Even more astounding is the Red Sea’s amazing past. Formed when plate tectonics forced Arabia to split from Africa (a gap which is still widening and, thus, it is generally believed that the Red Sea will one day become an Ocean), it went on to play a huge role throughout human history. The Egyptians were the first to explore it and Exodus tells how Moses summoned the powers of God to part its waters and lead the Israelites to freedom. There is o scientific proof of this having ever happened and, more shocking still is that so-called educated scientists actually expected to find archaeological verification in the first place. Later, Napoleon failed to capture Egypt and the Red Sea, with it rising to international prominence when the Suez Canal was opened in 1869.

It’s uncertain how the Red Sea got its name; hypotheses are as diverse as the red bacteria which sometimes bloom near its surface and the red hue of the nearby mountains. However, the most probable theory comes from some early Asiatic languages using colours to indicate directions – ‘red’ meant south, with ‘black’ meaning north, hence the name also for the Black Sea.

Due to evaporation, wind stress and water circulation patterns, the Red Sea is one of the planet’s most saline bodies of water and is also its most northerly tropical sea – the average water temperature is a toasty 22°C, reaching as high as 30°C at its southern points during summer. It is also unusual in its extensive shallow shelves, lagoons, fringes and 2000kms of coral reefs that are over 5000 years old.

The result is one of the world’s most fascinating habitats – a truly rich and diverse ecosystem. To date, more than 1100 species of fish and 200 soft and hard corals have been recorded in the Red Sea, including 75 species of deepwater fish and 44 species of shark. 10% of the species are unique to the Red Sea.

The uniqueness, beauty and importance of the sea was recognised in 1983 when the Egyptian government created the Ras Mohammed National Park, to protect the marine life that draws and delights thousands of divers every year.