Itinerary
Sharm Glass Bottom Boat
For your Red Sea Reef Tour in Glass Bottom Boat – Sharm El Sheikh you will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the quay to board your glass-bottomed boat. This is the perfect way to view the wonders of the Red Sea coral reefs without getting wet. You will be accompanied by an English-speaking guide who can explain what you are seeing. The Red Sea was created more than 30 million years ago, when the Arab peninsula started to part from Africa. Today it is home to a fantastic variety of marine life. More than 1200 species of fish have been recorded in the Red Sea, and around 10 per cent of these are found nowhere else. The rich diversity is in part due to the 2,000 km (1,240 mi) of coral reef along the coastline; these fringing reefs are 5000 –7000 years old.
Your tour takes you from Naama Bay to the Near Garden and Far Garden. Look through the glass bottom of the boat to see the glorious underwater world beneath. Among the most common reef fish of the Red Sea are the stripey sergeant majors, deep-bodied butterfly fish and the parrot fish, named for their beak-like teeth and vibrant colors. Other fish you might see are broom tail wrasse, which are parrot green, lemon yellow and turquoise in color, and the the yellow tail surgeon fish, small but brilliantly arrayed in royal blue and golden yellow and one of the most beautiful fish on the reef.
You should also see the handsome red-striped lion fish, one of the most dangerous fish in the Red Sea. They live in the shallow waters around coral reefs and must be treated with great respect. The red vertical strips are nothing else than warning signals, saying ‘do not touch me’, because their spines are extremely poisonous. You may also be lucky enough to see sea turtles, which are born on land but soon enter the sea and are perfectly adapted to underwater life.
Your guide will also show you the unmistakable brain coral, one of the world’s largest corals. Their round shape and grooved surface resembles an animal brain. They live in shallow warm-water reefs and are important coral reef builders. The life span of the largest brain corals is 900 years. Colonies can grow as large as 6 or more feet (1.8 m) high. Your glass-bottomed boat tour lasts around 90 minutes and when it is over you will be taken back to your hotel in Sharm El Sheikh.