Sudan liveaboard
SudanSudan, as a dive destination is legendary and is normally at the top of the list for many divers. Onboard our custom built liveaboards, you can experience some of the best dive sites in the world as well as being treated with the same quality of food, accommodation, dive platform and service that you are used to from Egyptian Red Sea liveaboards.
As a holiday destination, Sudan is fairly limited and it is a bit of an adventure to get to Port Sudan, and back again. When you do get there, we can promise you that you will never regret your choice of dive holiday. You will experience all you have dreamt about concerning sharks, manta rays and wrecks!
Diving in Sudan is often referred to as "off-shore" diving at reefs with steep, spectacular walls, intact wrecks and Cousteau´s Con-shelf project. Tides and currents hardly exist and the visibility is fantastic. One of Sudan´s most popular dive sites is the often photographed wreck of the Umbria. Sunk by the Italiens during WWII in order to avoid capture by the English, this 150 m long wreck contains bombs, vehicles and plenty of other paraphenlia that would keep any diver happy for hours.
|
Royal Evolution
Royal EvolutionRoyal Evolution is a well appointed, 39 meter steel hulled liveaboard, with all the latest safety and comfort features. Royal Evolution´s sleek design and powerful engines give her excellent long range capability to explore new itineraries, such as the two week trip from Port Galib in Egypt to Port Sudan.
Below decks the twin cabins are spacious with plenty of storage and feature work station/dressing table, satellite TV and CD player, safety deposit box and fridge. The two main deck double cabins have similar features and all cabins have en-suite bathroom, full air conditioning with individual controls. The Saloon and Dining areas are comfortably furnished and provide satellite television with plasma screen, sound system and DVD library. The satellite navigation system allows guests to track the progress of the voyage. The galley provides an excellent variety of local and international fair and even bake their own fresh bread every day.
There are many outside areas both in sun and shade, and the teak deck furniture and large Jacuzzi add a touch of luxury. Nothing has been spared when it comes to the dive deck. There are three Ribs, two of them are 5.5metres equipped with 55hp Yamaha outboards and one is 4.2m equipped with 25hp Yamaha outboard. Three Divemix compressors with a delivery of 25ltr/min, each connected to an extra separate air filter, plus one Divemix Nitrox compressor membrane with delivery of 500ltr/min. provide fast and efficient fills. The booster pump with the filling panel for tech fills up to 200Bar supplies gas for the full range of technical courses & services available onboard.
Technical Specifications Length 39m |
Itinerary
ItinerariesThere are two ways to exerience diving from a liveaboard in Sudan: a two week trip departing from Egypt, or a ten day trip with departure from Port Sudan. The first option is to fly with a direct charter flight to Egypt and depart from the Marsa Alam area. In this way, you get to dive the southern Egyptian Red Sea including St Johns, while on your way to Sudan. There is plenty of time for diving some of the best sites in the Red Sea, while enjoying all of the comforts that only a liveaboard can offer.
The second option involves flying to Cairo, then onward towards Port Sudan. Due to flight scheduling, and that there is only one flight a week between Cairo and Port Sudan, an overnight in Cairo is required in both directions. For those of you that have not have the opportunity to visit the pyramids or Cairo museum, there will be time to do just that. Sudan Itinerary: Day 1: Port Ghaleb – Embarkation – Sailing at Night to Fury Shoel or St.John reef. All itineraries can be changed due to weather condition. Please note that both options are not always available. Please contact us for more information: info@scubatravel.se |
Wrecks
WrecksBlue Belt Thought to have been smuggling from Saudi Arabia, the cargo ship Blue Belt missed a passage through the reef and struck Sha’ab Su’adi in December 1977, 50 miles north of Port Sudan.
Umbria Wingate reef is just 35 minutes out of Port Sudan and is the resting place of the Umbria, arguably the Red Sea’s most photogenic wreck. Scuttled by the Italian crew in 1940, to avoid capture by the British, she was en-route to Calcutta, via Eritrea, with a mixed cargo including over 350,000 bombs. She was also carrying tires, wine and 3 Fiat Lagunas, all of which she took to the bottom with her. This 150m wreck lies at a max 40m over on her port side, her starboard side just breaking the surface. The funnel & mast have long since collapsed and life rafts are scattered on the seabed around her. An initial investigation can be done by snorkel, as there’s little current. The hull and handrails are heavily encrusted and the holds are open and easily entered. The starboard propeller is intact and clear of the bottom so makes for an excellent photo opportunity at 18m. Spanish Dancers, crabs, lobsters and small octopus have made their homes here and sharks are often seen prowling in open water.
