The Vale family go looking at the coral in the Red Sea

What a great place if your interested in swiming snorkling and diving with all the tank equipment then this is the place to go so many places to look around that coral .and many beaches lots of boat trips to take you out to wrecks and reafes.



Specialising in Red Sea diving holidays since 1986, Camel Dive Club is located in Sharm El Sheikh, at the southern tip of Egypt's Sinai peninsula.
With its pristine coral reefs and countless species of fish, Sharm El Sheikh offers easy access to over forty dive sites, including famous dives in Ras Mohammed National Park and the Straits of Tiran.
Enjoy world class wreck diving on the SS Thistlegorm, join us for liveaboard diving, or learn to dive through an exciting PADI diving course.
The award-winning Camel Dive Club & Hotel is designed by divers, for divers. It has comfortable accommodation, a PADI 5* diving centre, restaurants and the famous Camel Bar and Roof, all on-site. Read what our visitors have to say in Tripadvisor!
Whether you are diving or snorkelling, visiting St Katherine's monastery and Ras Mohammed National Park, or simply relaxing in the cosmopolitan resort of Sharm el Sheikh, Camel Dive Club & Hotel is an ideal base from which to enjoy a holiday on the Red Sea Riviera.
Cameldive.com has been designed as a resource for scuba divers and non-divers alike. Dive site maps, underwater pictures, as well as useful information about accommodation can all be found here.

The Red Sea offers a seascape which is unquestionably one of the most beautiful in the world and Port Sudan is famous for its rich sea life. Turtles roam the sea and manta rays hover over the cleaning stations whilst devil rays cruise by over the reef.

Away from the reef, there are schools of barracudas as well as grey reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks and leopard sharks which all patrol the sea.

Sailing the waters from Port Sudan will take you to the very best dive spots in the Red Sea. Spectacular wrecks as well as the marine life are just some of the attractions on offer for the diver and underwater photographer.

The Red Sea according to Peter Kemp and his trip to Sudan.
A short boat trip out of Port Sudan takes you to the wreck of the 'Umbria' which is a big passenger and argo ship lying perfectly preserved in the sea along with its cargo of 300,000 bombs. The 'Blue Bell' is another wreck which divers like to visit and this ship is still loaded with Japanese cars. Both wrecks have become a legend with divers and photographers.

If you would like a holiday of a life time then the "Don Questo" liveaboard is your answer. Why not join us for your ultimate red sea diving holiday where the deep sea diving is outstanding, the ship wrecks are truely amazing and the coral reefs are spectacular.

History
The Egyptians were the first to attempt a mission of exploration in the Red Sea.

The Bible, in the book of Exodus, famously tells the story of how Moses leads the Israelites across its headwaters, (presumably the Reed Sea which has since disappeared because of the Suez Canal water diversion) to freedom, by using the powers of God to part the waters. There is no extant archaeological evidence to support this claim. The common misinterpretation of y'am Suf is the Red Sea, so people thought Moses crossed the Red Sea. If this really happened, they really crossed the Reed Sea, the real meaning of y'am Suf.

It was a Greek sailor, Hippalus, who conferred an international dimension upon the Red Sea in his manifesto on the voyage of the Eritrea Sea and thus opened it up to an immense and exclusive trade with Asia. It was only from the 15th century onwards that Europe began to show interest in this area. In 1798, France charged General Bonaparte with invading Egypt and capturing the Red Sea. Although he failed in his mission, the engineer J.B. Lepere, who took part in it revitalised the plan for a canal which had been envisaged during the reign of the Pharaohs. The Suez Canal was opened in November 1869. At the time, the British, French, and Italians shared the trading posts. The posts were gradually dismantled following the First World War. After the Second World War, the Americans and Soviets exerted their influence whilst the volume of oil tanker traffic intensified. However, the Six Day War culminated in the closure of the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975. Still today, in spite of patrols by the major maritime fleets in the waters of the Red Sea, the Suez Canal has never recovered its supremacy over the Cape route, which is believed to be less vulnerable.


Oceanography
The Red Sea lies between arid land, desert and semi-desert. The main reasons for the better development of reef systems along the Red Sea is because of its greater depths and an efficient water circulation pattern, The Red Sea water mass exchanges its water with the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean via the Gulf of Aden. These physical factors reduce the effect of high salinity caused by evaporation and cold water in the north and relatively hot water in the south.

