Jackfish Alley

A small cave in the wall at five or six metres is the first landmark. Light beams angle through cracks in the rock above, illuminating glassfish packed into the overhang. The wall then opens onto the plateau, and the dive changes character. A secondary reef runs parallel to the main wall, separated by a sandy-bottomed channel. This is the alley.

Two routes split here. Follow the alley floor where the channelled current concentrates the action: jackfish schools wheeling in formation, barracuda hovering at cleaning stations, blue-spotted stingrays settled on the sand. Or work the satellite reef pinnacles, which are draped in soft corals and gorgonian fans. Cleaner wrasse and shrimp service larger fish on these pinnacles. In early spring, Spangled Emperors mass in the alley for mating aggregations.

A second swim-through appears at around 15m. Beyond it, a pinnacle at 12-14m offers a vantage point over the plateau. The deeper wall continues past 30m, though most of the life concentrates in the 5-25m range.

Jackfish Alley is not the dive most visitors come to Ras Mohammed for. That distinction belongs to Shark Reef and Yolanda, twenty minutes south. But divers who skip this site miss what some rate as their best dive in the Red Sea. The plateau is the largest in the park, and the alley formation has no equivalent at other Ras Mohammed sites. Where Shark Reef delivers vertical drama, Jackfish Alley spreads horizontally. The current does the work, pushing life into the channel.

Boats sometimes divert here when Shark Reef is crowded. What begins as a consolation dive often ends as the trip highlight.

The site is reached by boat from Sharm el Mina marina, typically 45-60 minutes. It sits within Ras Mohammed National Park, which charges an entrance fee and closes at sunset. Night diving is not available.

Currents are the main variable. Calm days suit Open Water divers on the shallow plateau and caves. When the current picks up, the alley becomes demanding and AOW certification is recommended. Bring a torch for the swim-throughs and an SMB for the drift. Nitrox extends useful bottom time on the plateau.