An Eiffel Tower in Sudan

We have concluded a classic week in Sudan with grey reef sharks, white-tip sharks and barracudas. There were no strong currents this weeks which kept the hammerheads away but we still had plenty to see!

Tour date: March 16 – 23, 2013
Itinerary: Sudan-North
Air temperature: 30C
Water temperature: 26C
Visibility: 30m

Because of the strong winds, Shaab Suedi was the most northern site on this tour. After the first 2 dives in the morning, we headed straight south. Temperatures hovered around 30C all week but there were a couple of days laced with some clouds and there was no need for AC either.

We dived the Sanganeb reef system heavily this week too, although out of the 124 reefs, there are a few still left behind to discover. Its famous Eiffel Tower-like lighthouse was there to greet us again. Our cameras were working from atop of the structure, taking in the gorgeous view from above – we were in the middle of the sea, surrounded by emerald reefs. There are always a couple of Sudanese soldiers on duty for 3-4 months at a time and they happily welcome every visitor.

Our tour plan:

Day 1: Shaab Suedi Fasma, Shaab Suedi Fasma, Shaab Suedi Fasma
Day 2: Blue Belt, Shaab Rumi South, Shaab Rumi South, Precontinent
Day 3: Shaab Rumi South, Shaab Rumi South, Precontinent, Shaab Rumi Lagoon
Day 4: Shaab Rumi South, Sanganeb North, Sanganeb West, Sanganeb West
Day 5: Sanganeb North, Sanganeb South, Sanganeb South, Umbria
Day 6: Umbria, Umbria

As usual, the dive sites were at our own disposal or on occasion, had to share with one other boat. And the underwater life… It was amazing once again. On most of our dives we met up with grey reef sharks or white-tip sharks. Besides the uncountable tiny fish swarming around us, we were lucky enough to see other larger pelagic species too. We were face to face with lots of large Napoleon fish, marvelled at huge schools of barracudas and jackfish. So, it is not hard to believe that all our day dives were fascinating. Our night dives were equally exciting. We saw Spanish dancers, crabs, scorpion fish, barracudas and rainbow-coloured nudibranches.

A new week, new hopes. We will be back next week again and let you know what we will have seen.

In case you have missed out on our previous reports, you can catch up by following these links:

Manta, hammerhead, barracuda!
The sharks winked back!
Angarosh, the “Mother of Sharks”
A perfect start in Sudan!
Fish parade in the month of the Pisces!