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Ras Bob
Egypt · reef · beginner
3–30 mbeginnerOWboat entry
Ras Bob
A sheltered local reef south of Ras Nasrani: a coral wall with narrow swim-throughs, shallow sandy bays, and a garden eel colony on the slope.
Max depth3–30 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeboat
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Ras Bob is one of the local sites on the Sharm el Sheikh coast, about 600 m south of Ras Nasrani. It is named after Bob Johnson, an underwater cameraman who worked this stretch of coast for years. The reef here is broken into a series of small coral gardens separated by the fringing plate, and the shape of the coast means it is sheltered from wind and waves; Emperor Divers describes the current as weak, and it is the site local centres fall back on when the offshore trips are blown out.
A coral-encrusted wall runs from the surface down to about 16 m, and the swim-throughs and narrow caves the site is known for are cut into it. There is a table coral holding a school of glassfish. Below the wall the ground slopes into sand with a large garden eel colony, given at about 24 m by Red Sea Marine, and a drop-off at around 30 m. On the shallow side are small bays with pale sandy floors and more small caves and gullies in three to six metres of water.
It is dived either on the mooring, descending to the eel garden and working the reef east as the current allows, or as a drift, and the drift is normally run north towards Ras Nasrani. Published depth ranges disagree in the usual way: Sharm Smile gives 4 to 25 m, Camel Dive and Diving World Red Sea describe the wall as ending around 16 m, and Red Sea Marine puts the drop-off at 30 m. The 30 m figure is the edge of the site, not the plan.
The life is standard northern Red Sea reef, and there is a lot of it: parrotfish, sohal surgeonfish, Picasso and titan triggerfish, sling-jaw and broomtail wrasse, masked puffer and porcupinefish, sea goldies over the coral. Bluespotted ribbontail rays and crocodilefish sit in the shallow sandy bays, and Emperor Divers mentions a large Napoleon wrasse. Garden eels are the thing you come back for, and they are the reason the mooring descent goes straight to the sand.
- Narrow swim-throughs and small caves cut into a coral wall that runs from the surface to about 16 m
- A large garden eel colony on the sand slope below the wall
- A table coral sheltering a school of glassfish
- Shallow sandy bays at 3 to 6 m with small caves and gullies, good for the safety stop or a snorkel
- Runs as a drift north into Ras Nasrani when there is current
Please note before you go
- The swim-throughs and narrow caves in the wall are an overhead environment; they are short, but they are still overhead
- Garden eels sit at around 24 m and the drop-off is at about 30 m, so the sand invites a deeper profile than the site needs
- Crocodilefish and scorpionfish-type ambush predators lie on the pale sand in the shallow bays where people kneel
- Lionfish are common on this reef
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Day boat from Sharm el Sheikh on the local coastal run, about 600 m south of Ras Nasrani; there is no established shore entry. Boats either pick up the mooring, in which case the descent goes to the eel garden and the reef is worked east, or drop divers for a drift north towards Ras Nasrani.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Rules and permits
The Sharm el Sheikh coastal sites sit inside Egypt's Red Sea protected-area system and dive centres add a park fee per person per trip. Pyramids Diving Center currently lists 15 EUR per person per trip for the protected sites, up from the 7 EUR per person per trip Reef Oasis Dive Club published when the fee structure changed in November 2019. Confirm the current figure and whether it applies to the local run with your operator.
Season
No source singles out a season for Ras Bob, and it does not need one: it is the sheltered local site that works year-round and specifically works on the windy days when boats cannot reach Tiran or Ras Mohammed. The only seasonal decision is exposure protection, with water at roughly 22 C in February and 27-28 C from July to September. December and January bring the choppiest surface in the Sinai, which is exactly when this site earns its place.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentlight
Surgelight
WaterSalt water
Depth range3–30 m
Environmentreef
Coralrecovering
Crowdsmoderate
Sharm water runs from about 22 C in February to 27-28 C between July and September, with 25-27 C in October and November. Dive The World gives 20-30 m visibility and gentle to moderate current as the general case for the Sharm sites. Ras Bob's own selling point is that it stays calm: sheltered from wind and waves, weak current, and diveable on days that close the Tiran and Ras Mohammed trips.
On current: Emperor Divers and Sharm Smile both describe Ras Bob as sheltered from wind and waves with weak currents, which is the main reason it is on the local rotation. Red Sea Marine still qualifies the mooring profile with 'current permitting' when following the reef east, so there is enough flow on some days to decide the direction of the dive. When there is current, centres run it as a drift north towards Ras Nasrani rather than fighting it. No source describes strong water here.
Questions & answers
How deep is Ras Bob?
The coral wall runs from the surface to about 16 m, and below it the sand slopes to a garden eel colony at around 24 m and a drop-off at about 30 m. Sharm Smile publishes the site as 4 to 25 m. The shallow bays and gullies on the inside sit in three to six metres, so you can dive the whole thing well above 20 m if you want to.
How do you get to Ras Bob?
By day boat from Sharm el Sheikh on the local coastal run; it sits about 600 m south of Ras Nasrani and has no established shore entry. Boats either take the mooring, in which case you descend to the eel garden and follow the reef east, or drop you for a drift north into Ras Nasrani. Cylinders, boat and guide come through a Sharm dive centre.
Is Ras Bob good for beginners?
