Destination Fact File
See some of the most spectacular and fascinating underwater scenery you could ever imagine whilst diving in Sudan.
Sudan offers vibrant coral forests teeming with reef life to great schools of hammerheads and grey reef sharks of the deep blue an adventure is waiting for every diver. This destination is only offered on a Liveaboard basis to ensure access to the best sites and avoid the somewhat basic amenities on the ground.
Cousteau’s Underwater Village is home to the remnants of the days when Jacques Yves Cousteau embarked upon the first experiment into sub aqua living back in 1963. The world’s first ever aquanauts lived in this assembled house, which was in the shape of a starfish with a main central chamber and four protruding arms. This house was equipped with bunk beds, toilets, showers, a stereo system and a UV chamber where every aquanaut had to spend at least 10 minutes a day to compensate for the lack of sunlight they were getting down there. In the secondary buildings there was a shed for tools, another for underwater scooters and much more. Cousteau filmed a documentary about his pioneering experiments and it is just astonishing. The Sha’ab Rumi is now one of the richest environments in the world. The marine life that is completely used to divers is more diverse than anywhere else in the Red Sea or surrounding areas.
Sha’ab Suedi also known as Blue Belt was wrecked in 1970. This cargo ship now lies upside down with her nose buried in the sand. As well as investigating this amazing wreck with the vast amounts of corals and fish now claiming it as their home, you can explore the many cars and trucks scattered all around that were launched from the ship when it hit the reef.
The Umbria is one of the best preserved wrecks in the world. An Italian transport ship carrying bombs from Messina encountered British warships and on June 10th 1940 the crew decided to scuttle the ship and its content rather than give it up to the British. You can still see the small lifeboat cranes from the surface of the water. Below the ship you will be transported into another world. You are not able to investigate this wreck in only 1 dive it takes at least 3 to see the full extent of what it has to offer. Many refer to this pristine beauty as looking like a museum piece with its eerie atmosphere.