Red Sea is one of the world’s most popular diving destinations. It is as famous as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is located near to countries such as Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. The sea is also known as the Arabian Gulf. The Arabian Gulf plays an important role in the economy and political aspects of countries such as China, Africa and etc. The sea covers an area of 438,000 kilometer squares. It has a length of 2250 km and a width of 355 km.
why it is called the Red Sea?
Many tourists want to know why it is called the Red Sea. It is given this name not because the sea is red. Instead, there are other reasons that it is given this name. Some archeologists suggest that it is thus named because of the seasonal blooms of a water plant called Trichodesmium erythraeum. Trichodesmium erythraeum produce red color blossoms at a certain season every year. There are also some people that suggest that the name is derived from Himyarite. Actually, the name, Red Sea comes from a Greek phrase called Erythra Thalassa.
Life inside the Red Sea
It is estimated that it has more than 1200 types of fishes. Of the 1200 species of fishes, 42 species are fishes that live in the depth of the sea. Some of the fishes that live in the sea include stonefish, sharks and etc.
It is home to more than 200 types of corals. The reefs are old and believed to age between 5000 – 7000 years old. The sea is the habitat to 44 shark species. Besides, it is the habitat to marine plants such as salt marshes, mangroves and etc. Every year, birds from foreign countries will visit the sea. Bird watchers will find it a good spot to watch all kinds of birds.
Majority of the fish species in the sea are not harmful to human. However, there is a small number of fish species that are hazardous. These fish species often surface the water so you have to be careful. Some fish species can cause fatal death to human so you must take extra precaution when snorkeling or diving in the sea.
Red Sea Holidays Guide
Every year, millions of tourists from around the global go for Red Sea holidays. As a popular diving site, many tourist resorts are located along the sea. Some of the tourist resorts located along the sea includes Marsa Alam, Taba, and El Gouna. It became a world famous diving site after Hans Hass carry out the expeditions in 1950. It is also made popular by the expedition of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Many diving sites are located along the sea including Ras Mohammed, Elphinstone, Dolphin Reef and etc.
Tourists who are on Red Sea Holidays should remain in the safe diving sites recommended by the local tourist resorts. You are advised not to venture to the south of the sea as it has been reported that Somalian pirates are roaming there. There have been cases where tourists are attacked by Somalian pirates that travel on high speed motor boats.
Several shark attacks have taken place at the beaches near the Red Sea, particularly the Sharm el-Sheikh beach. Many tourists were severely injured after getting bitten by the sharks. You should not go to the beaches with sign posts that warn shark attacks.
Many companies provide cruises on the Nile River. The Nile River is located near to the Red Sea. Different types of cruises can be found along the river. If you have a larger budget, you can choose luxury cruise accommodation. At the cruise, tourists can enjoy all kinds of cuisines. Both hot and cold foods are served on the cruise. Most of the meals served at the restaurant in the cruise ship are international cuisines. If you take a full day tour, you can enjoy breakfast and lunch on the cruise ship. You can buy English cake from the restaurant aboard the cruise ship. Night cruise is available to tourists. At night, you can watch Nubian show on the cruise ship. By taking the Nile River cruise, you can visit other cities in Egypt including Cairo, Luxor and etc.
Besides, tourists can visit Aswan and the Giza Pyramid. The Giza Pyramid is one of the 7 wonders in the world. It offers fantastic architectural masterpieces.
Red Sea Diving
Red Sea diving is popular among tourists from the Europe. The actual location of the sea is in the Middle East. It is surrounded by borders of Middle Eastern countries such as Sudan, Israel and Egypt. Majority of these countries don’t have thriving diving industries. Egypt has the best diving industry. The tourist resort that most people go is located in Cairo.
During the summer, the water temperature is mid 80s Fahrenheit. Often, the temperature of the sea water is about 70 Fahrenheit. Occasionally, the water temperature will drops to 60 Fahrenheit. The dive resorts located near the Red Sea have their own dive sites. Different dive sites have different features. For example, Eliat, a dive site in Israel has an encrusted Fjord. Shark Reef is dive sites listed in the world’s top 10 dive sites. At Shark Reef, you will see many black trip reef sharks. Hammerhead sharks can also be seen swimming around the dive site. Other famous dive sites include Ras Mohammed National Park, Sharm al-Sheikh and etc. The diving trip is organized daily. Many dive sites offer diving course at affordable price. The Red Sea diving course usually last for 1 month. If you want to learn diving, you can enroll in the diving course.
Red Sea diving can be fun if you choose the right diving holiday package. The diving holiday packages offer vacations at different diving sites. You can choose the package that includes a vacation at your favorite diving sites. It is recommended that you choose the all inclusive diving package. Al inclusive diving package includes all the accommodations you need during your vacation at the Red Sea. Scuba diving package usually include meals on the boat. Diving accessories such as flippers, diving suit and etc will not be provided for customers. You have to prepare them yourself. If you don’t want to buy the diving accessories, you can rent them from the rental shop at Red Sea. It is important that you are accompanied with a diving expert. It can be dangerous to dive into a sea if you are not familiar with the right technique of diving.