Dive sites in Sudan

Sha'ab Jumna rises as an isolated reef column from profound depths in the southern waters off the Sudanese coast. Plunging vertical walls sheer off on all flanks, washed by open-ocean currents that attract schooling pelagic species. Divers typically descend into the blue off the northern point to intercept scalloped hammerhead packs before drifting back along the coral-encrusted precipice.

Rising from abyssal depths off the coast of Port Sudan, Sanganeb Atoll is an isolated coral structure crowned by a historic British lighthouse. The atoll features steep drop-offs on its outer walls and extensive submerged plateaus at its northern and southern tips. Divers encounter powerful pelagic action on the exposed points, while the interior lagoon shelters fragile hard coral formations and juvenile fish.

Positioned at the southern tip of the extensive Sha'ab Anbar reef system in the Sudanese Red Sea, this submerged plateau slopes gently out before dropping steeply into open water. Offshore currents frequently wash over the shelf, concentrating schools of pelagics along the drop-off while massive coral heads anchor the sandy floor.

Sha'ab Rumi reef complex sits off the coast of Port Sudan, centered on an atoll with an enclosed lagoon and a south plateau that juts into offshore currents. Submerged remnants of Jacques Cousteau's Conshelf II underwater village—including the submarine hangar and shark cages—line the western reef edge. Further out, the plateau features sheer drop-offs, coral gardens, and pelagic species in open water.

The SS Umbria was an Italian cargo vessel scuttled by her captain in June 1940 to avoid capture by British forces just as Italy entered World War II. Resting on her port side along the sheltered side of Wingate Reef near Port Sudan, the massive ship remains remarkably intact with almost all of its wartime cargo still inside.