The biggest Atol in the Red Sea, Sanganeb is found about one and a half hours north of the “Umbria”. This reef rises from 800m depth to the surface.
The Sanganeb coral reef is truly a beautiful place to dive or snorkel. The reef itself, has one of the richest coral displays in the Red Sea.
The British built lighthouse is situated on the reef and close by there are caves and gullies for the avid diver to visit. There are two Sudanese men who take it in turns to live in the lighthouse (they rotate every 4/5 weeks) and love to welcome visitors. You can climb to the top of the lighthouse and look out over the coral reef which is crystal clear and an incredible sight to see.
Every person who has climbed the lighthouse comes back with a different number of stairs that they have climbed – they never seem to agree on the number of stairs that are in the lighthouse
You do not have to dive deeply to see the rich sea life and this is why Sanganeb is also great for snorkelling.
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. 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.