Conshelf II In 1963, Jacques Cousteau ran his Conshelf II Underwater Living experiments on Sha´ab Rumi reef, as captured on the film Le Monde Sans Soleil (The world without Sun), and five men spent a month living underwater. Forty years on you can still swim amongst the remains of his village. Just a dark shadow from the boat, once underwater you begin to make out an onion-shaped structure standing on three legs. This is the submarine´s steel hangar. Still airtight, divers bubbles have created an airpocket inside. Other debris includes the remains of the tool shed, the Aquarium and a shark cage all now delicately encrusted with corals. This dive is a shallow dive along the western wall of the reef. Apart from the historically interesting remains of the Precontinent the reef itself is absolutely stunning with every conceivable coral species fighting for a foothold on the narrow ledge. |
.jpg)
Reefs
ReefsSanganeb Sanganeb is found about one and a half hours north of the "Umbria". This reef rises from 800m depth to the surface. There is a manned British built lighthouse towering 70m above the reef and divers and non-divers can enjoy a tour to the top to take photos of the glorious reef below. It is only 288 steps to the top!
The South plateau on Sanganeb is a fabulous dive and soft and hard corals with schooling Jack, Barracuda, Tuna and Snapper are abundant. Grey reef sharks cruise close by you with the occasional White Tip reef shark swimming past. There are sometimes Hammerheads, Silky and Oceanic White Tips here as well as occasional Manta rays. The North plateau is an outstanding dive although potentially quite dangerous. This is a deep dive with a lower plateau at 45m where schooling Hammerheads are common. It is normal to see Grey Reef Sharks, Silvertips and White tips here. Where the boat anchors inside the lagoon there is often a huge pod of dolphins and it is normal to snorkel amongst them. Angarosh This triangular shaped reef is surrounded on all sides by deep drop-offs. Off the southern tip protrudes a 2-tier plateau at 30 and 40 m.
This reef is famous for Hammerheads with a high probability of seeing them off the deeper plateau. The shallower plateau is home to Barracuda and Jacks and the occasional White tip shark. Strong currents usually run over the plateaus, feeding the superb coral growth. Sha’ab Rumi Sha’ab Rumi is the signature site of Sudan. Made famous by Jacques Cousteau’s Precontinent experiment and the accompanying film Le Monde Sans Soleil (The world without Sun), Shaab Rumi is one of those sites you can just dive and dive again. 25 miles North East from Port Sudan the reef has a ledge plateau running along the western side at 10 – 15m, home to the Precontinent Experiment and a world class southern plateau. In 1963, Jacques Cousteau ran his Conshelf II Underwater Living experiments here and five men spent a month living underwater. Forty years on you can still swim amongst the remains of his village. Just a dark shadow from the boat, once underwater you begin to make out an onion-shaped structure standing on three legs. This is the submarine´s steel hangar, still airtight divers bubbles have created an airpocket inside. Other debris include the remains of the tool shed, the Aquarium and a shark cage all now delicately encrusted with corals. This dive is a shallow dive along the western wall of the reef. Apart from the historically interesting remains of the Precontinent the reef itself is absolutely stunning with every conceivable coral species fighting for a foothold on the narrow ledge. The South Plateau is a world class dive, a sloping plateau running from 20 to 30m surrounded by deep wall drop-offs this plateau is home to large schools of Barracuda and Jacks, Grey and Whitetip reef sharks, huge grouper and triggerfish and if you can get through the clouds of Anthias you may be able to see the wonderous varieties of hard and soft corals. Through the colder months Hammerheads can be found here schooling in the currents off the southern tip. Large Humphead Parrotfish can be seen and in the early morning dives it is possible to hear and sometimes see the dominant males settling the hierarchy dispute by clashing their boney heads together sending shockwaves right through you.
Mesharifa North of the small island of Mukawar lies the area of Mesharifa. This site is renowned for mantas with a particularly high probability of sightings between September and December. Mesharifa lies at the mouth of Dunganeb Bay and is a shallow (8-10m) area with sandbars and small islands rising up from the bottom. Around these obstacles currents carry nutrient rich water to the mouths of the waiting Manta. The Manta here spend their time sunning themselves on the surface lulling in the gentle currents. It is here that it is possible to snorkel and come face to face with one of these wonderful creatures. |
Travel info
Travel Info SudanTime: +3 GMT Currency: Sudanese Dinar, US dollar Language: Arabic is the official language Visa: Must be purchased upon arrival to Sudan Health: Keep in mind that you will need to take all necessary medicine with you. Ie: against sea sickness, colds or prescription medications. Recompression Chamber: There are no chambers in Sudan. The nearest chamber is in Marsa Alam, Egypt. Clothing & Traditions: Sudan practices the Islamic Sharia law. Alcohol and pornographic materials are not allowed to be imported. We recommend conservative dress when you are on the Sudanese mainland. Weather: The northern coast of Sudan has a warm and dry desert climate, with large differences in night and day temperatures. Air temperature: |