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Shark & Yolanda Reefs — illustrative image

Shark & Yolanda Reefs

Reef · Wall · Drift 5–30 m Intermediate Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed, Egypt
AI-generated illustration
Well documented Also known as: Shark Reef, Yolanda Reef
Depth
5–30 m / 16–98 ft
Typical depth
18 m / 59 ft
Visibility
15–30 m / 49–98 ft
Water
21–29 °C / 70–84 °F
Current
Moderate
Access
Boat
Best months
Jun–Oct
Recommended cert
Open Water; Advanced Open Water preferred for the current
Typical dive
~50 min

Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.

Two coral towers rise from a shared plateau off the very tip of Sinai, separated by a saddle and swept by the currents that make Ras Mohammed famous. Divers drop at Anemone City, cross to Shark Reef's vertical wall - a drift over deep blue with snapper, batfish, and barracuda massing in summer - then finish over Yolanda Reef among scattered toilets, bathtubs, and pipe fittings: cargo spilled by the freighter Jolanda, which ran onto the reef in 1980 before her hull slid down the drop-off; technical divers relocated it below 145 meters in 2005. A resident Napoleon wrasse usually inspects the traffic. In July and August the fish aggregations here rank with anything in the Red Sea.

The moment you come for: Summer snapper and batfish walls; Shark Reef's sheer drop; Yolanda's porcelain cargo field; resident Napoleon wrasse.

Topography: Two coral towers on a shared plateau over a wall that drops several hundred meters

Current: Flow at the point can strengthen mid-dive and split around both towers; guides read it on descent.

Entry: Dived as a drift inside Ras Mohammed National Park; groups usually drop at Anemone City and finish over Yolanda Reef.

Know before you splash

Hazards: Current shear at the point, boat traffic at the surface, and the temptation to overstay depth on the wall.

Permits & rules: National park fee, normally collected by the operator.

Conservation: Ras Mohammed National Park rules apply: no touching, no gloves, no collection of the Jolanda cargo.

Nitrox: Worth it here — profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).

Who you'll meet

For photographers

Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting

Australia, New Zealand & East Asia

Cairns & the Ribbon ReefsNingaloo ReefCoral Sea & Osprey ReefOkinawa & the Kerama IslandsPoor Knights IslandsTownsville & the YongalaGreen IslandIzu Peninsula

Caribbean & Western Atlantic

BonaireCozumelRiviera Maya & the CenotesBelize Barrier ReefGrand CaymanIsla Mujeres & CancúnRoatánTiger Beach & Grand Bahama

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Malta & GozoSilfra & IcelandThe AzoresCanary IslandsLarnaca & the ZenobiaScapa FlowArctic NorwayMadeira

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PalauChuuk (Truk) LagoonFakaravaKona, HawaiʻiRangiroaTaveuni & Rainbow ReefBeqa Lagoon & Pacific HarbourEspiritu Santo

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Sharm El Sheikh & Ras MohammedBrothers, Daedalus & St John'sDahabHurghada & El GounaMarsa Alam & the Deep SouthAqabaDaymaniyat IslandsMusandam Peninsula

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Bali & Nusa PenidaKomodoRaja AmpatSipadan & MabulAnilaoCoronKoh TaoLembeh Strait

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