Amphoras

A wall drops to about 12 metres, then the seabed tilts into a sandy slope scattered with coral pinnacles. Glassfish swirl around the pinnacles alongside feather stars and starfish. The drift carries you gently along the slope toward the drop-off at 20-22 m. At 22 m a chain appears, running to a modern anchor lodged behind a coral block at 25 m. Beyond that, two large coral towers mark the approach to the real find: the original anchor stick of a 17th-century Turkish merchantman, inscriptions still faintly visible, and the amphora fragments that give the site its name. They are so encrusted in coral that finding them takes patience and a guide who knows the spot.

Amphoras is not one of Sharm's headline dives. It sits in the local zone between Ras Umm Sid and the Gardens, a stretch of coastline that experienced divers enjoy without singling out. What separates it from the rest is its backstory. A Turkish cargo ship went down here centuries ago carrying amphora pots filled with mercury. The mercury once pooled on the reef bed. That effect is long gone, but the wreck's original anchor and pottery survive, hidden inside the coral growth. For divers who have ticked off the big sites and want a relaxed afternoon with something to hunt for, Amphoras delivers a quiet satisfaction.

The amphora remains are genuinely hard to find without a guide. Ask your dive center to brief you on the chain-and-anchor route before descending. The most interesting section sits between 18 and 25 m, where macro life concentrates alongside the historical artefacts. A camera with macro capability is worth bringing. The site is sheltered and conditions are forgiving, but carry an SMB for surface signalling as with any drift dive.