coral garden cascading from the reef top to the sand
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A drift run deep to 26 m or shallow to 20 m