Diving at dive site Small Passage or Small Crack

Name Dive Site:	Small Passage, Small Crack, South Passage
Depth:	5-20m (16-65ft)
Visibility:	10-30m (32-98ft)
Accessibility:	Live-aboard
Inserted/Added by:	lars, © Author: Lars Hemel
Rated:	Rated 3.7, 3 votes
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Small Passage, Small Crack or South Passage is one of the best known dive sites near Sharm el-Sheik and Ras Mohammed. It is a crack or passage in the west-facing seaward side of the Sha'ab Mahmud reef system, which acts as a line between the Sinai desert and the streets of Gubal. This passage is one of the few places where you can actually get into the inner lagoons of Sha'ab Mahmud. Many live-aboard tours dive the passage and spend the night in the sheltered lagoons for a spectacular night dive.

The crack intersects the outer reef of Sha'ab Mahmud and forms a channel of maximum 30 meters which is perfect to make a thrilling drift dive into the lagoons. As boats moor in the lagoon you are often transported by motorboat or zodiac to the outer reef. There are some nice walls, coral boulders and some overhangs to explore but the real action is to be found inside the passage. You will find it at about 16 meters so don't dive to deep as you can miss it easily ending up at the northwest or southeast end of the outer reef. Pay attention to your buoyancy as well because the current might be so strong that it sucks you through the passage which is at its shallowest only six meters deep. Many divers have known to reach the surface while inside the passage. Don't forget to look around while inside the passage as it hosts some of the best coral and fish life seen in the Red Sea.

Coral is excellent with many types of hard and soft corals especially at the outer reef sections. About all the species of reef fish available in the Red Sea can be found here and pelagic are very common as well. The best time to dive depends on the currents and is often at its worst during dusk. Then the current is at its strongest, pointing into the sea and visibilities can be as low as one meter because of all the sand that is transported in and out of the lagoon. It is better to dive when the current is picking up but then in an inward direction. Jacks, shoals of barracuda and many other types of pelagic can be found inside the passage.

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