He plunged off its gently swaying platform with no more trepidation than if he had been entering a swimming pool back home in Bethesda. We also have had good luck at the Hilton Residence, situated on a cliff top overlooking the sea a few miles south of Naama Bay. My wife, Gail, brought up the rear in a rented pedal boat. For those put off by thatch-roofed beach bars and noisy volleyball games, south Sinai still offers plenty of solitude. One good way to get away from it all is to board a boat.
Most hotels offer snorkeling cruises lasting from an hour to a day.
One Christmas holiday a couple of years ago, we took a short cruise to Near Garden, a maze of coral heads and grottoes off a rocky headland just outside Naama Bay. Our guide dropped us off at a long wooden rowboat, which was moored near the coral and served as a semi-permanent snorkeling platform. Then he headed back to shore, promising to return in 45 minutes. It was magnificent. Diagonal shafts of late-afternoon sunlight penetrated the water, illuminating the colorful coral garden and many of its denizens.