Shark And Yolanda Reef

On 1 April 1980, the Jolanda, a 74 m Cypriot cargo ship, struck the western side of the reef, near Ras Mohammed, on her way to the port of Aqaba. Among other cargo, she was carrying bathroom supplies, such as bathtubs and toilets, and a BMW. The ship lay on her port side in shallow water, balanced above a steep drop-off, until 1987, when she slid into the abyss during a heavy storm. The hull is now beyond the reach of recreational diving, but the cargo was left behind, partly on a plateau of the reef. This spot became known as Yolanda Reef, named after the ship, whose name is pronounced Yolanda, but spelt incorrectly.

The cargo has become an artificial reef. The containers have rotted away, exposing sanitary ware and, amid the debris, the captain's BMW 320, completely crushed.

Those who keep an eye on the blue have the chance, especially in summer, of seeing large shoals of twin-spot snappers, spadefish, trevallies and unicornfish. It is common to see turtles feeding at the site. In summer there tends to be an abundance of hard and soft corals and of big fish, from tunas and barracudas to trevallies and sharks.