 Giant moray on Jolanda Reef | ||
| Anemone City, Shark Reef and Jolanda Reef مدينة القروش وشعاب اليولاندا وشقائق النعمان | ||
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The Anemone City (Anemone City), the Shark reef (English: Shark Reef, Hairiff) and the Jolanda Reef (English: Jolanda Reef or Yolanda Reef) are the most popular and well-known due to their diverse underwater world of fish and corals egyptian Diving area of Red sea. The Diving and snorkeling area is located at Raʾs Muḥammad National Park South from Sharm esch-Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai.
background
Almost at the Southern tip of the Sinai are located in the Raʾs Muḥammad National Park at the exit of the Hidden Bay (Hidden bay) two large and one small free-standing reef. The more northerly of the two large reefs is that Shark reef, the southern that Jolanda Reef (occasionally also imprecise Yolanda Reef). North of the Shark Reef is a group of corals named Anemone City, Anemone City. West of the Jolanda Reef there is another, much smaller reef that is plain and simple Satellite Reef, Satellite reef, called. The reef roofs are about half a meter below the water surface. There is a lagoon between the reefs and the shore.
In the past, large numbers of sharks such as the blacktip shark (also known as blue shark, Carcharhinus limbatus) and the gray reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), which gave the northern reef its name. The more southerly reef got its name from the one that accrued here in 1980 MS Jolanda.
The strong ones Currents on the reefs provide the area with food such as plankton, so that a diverse marine flora and fauna could develop here. In addition to various hard and soft corals, you can also find predatory fish, barracudas, mackerel and bat fish. These currents only allow drift dives and require skill and experience from the divers.
On the night of April 1 to April 2, 1980, the Cypriot cargo ship ran Jolanda on the Jolanda Reef. The 1964 from the S. A. Juliana Constructora, Gijon, for the Cypriot shipping company Sea Brother Marine Sjipping Co. The ship built was 74.7 meters long, 10.7 meters wide and had a draft of 5.8 meters and a tonnage of 1,910 gross tons. On its last trip from Piraeus to Aqaba, it had loaded sanitary equipment such as bathtubs, sinks and toilets as well as plastic and aluminum boards, boxes of whiskey, several containers and a BMW 320. The latter belonged to the captain. The ship hung firmly on the reef with its stern over the abyss. Four days later it tipped over to port. It remained in this unstable position for seven years until it slipped completely into the sea in a violent storm. The wreck lies at a depth of 200 meters today. Only a valley of the cargo at the foot of the reef still tells of the accident today.
getting there
Divers usually travel on a day trip boat from the jetty jetty) in the south of the Naʿama Bay from Sharm esch-Sheikh or from the jetty in Old Sharm. The goal is also within the so-called north route Strait of Gūbāl driven by safari boats.
The ships can only anchor on the east side of the reefs. Driving on the lagoon is not possible.
Tourist Attractions
In principle, a visit from Anemone City to the wreck of the Jolanda is possible in one dive. Most of the time you start in the area of the Shark Reef. The prevailing currents only allow drift dives from north to south.
The currents come from the north and split on Shark Reef. The currents from the lagoon come back between the two reefs and south of the Jolanda reef, so that sometimes very difficult and often changing currents and countercurrents can result. Therefore, diving in the area is only recommended for experienced divers. The flow conditions should be carefully checked before the dive. It can also happen during the dive that you have to adapt your plans to the changing conditions. A buoy to mark the point of ascent should be carried.
Anemone City
About 150 meters north of the Shark reef is the so-called on a sand plateau at a depth of 12 to 18 meters 1 Anemone City(27 ° 43 ′ 39 ″ N.34 ° 15 ′ 32 ″ E), the anemone city. The dive site is named after the sea anemones (splendid anemones, Heteractis magnifica, Bubble anemone, Entacmaea quadricolor). There are also table and fan corals. The inhabitants of the sea anemones naturally include the red sea anemonefish (Amphiprion bicinctus).
Usually you jump into the water north of Anemone City. A metal pillar in the city is thought to commemorate a diver who went missing in the 1970s. You dive in the east of Anemone City over the sand plateau, which drops to a depth of 25 meters, and reach the Shark Reef via a gorge.
Shark reef
The current divides on the northern edge of the approximately 70 meter long 2 Shark reefs(27 ° 43 '33 "N.34 ° 15 ′ 31 ″ E)and you swim along the east side of the reef. The reef is then on the right. The reef has a steep wall on this side that drops down to a depth of 70 meters.
Of interest in this reef are the fish, some of which are found in larger schools. These include round-headed bat fish (also swarm bat fish, Platax orbicularis), Bigeye mackerel (Caranx sexfasciatus), Bluefin jackfish (Caranx melampygus), One-spot snapper (Lutjanus monostigma), Two-spot snapper (Lutjanus bohar), Darkfin barracudas (Sphyraena qenie), Blue-bladed nose doctor fish (Naso unicornis), Big head snapper (Lethrinus nebulosus) and bigeye snapper (Monotaxis grandoculis). Darkfin barracudas are often found swimming in circles in schools.
Jolanda Reef
About a 60 meter wide and about 23 meter deep saddle you swim through the blue from the Shark to the 90 meter long 3 Jolanda Reef(27 ° 43 ′ 29 ″ N.34 ° 15 ′ 29 ″ E). In addition to the north-south current, another current comes from the area of the lagoon. Here you should pay attention to a constant depth of 20 meters with your depth gauge. The Jolanda Reef rises from a sandy plateau at a depth of 17 to 23 meters.
Also on this reef you swim along the east side. On the reef there is a beautiful coral garden with soft corals, gorgonians and table corals.
The fish that live here include Malabar groupers (Epinephelus malabaricus), Single-spot snapper (Lutjanus monostigma), a Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) and Fusiliers (Caesionidae). In the area of the remains of the Jolanda there are also giant moray eels (Gymnothorax javanicus).
On the south side of the reef are the remains of the wreck and the cargo of the Jolanda at a depth of 15 to 17 meters. Here, too, you are confronted with a countercurrent from the lagoon. It is quite possible that you will only advance at the foot of the reef just above the ground. The current could ensure that you are immediately driven over the remains of the ship's cargo and have to hold on to the remains of the ship. In the end, there is nothing left to do but let the boat crew fish you up at the end of the dive.
The Jolanda charge is admittedly bizarre. In particular, the toilet bowls have done so many divers because you could sit on them.
If the currents allow it, you can continue diving in the lagoon. But you have to go back because ships cannot enter the lagoon. The underwater world here differs somewhat from the east side of the reef. There are also blue spotted rays here (Taeniura lymma), Fringed scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis oxycephala), real stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa), Crocodile or alligator fish (Cociella crocodila), Red tooth triggerfish (Odonus niger) and jewel groupers (Cephalopholis miniata).
Finally, if the currents allow it, swim in the direction of the 50 meters to the west 4 Satellite reefs(27 ° 43 ′ 28 ″ N.34 ° 15 ′ 26 ″ E). In shallow water you can also find attractive corals here.
In December and January one could encounter gray reef sharks in the south of the Jolanda Reef. Over time, however, there will be fewer and fewer sharks.
Kitchen and accommodation
Meals are provided on the day boats. Accommodation can be found in Sharm esch-Sheikh or Dahab.
trips
Visiting the reef can be combined with other reefs in the Raʾs Muḥammad National Park or other local diving areas of Sharm esch-Sheikh connect.
literature
- : Sinai Diving Guide: Part 1; German edition. Verona: Geodia, 2005, ISBN 978-88-87177-66-4 . Dive site 31.
Web links
- Jolanda on wrecksite.eu.
