Ras Za'atar - Ras Mohammed

Ras Za'atar is a spectacular wall dive on the northern edge of Ras Mohammed National Park — a sheer coral cliff that drops past 80 meters into the deep blue, its face riddled with vertical cracks, small caves, and overhangs that create one of the most texturally rich wall profiles in the Sinai. The name translates as 'Cape Thyme,' a reference to the aromatic herbs that grow on the nearby clifftops above water. The dive is performed as a drift along the wall's face, with divers descending to 25-30 meters and cruising in the gentle northward current. The wall is covered in gorgonian fans, black coral bushes, and red and purple soft corals that thrive in the nutrient-rich waters where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the open Red Sea. Crevices and small caves along the face shelter giant moray eels, lionfish, scorpionfish, and sometimes resting whitetip reef sharks during daytime. Marine life is exceptional. Napoleon wrasse and large groupers cruise the wall, hawksbill turtles graze the sponges, and the deeper sections attract grey reef sharks, eagle rays, and the occasional tuna or giant trevally patrolling the blue. Schools of bannerfish, surgeonfish, and fusiliers drift along the face, while the shallow top of the wall (at 5-10 meters) hosts dense anthias populations and a full complement of reef fish species. Ras Za'atar is accessible to Advanced Open Water divers with drift-diving experience. The site is inside Ras Mohammed National Park and reached by day boat from Sharm el-Sheikh. It is often combined with Shark Reef, Yolanda Reef, or Anemone City on a full-day itinerary. Conditions are best from March through November, with visibility typically in the 25-35 meter range and the calmest seas in spring and autumn.