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To
anyone standing on
its shore and gazing out across its heavenly waters, the Red Sea
may seem to be a mislabeling. Its blueness is eternal and
anything less red cannot be fantasized. The Red Sea, where the
desert meets the ocean, is truly one of the planet’s most exotic
and fascinating natural seascape environments. The Red Sea is
located between Asia and Africa. At its most northerly point
forms the Sinai Peninsula and stretches over 1000 miles south to
join the Indian Ocean, between Ethiopia and Yemen. In the north
and west are desert plains, while in the south a mountainous
region (2642 meters high), which is part of the mountain range
stretching from deep in Saudi Arabia, across the Sinai and then
into Nubia of the African continent. The Red Sea holds beneath
its crystal blue surface an oasis of living creatures, reefs,
and coral formation. Its use as a highway between East and West
has attracted man since the beginning of time.
The Red Sea
was created by the movement of plates in the Earth’s surface
about 30 million years ago. In that time, the Arab peninsula
started to part from Africa along a thin break line which was
filled by the ocean’s water. However, "Mother Nature" did not
stop there. Twenty million years ago another geological movement
started. The Arab peninsula which parted from Africa, started to
move to the north. That movement struck resistance in Turkey and
swung to the east, and another break line was formed. This one
stretching all the way from the northern part of Israel, through
the Jordan valley to the Dead Sea, and finally through the Gulf
of Aqaba to Ras Mohamed at the southern point of the Sinai. The
young age of the Gulf of Aqaba is what makes it so deep, 100
meters in
Dahab and
1800 meters north of the Straits of Tiran. On the other hand,
the old Gulf of Suez is relatively shallow, with a 85 meters
maximum depth. The Red Sea is still widening at about one-half
inch per year, the rift is the youngest region of continental
breakup on the planet, allowing geologists to learn about
processes that occurred in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
hundreds of millions of years earlier.
Water temperatures
in the Red Sea remain unusually constant year round, averaging
22^ C in the summer. Low pressure systems develop in the Sahara
Desert and draw hot dry east winds from Asia which cause the
temperature to rise frequently along with sand storms. At the
same time, lows develop over the Red Sea, bringing moist cold
air from the south and creating clouds, haze, and more often
rain. The northern land mass is the primary influence over
temperature in the gulf, but this decreases to the south the
closer you get to open sea. The open sea’s cooling effect
creates an interesting temperature pattern: maximum
summer temperatures are lower in the south while minimum
 temperatures
are higher in the north with the opposite occurring during the
winter. In any case, the coldest moth of the year is January and
the warmest months are July and August. The Red Sea is notorious
among seafarers for its high speed surface winds and
aggressively short irregular motion. It may be calm on the
inward shore, but journeys to exposed sites like The Brothers islands,
a remote off-shore site east of El Quseir, can be perilous and
boats have been seen literally to fall apart under the force of
the journey.
Cargo vessels, oil
tankers, fishing boats, and passenger liners all move their
trade across this great waterway, but for many, the true
enchantment of the Red Sea is hidden just below its surface.
There are over 1000 species of invertebrates and around 200
recorded coral types to be found. Moreover, the Red Sea boasts
over a thousand species of fish, more species than any other
proportional body of water. Not surprisingly, therefore, the Red
Sea is considered by many to offer the very best diving
available in the marine world. The Red Sea attracts divers,
photographers, marine scientists, and leisure seekers from all
over the world, hoping to experience and explore the
incalculable wonders of the colorful,
abounding marine life and the Red Sea’s lavish coral reefs. In
places, the exceptional living reef stretches way out to sea,
forming a elaborate system of caves, lagoons, gardens, and
plateaus. Some of these coral summits plunge dramatically
thousands of feet to the ocean floor. The Red Sea is not all a
delight however, as it has its troubles which you will have to
stay away from. There is minimal danger from marine animals in
the Red Sea, and with a little common sense, even these dangers
can be eliminated. Some of the marine animals are dangerous to
touch, others dangerous to eat, and some are dangerous to come
face to face with. There are fire corals and stinging hydroids
which can be extremely painful if accidentally touched as well.
Snorkeling is
a popular way to view the edge of the reef, especially for those
with limited confidence in their swimming ability. Sharks,
manta rays, turtles,
and eels will
take pieces of bread from your hand, and brilliantly colored
schools of fish team all around in bewildering color. However,
most divers will tell you that there is nothing to beat the
thrill of experiencing the depth of the reef and the abounding
marine life to be found in the Red Sea. The lure of the reef is
such that many novice divers become totally "hooked" and cannot
imagine why they have never joined in the fun before.
Furthermore, when asked to compare their local diving conditions
with those in the Red Sea, they find it a "paradise" with clear
visibility, little wave action, and warm temperatures all year
long.
Fishing is an art
which still preserves time-honored methods, mostly due to the
difficulties imposed by the dangers of the reef. The
hook-and-line method of fishing has been in use for more than
four thousand years and is still going strong. Conservation of
certain species of fish and the dangers of over-fishing are both
important issues for the government. The fisherman land a total
of 8,000 metric tons of fish per year, which, although eight
times as much as the Sudan, is less than half Egypt’s total
catch.
The water of
the Red Sea is also a vital asset. Surrounding cities are
totally dependent on it for household and industrial supplies,
and tremendous desalination plants are in operation. These
supply drinking water which has been purified to a high
standard, as well as non-potable domestic water. Sea water is
also used in large quantities by oil refineries and cement works
situated along the coastline. The danger of pollution is always
present in the Red Sea, particularly from oil spillage. A Royal
Decree forbids the discharge of any pollutant substances,
including oil, within 100 miles of the Saudi Arabian coastline.
Currently, the areas
of the Eastern Desert and around the Red Sea have received a
great deal of overdue attention. A joint expedition from the
University of Delaware and Leiden University and Leiden
University has been working at the ancient Red Sea port of
Berinike. The past season the Delaware-Leiden team excavated in
two areas, opened a total of seven trenches, and found four
public buildings. One of the sites contained offering tables, an
incense burner, a stela stand and an almost life-size bronze
figure of a cloaked woman clasping a snake. Scraps of colorful
textile from the Fourth and Fifth centuries A.D. have also been
found. In addition, evidence of trade appears in the form of
imported coconuts, pepper, and rice. So, while the edges of the
Red Sea are being explored, the sea itself is being plunged in a
survey of sunken wrecks. The Institute for Nautical Archaeology
in Egypt, is continuing the underwater survey started last
season, plotting the locations of shipwrecks along the Red Sea
coast.
For swimmers,
divers, traders, industrialists, fishermen, archaeologists, and
tourists, the Red Sea has its own kind of incomparability. And
even the leisured gazer, speculating the inaccessible blue/red
abnormality, can be said to have been given something to think
about. The underwater amazement of the Red Sea remains a living
tapestry of resounding corals
and exotic fish, waiting for you to discover its secrets.
info@sinaicollege.com
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Sinai College 2003
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