The Straits of Tiran sit between the tip of Sinai and the Saudi coast, and the interesting part of them is a line of four reefs standing in open water. From north to south they are Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon, and all four rise out of deep water. A day boat can visit them in one run, which is why Tiran is sold as a single excursion rather than four.
What does the Tiran day cost?
Cinderella Eldawley runs a full-day snorkelling boat to Tiran for €40 per person, reduced from €50 on the operator's own price list. It is eight hours — a whole day out, not a morning — and it is snorkelling rather than diving, so no certificate and no tank are involved. The centre is on Salah Taher Street in Sharm and holds 4.9 on Google from 2,860 reviews as of 3 September 2026, one of the largest review counts in the town.
What is charged separately?
Two things are charged separately and are stated as such: the marine park fee and the jetty fee. The operator does not print the amounts, so before a booking we ask for the current figures in writing. That is the honest version of the price — €40 is the boat, and the fees are collected on the day.
€40 is the boat only. Cinderella collects the marine park fee and the jetty fee on the day and does not print the amounts, and snorkelling equipment is not listed as included — bring your own mask.
Why are the four reefs not interchangeable?
All four rise from deep water, which is what gives them their character: there is no shallow approach, the wall is right there, and the fish life sits along it.
Jackson is the northernmost of the line; Gordon the southernmost, closest to Sharm. Between them Woodhouse and Thomas are narrower and more exposed, and the boat's route on any given day depends on the wind and the current rather than on a fixed itinerary — the skipper decides which of the four the conditions allow.
What do you see from the surface?
From the surface, with a mask, you see the top of the reef structure and the schooling fish above it. That is the honest description of a snorkelling day: the wall continues below you further than you can follow it.
Tiran or Ras Mohammed?
They are the two big names in Sharm, and they are not the same kind of day.
| Tiran | Ras Mohammed | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Four reefs in open water in a strait | A national park at the tip of the peninsula |
| Cheapest snorkelling day | €40 (Cinderella) | €25 with White Island (Shark Divers) |
| Diving from | Included in the centres' standard boat days | €80 (Cinderella), $95 all-in (Mr. Diver) |
| Fees | Park and jetty, charged separately | Park fee, charged separately almost everywhere |
If you have one boat day, Ras Mohammed is the one people regret missing, and the €25 day that pairs it with White Island is the cheapest way there. If you have two, Tiran is the second, and the two days look nothing alike from the water.
Diving Tiran rather than snorkelling it
Certified divers reach the same reefs on the standard boat days that the Sharm centres run — two guided dives across a full day, with the site chosen by the boat according to conditions. Those days start at €80 per person at Cinderella Eldawley, and the all-in comparison to make is Mr. Diver at $95 with the National Park and jetty fees already inside the price, along with transport, breakfast, lunch, drinks and nitrox.
What should you know before booking?
Bring your own mask if you have one — the operator does not list snorkelling equipment as included in the €40. Plan the whole day: eight hours means the boat leaves in the morning and returns in the afternoon, and the centre confirms the meeting time with your booking. And count the fees into your budget before you get to the jetty, not after.
Prices here are the operator's own published figures as of 3 September 2026. Where a fee is named without an amount, we confirm the current figure in writing before your booking.
Updated 3 September 2026.
