Snorkeling in Sharm

July 3 - 5, 2008
October 6 - 9, 2004
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blue spotted sting ray	picasso fish	cornet fish
angel fish	blue trigger fish	crown butterfly fish two tone damsel fish
masked pufferfish	moray eel	yellow trigger fish
July, 2008: Sting rays, a giant eel and BIG fish! Snorkeling in the Middle and Far Gardens in Na'ama Bay, just off Hyatt while staying at the Continental with Marty and family. We saw three blue spotted rays laying above the sandy sea bottom - two on one morning and one the next. There was also a giant moray eel swimming along the deepest part of the reef - probably 7 feet long! Spotted several very large trigger fish too. Check out the purple colored coral behind the pufferfish. I saw this in a number of formations. What makes this reef so interesting is that there are cascading coral formations. That is, there are mounds of coral jutting out from the sandy bottom about 5 feet from the reef walls. Coral formations run along the sea bottom and join the reef wall to these mounds at quite a few locations. So in effect, in these spots you can easily snorkel above the dramatic coral formations while at the same time you have the reef wall to one side. This is how the "garden" is formed. Resources: Blue-spotted stingray, Masked pufferfish, Moray eel, Picasso fish, Angel, butterfly, trigger and cornet fish, Two banded clownfish
parrot fish	masked butterfly fish	school of fish
clams	lion fish	two banded clown fish
October, 2004: email re: Starring in a Jacques Cousteau special? We had a 4-day holiday for the October 6 Freedom Day, which we enjoyed in the Egyptian resort area called Sharm el-Sheikh. It’s in the Sinai on the Rea Sea and boasts excellent sea life. I snorkeled for the first time. In fact, that parrotfish was the first creature I saw. As a novice struggling to adjust my rented gear about 7 feet from the shore, I decided to put my masked face in the water. This colorful guy popped up about two feet away! And that’s how big he was – just quietly vacuuming the bottom, not long after sunrise. His appearance encouraged me to master the fins and swim out to the reef in the hopes of further excitement. There the reef was less than a meter under the surface so it was easy to follow along the length of the waterfront. I saw a lonely pair of butterfly fish, hanging out just under the coral. It was shady there, but their brilliant yellow color attracts. I swam away for a while, and caught them moving slowly around, always within a few protective inches of each other. While snorkeling off the floating pier, schools of purple shimmering fish surrounded me, darting quickly away if I changed direction, never getting too close. Brilliant blue, purplish clams stood out amongst the coral. Three lion fish were hanging around the jetty in the crystal water, about half way out to the pier. I’m reading that they sting quite a bit, but you wouldn’t guess that from their flowery appearance. There were fish that looked like zebras, angels, needles and more. And corral that resembled flowers, lace and bushes. This was a colorful world recreated underwater in what the locals call the Garden City. What a contrast to the land in the Sinai – stark, barren and earthy brown. Nature truly amazes! Those of you who are dive or snorkeling fans remember your first underwater experience. Thanks for patiently reading about mine – I was a bit closer to some of the amazing views you’ve described. It all felt a bit like starring in a Jacques Cousteau special!