Alternatives

Named for its relatively sheltered position, the Alternatives are a chain of seven pinnacles running from Sha'ab Mahmud eastward toward Ras Mohamed. The best dive is around third and fourth pinnacle at the outside walls where current sweeps through. Dive along small walls and many large corals heads that contain a large variety of both - soft and hard coral species. The numerous sand patches support lots of blue and black spotted stingrays and resident leopard sharks. The inside of the reef patches offers maximum depths of 15 m while on the outside the reefs can drop till 30 m. Due to its position this site has tidal currents that greatl...y influence visibility, which can be quite poor when the current comes from the south, especially if accompanied by wind and waves. This area can - all of a sudden - be subject to unpredictable storms and winds and boats find a place to moor safely here. In rough weather, these reefs are a real alternative to some of the more exposed sites. Night Dives is very popular here. The boat will moor in the lagoon, so make sure that you dive toward one of the pinnacles and not into the channels between them. They lead to the open ocean and you can get lost with the current easily.Read more