Four reefs sit in a line across the Straits of Tiran, where the entire Gulf of Aqaba empties into the Red Sea twice a day. Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson take the full force of that exchange, and the diving shows it: water so rich it feels carbonated, coral walls with a century of uninterrupted growth, and fish life that stacks from the surface to the limit of your depth gauge.
This is the northern route for divers who care more about reefs than rust. You still get the Thistlegorm and Ras Mohamed, because no northern itinerary skips them, but the heart of the week is drift diving the Tiran line, timing each dive to the tide and letting the current do the work.
Jackson Reef is the prize. Its north face drops into blue water that, in the summer months, occasionally delivers schooling scalloped hammerheads. Thomas Reef, the smallest of the four, hides a canyon below 35m that technical divers rate among the best dives in Sinai. Woodhouse is a long, narrow drift with nowhere to hide from the current, and Gordon's plateau collects turtles and whitetip reef sharks.
Because the reefs sit close to Sharm el-Sheikh, this route sails comfortably in both directions and pairs well with a first liveaboard week, provided you arrive willing to drift.
A typical week
Itineraries flex with the weather and the group. This is the shape of the week, not a promise of it.
Boarding in Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada, then a sheltered overnight mooring.
A check dive to settle gear, then into the national park: Shark & Yolanda, Jackfish Alley, and the walls at the tip of Sinai.
Two days working Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson with the tides. Drift dives on the walls, a plateau dive at Gordon, and blue-water time off Jackson's north face looking for what the current brings.
The crossing to Sha'ab Ali for the Thistlegorm, usually two dives: one for the ship, one for the cargo holds.
Sites in the Gubal Strait or the reefs off Hurghada, depending on the crossing. Often a relaxed final afternoon dive and the week's last sunset briefing.
A morning dive if the schedule allows, then back to the marina. Disembark the following morning.
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