A few miles outside the starting port is the Gotha el Sharm dive, the first taste of this virgin sea where the corals are majestic sculptures. Sailing westwards we will reach the Seven reefs area, rich in dive sites such as Marker 32, Marker 34, Abu Galawa, Marker 39 and more, that offer a wide variety of sceneries, each with its own peculiarities. The south-facing plateaus stretching out into the blue from the main reef are the best places to spot schools of large pelagic fish: hammerhead sharks, albimarginatus and barracudas are the masters of these waters.
We will be fascinated by the richness of the reef walls where madreporic formations alternate with forests of gorgonians and alcyonarians. Sailing another 8 miles we will reach the isolated pinnacle of Mansi or Marker 42, a column rising from the depths. Farther south is sha’ab Suflani atoll or Marker 44 with reef walls that reach a depth of over 300 meters. Schools of hammerhead sharks and pelagic fish may be spotted on the southern plateau. The cruise will end with a dive over the wreck of the Iouna, an old Turkish steamer that sank in 1914 a few miles outside Yanbu port.
Embarkation: El Sharm Marina Yanbu
Location: 24° 08’ 28” N – 37° 55’ 38” E / 23° 32’ 23” N – 38° 13’ 50” E
Recommended: divers
Period: June to October
