Ras Mohammed area and indeed in the Red Sea. Travel time by boat from Na’ama Bay is about 90 minutes. The dive site itself consists of two reefs, Shark and Yolanda. Both reefs rest on a gently seaward-sloping coral plateau extending, from the reef plate at a depth of 5 meters to the edge of the plateau between the reefs at a depth of 25 meters. Shark Reef is clearly the more colorful and spectacular of the two, with its sheer wall and abundant marine life both large and small. Yolanda Reef, the larger of the two, is named after the vessel which sank here in 1980, depositing its cargo of bathroom fixtures and utilities.

    Yolanda's contents are now home to many of the resident population. Although much of the ship has fallen over the drop-off, a quantity of the cargo remains for the amusement of the visiting divers and is of interest to photographers.The two reefs are approximately 40 meters apart. There are two mooring lines on the plateau - one is at a depth of 7 meters between Shark and Yolanda Reef, the second is close to the wreck, just to the south of Yolanda Reef.

    Shark and Yolanda Reef can be dived in various ways; from the shore (also good snorkeling close to the reef plate), and from the boat either as a drift dive or as a mooring dive. The Shark and Yolanda Reef dive site is of special interest because of its geographical location at the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez. When planning a dive here, take into careful consideration some of the local factors which influence this site - current strength and direction, time of day, sunlight direction, as well as depth and time limits.

    This dive is for experienced divers only - the current is very unpredictable and has been likened to diving in a huge washing machine. To the south of Yolanda Reef, visibility may be limited during tidal changes. Usually the dive takes the form of a clockwise route starting at the drop-off on Shark Reef (keeping the wall on the right-hand side), crossing the sloping plateau between the two reefs and continuing towards Yolanda to finish at the wreck contents in the south.

    Marine life ranges from large Napoleon wrasse, turtles, moray eels, snapper and barracuda, to the white-tip and gray reef sharks, eagle rays and on occasion, manta rays. Hard and soft corals are in plentiful supply as are large Gorgonian fan corals. When you have dived this wonderful site, you will understand why it is rated among the best in the world.