It is a completely different world down there. Vibrant and exploding with colour. The reefs at Ras Mohamed, we believe, are the most magnificent in the whole world. They are unrivalled in their beauty and diversity of life. Amongst and alongside them live thousands of colourful fish and other marine creatures, which together with the reef form a complete ecosystem. Here they seek refuge from predators and look for food. Within the crevices and caves live the minuscule to the very large reef fish. However the coral reefs here are not just shelter and food for the different reef and pelagic fish. They are in fact living creatures which breathe, eat and reproduce. They also come in many different forms, shapes and colors. From the largest colonies of hard corals to the tiniest swaying soft ones.

So let us take a closer look at this magnificent world of the coral reef at Ras Mohamed. The Red Sea is really a flooded rift valley which reaches a depth of up to 2,900 meters. In the north, were Ras Mohamed is located, coral reefs grow on the continental shelf, which is a narrow strip here ranging from 15 to 30 km wide. The area is noted for its extensive, luxurious, and sharply defined fringing reef platforms, on either side of Ras Mohamed-whether in the Gulf of Aqaba Gulf or that of Suez. About 205 hard coral species and about 120 soft coral species have been recorded here, with the western side facing the entrance to Suez Canal having about 45 coral species, including some endemic ones. Coral cover around the islands around Ras Mohamed is an astounding 60–80%, with 20–25% on exposed fore-reef slopes, and in some places soft corals dominate up to 80%. Coral cover along the Gulf of Aqaba in general ranges from 11% to 63%, with the higher cover, of course, being at Ras Mohamed. These reefs are made up of both fossil and live corals. The fossil reefs are those that are made up of the fossilized bodies of ancient corals which have long gone but whose bodies have fossilized together for more coral to attach to. In fact these fossil reefs can also been seen on land as the water level had dropped from previous periods. on the whole, these reefs range in age between 15,000 to 2 million years and many of the descendants of these ancient species are still alive today among the abundant living coral colonies.

The reef structure here also varies from the vertical walls where coral can be found at depths of up to 100 meters, such as at Shark Observatory, Shark Reef, and Yolanda Reef, to the very shallow secluded Sha'ab El Talaba on the northern end of Marsa Bereika. Some of the species found include Galexeea and Goniastrea. However, for a more detailed look at the different species of coral, you should take a look at the coral species section

How then does the coral go about building the reef ? It should be noted that the success of corals in creating the reef ecosystem is linked with the symbiotic zooxanthellae in their tissues. This stimulates the growth of the skeleton and pass nutrients to the coral host. The reason why corals cannot be found below the depth of a hundred meters is linked to the decrease in light for the coral zooxanthellae. There is a lot of team work between the different coral species when it comes to building the reef. for example there are those that build the frames on which other coral can build on and there are other larger species which encrust on objects which also lay he ground work for more coral to attach. This does not mean that the smaller species do not contribute here. They provide the essential calcium carbonate skeletal materials for filling up these fringing reefs. Accordingly, the structure of a fringing reef is formed whereby there is a reef flat, with a shallow gradient, which ends at a reef edge. Beyond the reef edge is the reef slope where the gradient rapidly steepens to the vertical walls that you see at Ras Mohamed. The reason why there are so many different patches of coral is not really known but there are some factors that contribute to that including sedimentation from land which is not conducive to coral growth. This is clear in Ras Mohamed where the mouth of the few wadis generally have none or very little coral reefs facing them. Other factors include water currents which determine the dispersal of the larva and the coral fragments necessary for reproduction. Another reason is the amount of light that reaches the corals. On the whole species of branching corals tend to be found in more abundance in the shallower parts of the reef slope while the larger flat table-shaped colonies are found deeper down the slope because their flat structure helps them maximise light intake. In this it should added the greatest diversity in coral species at Ras Mohamed is found at a depth of about 15-20 meters where the conditions are most favorable for coral growth.

Finally, although the reasons why there is such great intensity of coral life in the Ras Mohamed area in particular has not yet been completely determined, there are some basic indications. The fact that this whole region is quite dry means that there is little sedimentation which, as was mentioned earlier reduces coral growth. Another reason is that the area is relatively sheltered from the immense storms and tornadoes that occur in open ocean. Although there are generally strong under water currents in this area, this in fact helps here with the successful dissemination of the coral colonies. On the other hand there are many factors which should theoretically limit coral growth, but apparently do not! The first is that the Red Sea has an extremely high level of salinity due to the fact that the surrounding desert area is very dry, which entails high levels of evaporation with little or no fresh water flowing in to it. In general coral growth does not fare very well with high salinity. Another reason is the extreme variation in water temperature between summers and winters, and night and day time, in comparison with other tropical areas where there is good coral growth. The only conclusion would have to be that the species that are found here are a hardy lot which have evolved to sustain such harsh conditions and have even flourished.

Whatever the reasons are, we should all be grateful that such magnificent reefs exist here in Ras Mohamed and we should all work to keep it that way. Although coral reefs here are in very good condition, there are some threats to it which are, as usual, predominantly caused by man, although there are other natural factors as well. If you would like to know more about this, we suggest that you take a look at the reef conservation section to see the different threats to the coral reef here, the many efforts undertaken to counter them, and the challenges that remain.