Thomas Reef

The dive

Thomas Reef is one of four reefs, with Jackson, Woodhouse and Gordon, lying across the Straits of Tiran between the Sinai coast and Tiran Island, roughly ten miles north of Naama Bay. It is the smallest of the four. The reef rises to within about half a metre of the surface and the recreational dive runs from there down to about 30 m, with the usual start on the southeastern side: a wall carrying gorgonians, whip corals and black coral down to a large ledge or plateau at around 25 m, where whitetip reef sharks and leopard sharks are reported resting.

There are no mooring points on the reef, so the dive is always a drift and the boat picks you up. Current is the defining variable and it is not predictable: dive centres describe it as strong and shifting, sometimes running hard at the northern tip and sometimes not running at all, with the direction changing during a dive. The northern end has overhangs, caves and spits of reef that give some shelter to work behind. The eastern side is the calmer of the two and, with the right conditions and enough gas, a full circuit of the reef is possible.

The canyon is what the site is known for and it is not a recreational feature. It opens at about 35 m, runs parallel to the reef for around 80 m and drops to 90 to 92 m, crossed by three swim-throughs formed by fallen rock that are known locally as the Thomas Arches. Operators are explicit that this is for technical divers. A recreational diver stays above it, on the plateau and the wall.

The fish match a well-flushed reef in a strait. Longnose hawkfish sit in the gorgonian branches, with nudibranchs and pipefish on the fans, anthias in quantity over the coral, and turtles, groupers and moray in the reef. Out in the water there are tuna, barracuda, trevally and jacks, blue and yellowspotted triggerfish, and black-and-white snapper hanging under the overhangs. Reef sharks work the deeper edges and hammerheads are described as a seasonal possibility across the Tiran reefs rather than a Thomas Reef feature.

• Plateau or ledge at about 25 m with resting whitetip reef sharks and leopard sharks reported
• Southeastern wall of gorgonians, whip corals and black coral
• Longnose hawkfish, nudibranchs and pipefish on the gorgonian fans
• Tuna, barracuda, trevally and jacks off the wall
• The Thomas Arches, three swim-throughs in the canyon, for technical divers only

Conditions

A wall dropping from just under the surface to a plateau at about 25 m, dived as a drift along whichever flank the current allows. The eastern side is the calmer one. None of the dive centres we read publish a visibility figure or a water temperature for Thomas Reef specifically, so neither is recorded here. What varies from day to day is the current, and the boat's plan is built around it.

On current: Strong and unpredictable is the phrase every operator uses. Current can run hard, particularly at the northern tip, or be entirely absent, and the direction can change during the dive. Because there is no mooring on the reef, every dive here is a drift with a boat pickup and there is no line to come back to. The eastern side is the calmer flank and the northern end has spits and overhangs that offer some shelter. Depth figures are consistent between sources: the plateau or ledge sits at about 25 m, the recreational range is quoted as 0-30 m, one dive centre gives 0.5 to 28 m, and the canyon opens at 35 m and runs to 90-92 m.