Temple

Three coral towers break from a sandy plateau at 20 metres in Ras Umm Sid bay. The boat ties to a mooring and divers drop to the base of the pinnacle group, where the standard route winds between all three towers. Crevices and overhangs at each pinnacle hide morays and scorpionfish. The highlight is the main pinnacle's swim-through fissure at around 18 metres, where gorgonians and soft corals line both walls. Smaller coral blocks form a ring around the main towers, with sandy patches between them where bluespotted stingrays rest and crocodilefish blend into the substrate. Most interest sits between 5 and 20 metres, so bottom time is generous. Conditions rarely push divers away. The bay is sheltered enough to stay open when weather shuts down Tiran and Ras Mohammed.

Temple inverts the usual equation. The depth is easy. The conditions are calm. But the navigation will test you. The three pinnacles and their surrounding coral blocks create a genuine maze, and experienced Sharm divers have called this one of the hardest sites on the coast to navigate without a guide. That complexity is part of the appeal. It turns what could be a routine shallow dive into a site that local guides know intimately and revisit throughout their careers. After dark, the site transforms entirely. Spanish dancers emerge across the reef, morays leave their crevices to hunt in open water, and the torch beam reveals colours that daylight washes out. Temple is two dives in one.

Bring a compass. The pinnacle layout is genuinely disorienting, and people have gotten lost here. Stay close to your guide and agree on signals for the return. Stonefish are present on sandy patches, so maintain buoyancy and avoid contact with the bottom. One of the two main fissures is closed to protect delicate gorgonians inside it. For night diving, a good torch is essential. Macro photography works well for critter hunting among the pinnacles, while wide angle captures the swim-through and pinnacle silhouettes.