In the southern part of Israel, you will find a relaxing city called Eilat! It’s by the Red Sea, hence a great place for snorkeling! Why not come to Coral Beach Nature Reserve to enjoy a lazy afternoon?
The entrance fee is reasonable, and it can be even considered free if you already have “Annual Pass” for Israel National Park. You can rent most equipments needed here! Just make sure you have a swimming suit!
The rental fees. The mask ₪15, snorkel ₪8, life jacket ₪13. Expect to pay a ₪100 deposit or leave your credit card here. If you want to save money, you can rent 1 life jacket for the 2 of you (if both of you cannot swim), since you will need a person taking care of valuables. There probably isn’t a locker with a lock that works…
The facility here is quite basic. It’s kind of like a public beach, where there’s no curtain for the shower.
Across the Red Sea, this is either Aqaba or …. Taba?
If I didn’t come with my family, I don’t think I’ll go snorkeling. There’s no lifeguard here. Then who is that guy in the watchtower? Well, he has ‘other’ assignment and saving drowning people isn’t his job.
The Map at Coral Beach
It’s kind of like this. Sorry about the Chinese translation on it. You will receive a new map when you get there.
If you cannot swim like me, these are 3 ways to enjoy snorkeling with a life jacket:
1) Stand on a Bridge
You see, there are two bridges. (*Map 3&5). It leads to the deep water area. But if you stand on the bridge, you can see right through the waters!
Here!
2) The 1-meter Deep Easy Zone
There are only 2 small areas by the shore accessible to the public, and there’s no coral in this area. The boundary is set by buoys. Fishes come and go, so you only need to wait. They don’t know that human beings are standing in this area! You don’t even need to rent a snorkel if all you plan is to stand in this area (only 1 meter deep) and to put your head under water for 10 seconds.
Who is this happy fish?
Be Aware! Don’t get cut by small rocks here! If you have wounds on your body… it will be painful if you are going to the Dead Sea after this!
3) Follow the Bouy Ropes in the Coral Zone
There are 2 routes in the coral zone for snorkeling. The short route is 130 meters long (*Map 1). The long route is 250 meters long (*Map 2). You get there by walking on the bridge mentioned in Option 1. But there isn’t a bridge at the end of the long route.
If you cannot swim, hold the rope. My dad swims but he held the rope like us because it was windy that day.
It was a fun experience!
Very worthwhile! The beach was clean, it’s off-beaten, and seems like not much was happening. Just you, some tourists and the nature.
I can recommend coming here!
