Shaab Sharm

Steep walls run down the north and south sides of the reef, densely grown over and circled by shoals of snappers and jacks, and most dives go to the eastern tip, where a plateau breaks the wall. The eastern route takes about 40 minutes. The group enters at the north side, descends quickly to the plateau at around 30 m and drifts with the current toward the eastern tip, reef on the right shoulder. Where a boat is moored at the western end of the plateau, the drift runs along the reef edge to reach it, and the current can change once mid-plateau. The southern side is sheltered and serves for the safety stop. Below the plateau, at 45 m, a cave entrance opens into the reef.

The western route is the longer and gentler dive, about 60 minutes. A RIB drops the group at the western tip, the descent goes to 25 m, and the ledge is followed with the reef on the left shoulder while the plateau shallows and lets the ascent come gradually. Operators point to the north side of this plateau, where the current meets the reef, as the place to look for big fish such as hammerheads.

One reef gives two dives of different weight: an eastern plateau worked as a strong-current drift with open blue beside it, and a western plateau that sits sheltered from the flow. Grey reef sharks come by the eastern plateau now and again, and one August 2022 liveaboard group was engulfed by a shoal of sardines thousands strong that closed round the divers and vanished into the blue.

The eastern plateau also carries two cleaning stations that give the drift fixed points to watch: young tuna in the middle of the plateau, and surgeonfish at a large block on the south side.

The current on the eastern plateau is usually very strong, and the open sea starts at the plateau end, so carry a surface marker buoy and keep close to the reef. The cave entrance at 45 m is for trained divers only: it reaches far into the reef and should not be penetrated without proper training. Big waves at the northern drop-in make a negative-buoyancy descent the sensible choice, and the walls fall away past 100 m, so check depth as you leave the plateau top.