Climate: The climate of the Red Sea is the result of two distinct monsoon seasons; a northeasterly monsoon and a southwesterly monsoon. Monsoon winds occur because of the differential heating between the land surface and sea. Very high surface temperatures coupled with high salinities makes this one of the hottest and saltiest bodies of seawater in the world. The average surface water temperature of the Red Sea during the summer is about 26 °C (79 °F) in the north and 30 °C (86 °F) in the south, with only about 2 °C (3.6 °F) variation during the winter months. The overall average water temperature is 22 °C (72 °F). The rainfall over the Red Sea and its coasts is extremely low averaging 0.06 m (2.36 in) per year; the rain is mostly in the form of showers of short spells often associated with thunderstorms and occasionally with dust storms. The scarcity of rainfall and no major source of fresh water to the Red Sea result in the excess evaporation as high as 205 cm (81 in) per year and high salinity with minimal seasonal variation.

Salinity: The Red Sea is one of the most saline water bodies in the world, due to the effects of the water circulation pattern, resulting from evaporation and wind stress. Salinity ranges between 3.6 and 3.8%.

Tidal range: In general tide ranges between 0.6 m (2 ft) in the north, near the mouth of the Gulf of Suez and 0.9 m (3 ft) in the south near the Gulf of Aden but it fluctuates between 0.20 m (0.66 ft) and 0.30 m (0.98 ft) away from the nodal point. The central Red Sea (Jeddah area) is therefore almost tideless, and as such the annual water level changes are more significant. Because of the small tidal range the water during high tide inundates the coastal sabkhas as a thin sheet of water up to a few hundred meters rather than inundating the sabkhas through a network of channels. However, south of Jeddah in the Shoiaba area the water from the lagoon may cover the adjoining sabkhas as far as 3 km (2 mi) whereas, north of Jeddah in the Al-kharrar area the sabkhas are covered by a thin sheet of water as far as 2 km (1.2 mi). The prevailing north and northeastern winds influence the movement of water in the coastal inlets to the adjacent sabkhas, especially during storms. Winter mean sea level is 0.5 m (1.6 ft) higher than in summer. Tidal velocities passing through constrictions caused by reefs, sand bars and low islands commonly exceed 1-2 metres per second (3–6.5 ft/s).

Current: In the Red Sea detailed current data is lacking, partially because they are weak and variable both spatially and temporally. Temporal and spatial currents variation is as low as 0.5 m (1.6 ft) and are governed mostly by wind. In summer NW winds drive surface water south for about four months at a velocity of 15-20 cm per second (6–8 in/sec)., whereas in winter the flow is reversed resulting in the inflow of water from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea. The net value of the latter predominates, resulting in an overall drift to the northern end of the Red Sea. Generally the velocity of the tidal current is between 50-60 cm per second (20–23.6 in/sec) with a maximum of 1 m (3 ft) per sec. at the mouth of the al-Kharrar Lagoon. However, the range of north-northeast current along the Saudi coast is 8-29 cm per second (3–11.4 in/sec).

Wind Regime: With the exception of the northern part of the Red Sea, which is dominated by persistent north-west winds, with speeds ranging between 7 km/h (4 mph) and 12 km/h (7 mph)., the rest of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are subjected to the influence of regular and seasonally reversible winds. The wind regime is characterized by both seasonal and regional variations in speed and direction with average speed generally increasing northward.

Wind is the driving force in the Red Sea for transporting the material either as suspension or as bedload. Wind induced currents play an important role in the Red Sea in initiating the process of resuspension of bottom sediments and transfer of materials from sites of dumping to sites of burial in quiescent environment of deposition. Wind generated current measurement is therefore important in order to determine the sediment dispersal pattern and its role in the erosion and accretion of the coastal rock exposure and the submerged coral beds.


Geology

Dust storm over the Red SeaThe Red Sea formed by Arabia splitting from Africa due to plate tectonics. This split started in the Eocene and accelerated during the Oligocene. The sea is still widening and it is considered that the sea will become an ocean in time (as proposed in the model of John Tuzo Wilson).

Sometime during the Tertiary period the Bab el Mandeb closed and the Red Sea evaporated to an empty hot dry salt-floored sink. Effects causing this would be:-

A "race" between the Red Sea widening and Perim Island erupting filling the Bab el Mandeb with lava.
The lowering of world sea level during the Ice Ages due to much water being locked up in the ice caps.
Today surface water temperatures remain relatively constant at 70–77 °F (21–25 °C) and temperature and visibility remain good to around 660 feet (200 m), but the sea is known for its strong winds and tricky local currents.

In terms of salinity, the Red Sea is greater than the world average, approximately 4 percent. This is due to several factors: 1) high rate of evaporation and very little precipitation, 2) a lack of significant rivers or streams draining into the sea, and 3) limited connection with the Indian Ocean (and its lower water salinity).

A number of volcanic islands rise from the center of the sea. Most are dormant, but in 2007, Jabal al-Tair island erupted violently.


