TRAVELSPECIAL
A school of batfish cruise along Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed
Schools of Egypt
Setting the scene: The Egyptian Red Sea is, as we all know, the number one choice for divers traveling from the UK. With historic wrecks from different eras, clouds of orange anthias basslets and beautiful coral, it has it all – usually in great viz. But during the summer, one site turns the dial to 11, and that is of course Ras Mohammed.
Stars of the show: During the month of June, migratory fish gather at the Ras Mohammed headland to spawn and take advantage of nutrient-rich currents at
62 the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. June marks the peak of the seasonal reproductive window( May through September); this is the time when solitary or small group fish congregate in their thousands to spawn.
Bohar snapper are reddish-silver fish, extremely elegant in the water and a slow growing species that reach maturity at 8-9 years. Fully grown adults reach a chunky 90cm( 30inches) and weigh 12kg, turning red as adults. Now imagine a closelypacked school of a thousand individuals – it’ s quite a scene.
The amazing thing about summer at RasMo is that it’ s not just one species.
A curious great barracuda approaches the author in the Red Sea
You get separate school of pufferfish, unicornfish, bigeye trevally and barracuda. To look for the schools, you need to dive the classic combination of Shark and Jolanda Reefs, drifting along a sheer wall before emerging at the twin pinnacles. I have seen schoolish fish all over this route; some hang around in the blue, while others flutter close to the reef.
Diver discipline is crucial. If anyone swims directly at a shoal, the fish will disperse. Similarly, if your dive group gets either side of a school, they are likely to drive it deeper. You need to stay relaxed and approach slowly, and your guide needs to make it clear when someone is getting too close. In this way, you’ ll be able to gradually make your way closer to the seething mass of fish.
Supporting cast: Even if you don’ t get to see the big schools, Ras Mohammed is still a world class dive site. The reefs are full of life, and June is also the best time to enjoy anthias darting in and out of the fire coral around Jolanda.
Box office: You can visit Ras Mohammed either by liveaboard, or day boat from Sharm el Sheikh, but that’ s a long day out. It features on northern liveaboard itineraries( out of Sharm or Hurghada). Budget £ 2,000 to £ 2,500 for liveaboard with flights, or around £ 1,300 from Sharm on day boats, again with flights. �