9 of the Top Advanced-Level Diving Sites In and Around Sharm el Sheikh

One of the best dive sites for experienced divers near Sharm el Sheikh, the SS Thistlegorm was carrying cargo including locomotives, motorcycles, and trucks when it sank in 1941. A swim through the holds (suitable for divers with penetration training only) reveals surreal vistas: giant moray eels nestled inside WWII lorries and tropical fish finning amid military motorcycles. Or you can explore at higher levels and see the locomotives resting on the sand. This is a deep dive that can feature challenging currents and poor visibility, so you’ll need experience and good air consumption as well as advanced certification.

Accessed via the Bells, a narrow crack in the rock named for the clanging noise that divers’ tanks can make as they descend, Dahab’s Blue Hole is one of the signature deep-sea diving locations near Sharm el Sheikh. A submarine sinkhole that shears away to depths of 395 feet (120 meters), it’s popular with technical divers, recreational divers, free divers, and snorkelers: The coral is at its best at diveable depths.

Insider tip: You’ll need to be a technical diver to even attempt the Arch at the Blue Hole: An 85-foot (26-meter) tunnel at 180 feet (56 meters) below the surface, it’s too deep to manage on a single tank. One of the world’s iconic expert-level diving experiences, it has brought many over-confident divers to their deaths.

Ras Mohammed National Park, a protected area, is a popular destination on Sharm el Sheikh dive packages. And Yolanda Reef is a highlight for many divers. Not only is the coral garden one of the most luscious and vibrant in the whole marine park, but the Yolanda wreck scattered a cargo of sanitaryware before sinking to much lower depths. It’s a playground for underwater photographers—whether posing on a sunken toilet or watching marine life like crocodile fish swim over them—even before reaching neighboring Shark Reef.

The smallest of the Red Sea reefs near Tiran Island in the Straits of Tiran, strong currents make Thomas Reef one of the more challenging dive sites in Sharm el Sheikh—but the luscious corals, vivid gorgonian sea fans, and the chances of sighting sharks, turtles, and big, ocean-going fish make the effort worthwhile. Crevices, caves, a very deep canyon, and sheer drop-offs create rewarding topography as you glide by.

Insider tip: Expert diver recommendations for Sharm el Sheikh often feature Thomas Reef. Technical divers love the deep, eerie, narrow canyon that drops through a series of arches to far below recreational depths.

A slender submarine canyon that’s at its most atmospheric when the sun floods through the slim gap at the top, the Canyon is one of Dahab’s signature advanced dive sites. The dramatic entry can feel a little like skydiving as you drop through the light blue waters to a depth of more than 66 feet (20 meters). Once you’ve explored the Canyon, emerge into the Fish Bowl for a blaze of color and marine life.

Insider tip: The Dahab Canyon is popular with tech divers who can descend to 180 feet (55 meters) and exit through a crack onto the wall.

Instantly recognizable for the crumbling remains of the Loullia, a cargo ship that ran aground, Gordon Reef, near Tiran Island in the Straits of Tiran, delivers a wealth of marine life and is one of the top advanced diving spots around Sharm el Sheikh. Look out for blue-spotted stingrays on the sand, schooling reef fish over the hard corals, and white-tip reef sharks, eagle rays, and maybe even manta rays at the drop-off. It’s not safe to dive under the Loullia wreck, but it does make for epic photos.

One of the most popular dives in Ras Mohammed National Park, Jackfish Alley is a laid-back drift dive, often with enough marine life to create a real tropical aquarium feel. Highlights include caves where light can ripple off the glassfish, a cleaning station where barracuda are often seen, and a lovely coral garden where you’ll often see jackfish, lionfish, and more. If you’re lucky, you may spot tuna and white-tip reef sharks.

One of the most dramatic dive sites in Sharm el Sheikh proper, Tower is a U-shaped canyon topped with the pinnacle that gave it its name that drops away to far beyond recreational dive depths. Expect to see the full spectrum of reef life here, including moray eels, parrotfish, boxfish, pufferfish, and lionfish. Sightings of manta rays and whale sharks have been known, while dive guides can often find sleeping reef sharks. It’s open to all levels, but advanced divers can go deeper.

In the south of Sharm el Sheikh, Amphoras takes its name from the large ceramic pots scattered along the seafloor: These and the anchor are the last remnants of a Turkish cargo ship that sank here centuries ago. While open water divers can also experience the site, you’ll need advanced certification to descend to the depths where the amphoras lie—although they’re so richly overgrown with marine life that finding them can be tricky.