Yes, it is one of the better easy sites on this coast. Operators list it as suitable for all levels, the current is weak and the reef is sheltered from wind and waves, so it works well as a check dive or the first dive of a trip. Keep out of the narrow swim-throughs unless your guide takes you through, and there is no need to go down to the eel garden at 24 m.
Can you snorkel at Ras Bob?
Yes, and Emperor Divers specifically calls it good for snorkellers. The wall starts at the surface, the site is sheltered from wind and waves with weak current, and there are small sandy bays with caves and gullies in three to six metres of water. You still need a boat to reach it, and the swim-throughs in the wall are for divers rather than breath-hold.
Is there current at Ras Bob?
Usually very little. Emperor Divers and Sharm Smile both describe the site as sheltered from wind and waves with weak currents, which is why local centres use it when the offshore trips are blown out. Red Sea Marine still qualifies the mooring profile with 'current permitting', so on some days there is enough flow to decide which way the dive runs; when there is, it becomes a drift towards Ras Nasrani.
What will you see at Ras Bob?
A large garden eel colony on the sand below the wall, a table coral full of glassfish, and bluespotted ribbontail rays and crocodilefish in the shallow sandy bays. Emperor Divers reports a big Napoleon wrasse here. On the coral, expect parrotfish, sohal surgeonfish, Picasso and titan triggerfish, sling-jaw and broomtail wrasse, masked puffer, porcupinefish and clouds of sea goldies.
What are the swim-throughs at Ras Bob like?
They are narrow caves and passages cut into the coral wall between the surface and about 16 m, and they are the feature that gives the site its character rather than long or complex cave systems. They are still an overhead environment, so go through with a guide, one at a time, and stay off the ceiling. The shallow inside bays hold separate small caves and gullies at three to six metres.
When is the best time to dive Ras Bob?
Any time of year. This is the sheltered local site that keeps working when wind closes the Tiran and Ras Mohammed boats, so the calendar matters less here than almost anywhere else in Sharm. Water runs from about 22 C in February to 27-28 C between July and September, so the seasonal decision is wetsuit thickness. December and January are the choppiest months and exactly when this site is most useful.
Life recorded at Ras Bob
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISCheilinus undulatusoccasional · 15 recordsTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 14 recordsBalistoides viridescensoccasional · 11 recordsGymnothorax javanicusoccasional · 7 records
Chlorurus sordidusoccasional · 36 records
Acanthurus sohaloccasional · 26 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 36 |
| Acanthurus sohal | occasional | 26 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 25 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | occasional | 24 |
| Arothron diadematus | occasional | 23 |
| Epibulus insidiator | occasional | 23 |
| Scarus niger | occasional | 20 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | occasional | 19 |
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 18 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 18 |
| Chlorurus gibbus | occasional | 17 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 17 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | occasional | 17 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | occasional | 17 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | occasional | 17 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | occasional | 17 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 16 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | occasional | 16 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | occasional | 16 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | occasional | 16 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | occasional | 15 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 15 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | occasional | 15 |
| Diodon hystrix | occasional | 15 |
| Cheilinus undulatus | occasional | 15 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 15 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 14 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | occasional | 14 |
| Cephalopholis argus | occasional | 13 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | occasional | 13 |
| Aluterus scriptus | occasional | 12 |
| Cetoscarus bicolor | occasional | 12 |
| Kyphosus cinerascens | occasional | 12 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 11 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | occasional | 11 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | occasional | 11 |
| Balistoides viridescens | occasional | 11 |
| Naso elegans | occasional | 11 |
| Hipposcarus harid | occasional | 11 |
| Caranx melampygus | occasional | 11 |
| Cirripectes castaneus | occasional | 11 |
| Plectorhinchus gaterinus | occasional | 11 |
| Myripristis murdjan | occasional | 10 |
| Pycnochromis dimidiatus | occasional | 10 |
| Neoniphon sammara | occasional | 10 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 10 |
| Balistapus undulatus | occasional | 10 |
| Cheilio inermis | occasional | 10 |
| Caesio striata | occasional | 9 |
| Gymnothorax griseus | occasional | 9 |
| Bodianus anthioides | occasional | 8 |
| Acanthurus nigrofuscus | occasional | 8 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | occasional | 8 |
| Istiblennius unicolor | occasional | 8 |
| Scarus frenatus | occasional | 8 |
| Coenobita scaevola | occasional | 8 |
| Caesio lunaris | occasional | 8 |
| Acanthopagrus bifasciatus | occasional | 7 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 7 |
| Labroides dimidiatus | occasional | 7 |
Nearby sites in Sinai
Explore all sitesRas Nasrani0.6 km
SinaiA headland north of Sharm where the current turns the corner: gorgonians standing into the flow and a wall behind them.
White Knight1.1 km
SinaiA sand-floored canyon and an eel garden in the first bay north of Shark's Bay.
Four Seasons House Reef1.7 km
SinaiThe Four Seasons' own kilometre of fringing reef at Shark's Bay: three jetties, a 5 m sand plateau to practise on, and a slope that keeps going to 40 m.
Ras Ghamila2.1 km
SinaiThe northernmost of the Sharm local sites: a long sandy plateau under table corals, with more gorgonian sea fans than anywhere else on this coast.
Shark’s Bay2.7 km
SinaiSharm's shallow shore-entry training bay, better known for stonefish, glassfish and a night dive than for the sharks it is named after.
Gordon Reef4.8 km
SinaiThe southernmost Tiran reef: a freighter still aground on the north end, a shallow plateau on the south, and the sandy hollow divers call the Shark Pool.
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