Living resources

Red Sea coral and marine fishThe Red Sea is a rich and diverse ecosystem. More than 1100 species of fish[2] have been recorded in the red sea, and around 10% of these are found nowhere else.[3] This also includes around 75 species of deepwater fish.[2] The rich diversity is in part due to the 2,000 km (1,240 mi) of coral reef extending along its coastline; these fringing reefs are 5000-7000 years old and are largely formed of stony acropora and porites corals. The reefs form platforms and sometimes lagoons along the coast and occasional other features such as cylinders (such as the blue hole at Dahab). These coastal reefs are also visited by pelagic species of red sea fish, including some of the 44 species of shark.

The special biodiversity of the area is recognised by the Egyptian government, who set up the Ras Mohammed National Park in 1983. The rules and regulations governing this area protect local wildlife, which has become a major draw for tourists, in particular for diving enthusiasts.

Divers and snorkellers should be aware that although most Red Sea species are innocuous, a few are hazardous to humans.[4]

Other marine habitats include sea grass beds, salt pans, mangroves and salt marshes.


Mineral resources
In terms of mineral resources the major constituents of the Red Sea sediments are as follows:

Biogenic constituents:
Nannofossils, foraminifera, pteropods, siliceous fossils
Volcanogenic constituents:
Tuffites, volcanic ash, montmorillonite, cristobalite, zeolites
Terrigenous constituents:
Quartz, feldspars, rock fragments, mica, heavy minerals, clay minerals
Authigenic minerals:
Sulfide minerals, aragonite, Mg-calcite, protodolomite, dolomite, quartz, chalcedony.
Evaporite minerals:
Magnesite, gypsum, anhydrite, halite, polyhalite
Brine precipitate:
Fe-montmorillonite, goethite, hematite, siderite, rhodochrosite, pyrite, sphalerite, anhydrite.

Desalination plants
There is extensive demand of desalinated water to meet the requirement of the population and the industries along the Red Sea.

There are at least 18 desalination plants along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia which discharge warm brine and treatment chemicals (chlorine and anti-scalants) that may cause bleaching and mortality of corals and diseases to the fish stocks. Although this is only a localized phenomenon, it may intensify with time and have a profound impact on the fishing industry.

The water from the Red Sea is also utilized by oil refineries and cement factories for cooling purposes. Used water drained back into the coastal zones may cause harm to the nearshore environment of the Red Sea.


Facts and figures at a glance
Length: ~1,900 km (1,181 mi) - 79% of the eastern Red Sea with numerous coastal inlets
Maximum Width: ~ 306–354 km (190–220 mi)– Massawa (Eritrea)
Minimum Width: ~ 26–29 km (16–18 mi)- Bab el Mandeb Strait (Yemen)
Average Width: ~ 280 km (174 mi)
Average Depth: ~ 490 m (1,608 ft)
Maximum Depth: ~2,850 m (9,350 ft)
Surface Area: 438-450 x 10² km² (16,900–17,400 sq mi)
Volume: 215–251 x 10³ km³ (51,600–60,200 cu mi)
Approximately 40% of the Red Sea is quite shallow (under 100 m/330 ft), and about 25% is under 50 m (164 ft) deep.
About 15% of the Red Sea is over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) depth that forms the deep axial trough.
Shelf breaks are marked by coral reefs
Continental slope has an irregular profile (series of steps down to ~500 m/1,640 ft)
Centre of Red Sea has a narrow trough (~ 1,000 m/3,281 ft; some deeps may exceed 2,500 m/8,202 ft)

Some of the research cruises in the Red Sea
Numerous research cruises have been conducted:

Arabia Felix (1761-1767)
Vitiaz (1886-1889)
Valdivia (1898-1894)
Pola (1897-98) Southern Red Sea and (1895/96 – Northern Red Sea
Ammiraglio Magnaghi (1923/24)
Snellius (1929 –1930)
Mabahiss (1933-1934 and 1934-1935)
Albatross (1948)
Manihine (1849 and 1952)
Calypso (1955)
Atlantis and Vema (1958)
Xarifa (1961)
Meteor (1961)
Glomar Challenger (1971)
Sonne (1997)
Meteor (1999)

Tourism
The sea is known for its spectacular dive sites such as Ras Mohammed, SS Thistlegorm (ship wreck), Elphinstone, The Brothers and Rocky Island in Egypt, Dolphin Reef in Eilat, Israel and less known sites in Sudan such as Sanganeb, Abington, Angarosh and Shaab Rumi (see photo above).

The Red Sea became known a sought-after diving destination after the expeditions of Hans Hass in the 1950s, and later by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Popular tourist resorts include Sharm-El-Sheikh and Hurghada (and recently Marsa Alam) and Dahab in Egypt, as well as Eilat, Israel in an area known as the Red Sea Riviera.



Life in the Red sea Egypt 2007 The Vales hols