Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef.
Two coral mounts at the tip of Ras Mohammed, joined by a saddle and cut off from the mainland by a shallow channel. The two reefs are dived together as a single drift along the wall, from Shark Reef (or from Anemone City) to Yolanda Reef. Yolanda Reef takes its name from a cargo ship wrecked there in 1980, whose sanitary-ware cargo still lies scattered on the reef. Currents are often strong and can change direction during the dive.
What's down there.
- Outer wall of Shark Reef, dropping to 750–800 m
- Saddle between the two reefs
- Scattered Yolanda cargo: toilets, baths and other sanitary ware
- Plateaus at 15–20 m
- Anemone City, where some drifts begin
- Schooling barracuda, jacks, batfish and snapper (summer)
- Surgeonfish and mackerel
- Grey reef sharks
- Napoleon wrasse
- Giant moray eels
- Blue-spotted stingrays
- Turtles
- Crocodilefish
- Purple soft corals on the south face
The two reef tops come to within about 0.5 m of the surface, with plateau areas at 15–20 m. Guided dives normally stay between about 18 and 30 m, and the Yolanda's scattered cargo lies at about 20–30 m. The outer wall of Shark Reef drops to 750–800 m or more.
Currents are strong and can switch direction during the dive. The prevailing flow runs north to south. There is no mooring, so the site is dived as a drift, with a quick negative entry to avoid being carried off the reef. The classic plan follows the current from Anemone City or Shark Reef along the wall, across the saddle, and finishes among the Yolanda wreckage. pro-taucher rates it for advanced divers. Boat time from Na'ama Bay is about 85–90 minutes (pro-taucher); other sources give about 1–2 hours from Sharm el-Sheikh. Guides describe the largest fish schools in summer, and Red Sea Diving College gives July–August as the peak, so early June comes before it. Protected status: inside Ras Mohammed National Park (declared 1983). In 2009 pro-taucher gave the park fee as €5 per diver per day and said passports and the full Egyptian visa (not the Sinai-only entry stamp) were needed. Night diving is not permitted in Egyptian marine parks (liveaboard.com, describing current practice).
How it got there.
The Yolanda was a Cypriot cargo ship, about 74 m long, that ran on to the reef on 1–2 April 1980. Her cargo included ceramic sanitary ware (toilets and baths), shower curtains, whisky and a BMW car said to belong to the captain. The hull stayed on the reef until 15 March 1987, when it slid down the wall; pro-taucher puts it at about 145 m. The cargo remains scattered on the reef slope.
3 dives.
From the log — the dates follow the pattern I dived, so read them as representative rather than exact.