RED SEA REEFS
Gordon Reef
Gordon
Reef is located in the middle of
the Straits of Tiran, between
Tiran island and the Sinai mainland,
and like Jackson Reef to the north,
is marked by the wreck of a large
commercial freighter. At the southern
end of the reef, there is also a
light beacon to keep other ships
off the reef. A permanent mooring
point lies just offshore near the
light.
The reef rises to just below the
surface of the water at high tide.
The area between the Sinai mainland
and the Gordon Reef is the western
side of the Strait's main shipping
channel. This channel is very deep
and is very close to the Gordon Reef.
The wall of the reef is sheer and
is covered with many fan corals and
soft corals. There are many open
ocean fish that can often be seen
in the blue waters around the reef.
There is a current that will carry
you at quite a fast pace, up to 2
knots, along the reef and will deposit
you in a sandy flat area 12m deep
that has many small coral heads and
reef fish.
The dive site encompasses a wide,
oval sloping patchy reef which extends
to the south and east of the shallow
circular reef top, rather like the
sloping brim of a baseball cap. The
reef composition is quite varied,
with patchy sections, sand beds and
full-fledged coral gardens. In the
centre of the reef slope, a 'shark
amphitheatre or bowl dips 20m - 24m.
A variety of shark species can be
seen sleeping on the sandy bottom.
The site boasts a very good range
of corals, with lots of branching
varieties. All of the corals are
well preserved, in densely grown
patches that often show a remarkable
mix of different species.
Fish life is not the most profuse
in the Straits of Tiran, but there
are some notable surprises including
a huge moray eel with a body as thick
as a small diver's waist. Triggerfish
abound while surgeons and jacks swim
in moderately large schools, and
angels, parrotfish and small wrasse
are all present in good numbers.
Large Napoleon wrasse can often be
seen along the reef.
The reef slope is suitable for relatively
inexperienced divers while more experienced
divers will enjoy the incredible
experience to be had at the shark
amphitheatre.
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