Egypt is famous for its vibrant underwater life and visiting Sharm El Sheikh best snorkelling places will allow you to see the Red Sea’s finest coral gardens. The city has a long coastline fringed by healthy reefs that are easily accessible at several spots from the shore. In this guide, we share with you what are the best locations and hotels to stay for those who look for easy shore snorkelling in Sharm El Sheikh!
Many people agree that Sharm el Sheikh is the top destination to go if it comes to snorkeling With stunning coral reefs, big schools of tropical fish, turtles, stingrays, occasional mantas and whale sharks sightings, this location an underwater paradise.
Although almost all resorts have beach access offering snorkelling from the shore, but for the best holiday experience, we recommend you to look for a hotel that locates directly in one of Sharm el Sheikh best snorkelling regions. To know where are the corals the prettiest, we provide you here with a list that features many details as well as what-to-see info about the best spots to snorkel in Sharm el Sheikh. Let’s discover the stunning coral reefs of the Montazah and El Fanar area!
Best snorkelling places in Al Montazah area
If you want to explore Sharm El Sheikh best snorkeling spots, the perfect place to stay is definitely the Al Montazah region. This area is just a 15 minutes drive from the Sharm Elsheikh airport and has a wide variety of hotels to choose from. The long coastline of the Montazah is considered having the healthiest corals and divided into 3 areas, the Ras Nasrani, Ras Ghamila and Ras Bob reefs.
Ras Nasrani
In Arabic, Ras Nasrani means Christian’s Head means. This rich coral wall can be found between the Albatros Palace Sharm (ex Grand Cyrene and Melia Sharm) and Sunrise Remal Beach Resort (ex Melia Sinai, Melton Beach) hotels. The water is deeper from the Albatros’ side, but there is a shallow area in front of the Remal Beach.
Here you find a nice lagoon with sandy bottom, good light conditions and many playful fish including napoleon wrasses and sometimes turtles! By good visibility, you might see gorgonian corals in the deeper waters (at about 18-20 m).
If you leave the sandy lagoon and swim alongside the reef, the water will be deeper, this area is for advanced snorkellers! Stay close to the coral wall and watch the currents!
The Ras Nasrani offers the best Sharm el Sheikh snorkeling experience with shoals of sergeant majors, surgeonfish, colorful sea clams, scorpionfish, crocodile fish, and lionfish to see. Observe the wide variety of coral colonies that give home to thousands of fish! In the deep, you might spot blue eagle rays too! The luckiest snorkellers and divers use to see manta rays or even whale sharks here!
best snorkelling places in Ras Ghamila
The name Ras Ghamila means delightful Cape in Arabic. This area starts at Coral Sea Sensatori Resort, the end of the site is marked by a green beacon. If you go snorkeling here, always check the currents; sometimes they could be strong.
The reef is relatively shallow (10-15 m) with sandy bottom. We were impressed by the underwater landscape here that features coral heads, pinnacles and small caverns. The Ras Ghamila has the largest number of sea fans in the region. Expect to see turtles, eagle and fantail rays, crocodile and lionfish! Big school of bannerfish, butterfly fish and of course clownfish, sergeant major fish, surgeon and parrotfish, hawkfish and pufferfish are also around. Those who love to look for miniature sea creatures can find some nudibranchs and sea worms!
Ras Bob
Ras Bob is an easy snorkeling and diving place right next to the Melton Beach’s floating platform. It is sheltered from wind and waves with no strong currents. The place got its name after Bob Johson underwater cameraman who worked in this region for many years.
Although the reef is not so that colorful here but a nice place for novice snorkelers and beginner divers. Anemonefish, banner and butterflyfish, parrotfish, crocodile fish and rainbow wrasses, blue spotted eagle rays are the main species you can see here.
Ras Um Sid – El Fanar Beach
The El Fanar or Faraana Bay is definitely heaven for underwater explorers! This big bay is sheltered by high cliffs that guarantee an absolutely stunning view. The left corner of the bay is known as Ras Um Sid that is definitely a must-visit one of Sharm el Sheikh best snorkeling spots. Thanks to the constant nutrient-rich currents, the reef is teeming with life! You will be amazed by the amount of fish and the abundance of corals when snorkeling here!
You can visit this spot even if you are staying at a different hotel through the El Fanar Beach for a small fee. The Ras Um Sid is an easy-to-visit site, but the El Fanar Bay offers two further Sharm el-Sheikh best snorkeling spots, the Temple Reef and the Ras Kathy area.
