Sharm El Sheikh: Ras Mohamed Snorkeling & White Island Yacht Trip

4.90

(502 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the sea to look that blue — almost fake, honestly. The morning started with a minibus picking us up from somewhere near Old Sharm (I was still half-asleep), and then suddenly we were boarding this sleek yacht, Sina Dream. I remember the deck felt cool under my feet, and someone handed me tea before we even left port. Our guide, Ahmed, grinned and said something about “the best seafood soup in Sinai.” I thought he was joking but he wasn’t.

The first stop was Ras Mohamed for snorkeling. I’d seen photos, but floating above those coral gardens is different — there’s this hush underwater except for your own bubbles, and flashes of parrotfish darting past. Ahmed pointed out a lionfish (I stayed back) and showed us how to spot the tiniest blue clams wedged in the rocks. The water tasted salty-sweet when it splashed into my mask. We did two sessions because the wind was gentle that day; apparently sometimes you only get one.

White Island came next — just a strip of sand in the middle of turquoise nothingness. It’s weirdly soft underfoot, like powdered sugar. Everyone took photos but I mostly just stood there letting the sun dry me off, squinting at the horizon. There were some Russian families doing TikTok dances and a little kid trying to build a sandcastle that kept collapsing (the sand’s too fine). On the way back, they served seafood cream soup that actually lived up to Ahmed’s hype — rich and peppery — followed by a buffet where I probably ate too much grilled fish. People laughed when someone tried the “hanging chair” overboard and nearly spun out; I chickened out of that one.

I still think about that view from White Island — so empty it felt like being on another planet. The salt dried white on my arms by the time we docked again in Sharm El Sheikh. Not everything went perfectly (my snorkel leaked once), but honestly? That made it feel more real somehow.