The Elba Reef lies on the border between Sudan and Egypt. This reef has hardly been dived and is almost untouched. It is divided into three fascinating reefs with impressive features. The Elba Reef is characterized by its beautiful plateaus on the north and south sides. A triangular reef, the plateau extends a considerable length to the north, starting at approximately 20 m and sloping down to a depth of around 45 m. A major attraction on the edge of this deep abyss is the large wreck of the SS Isola di Levanzo, which sank at the beginning of the 20th century. The entire top and stern area of the wreck can be explored while encountering majestic gray reef sharks and even hammerhead sharks. This area offers a fascinating experience for divers who want to discover the beauty and diversity of the sea.

Rocky Island is a mystical site that represents a diver’s dream. The indented reef that circles the entire perimeter of the island drops deeply to an astonishing depth, and the constant currents that flow all year round favor the growth of different kinds of colorful marine life in a continuous struggle for a place on the reef. The walls are absolutely covered with the most beautiful soft corals, as well as gorgonias, fans, sponges, and black coral trees. Because of its exposed situation, everything seems to concentrate on the surroundings of this small island. Reef sharks, especially grey and silver tips, can watch in the blue, and may be manta rays, turtles, and dolphins.

The Island of Zabargad is a superb dive spot. Here you can dive along walls, hover over drop-offs offs or dive slowly in the shallow area, watching the large number of reef fishes or inhabitants, and admire the beautiful coral garden.

In the deep south of the Red Sea, we find the St.Johns reefs. Big Habili and Small Habili, with their fantastic drop-offs overgrown with big gorgonians and colorful, bright, soft coral, promise to be a fantastic dive. You find a lot of marine life at the reef itself, and in the blue, you may see barracudas, different sharks, sometimes dolphins, or manta passing by. Umm Erug seems to be the place of unusual coral blocks. Next to the main reef at a depth of 12 m to 30 m, you find many different block formations that remind you of everyday life`s figures. Schools of small reef fishes, camouflage artists, and small critters you can explore. Around a two-hour drive north, there is the area of St. Johns Cave. The name cave is a program, and Umm Hararim impresses with its unique cave and canyon system. The main reef, surrounded by a beautiful hard coral garden, is on its south-west side full of holes like a Swiss cheese. In shallow water, you can dive through the open passages to see the light show of the sun and the nice soft corals growing inside.

Sample Itinerary:

Day 1:

• Embark from Port Ghalib. Check-in not earlier than 5 pm on the first day of the liveaboard.

Day 2-10:

• 3-4 dives per day, depending on the routing. The operation of a diving safari always depends on the actual weather and sea conditions, local regulations, as well as the skills of divers taking part.

Dive sites:

• Daedalus Reef
  Daedalus Reef is surrounded by a steep wall and features a plateau on the south side, which drops from 30 m at the wall to 40 m at the edge. The plateau is covered in colorful vegetation right down to the shallow area; turtles like to hang out there, as well as plenty of schooling fish. A closer look is worthwhile to spot snails, scorpionfish, and stonefish. It’s not uncommon for a thresher shark to stop by the plateau. At the northwest tip, there’s a good chance of encountering hammerhead sharks, but reef sharks of all kinds can also be observed. Drifting along the west side, you’ll come across Anemon City: a colony of anemones has settled about 10 m wide and at a depth of 5m to 30m, forming a giant flokati carpet in the current. The fish population is impressive: schools of fusiliers, surgeonfish, and jacks, more diverse and abundant than anywhere else.
  
  
• St Johns
  This vast reef system lies furthest to the south on the Egyptian side, 10 miles from the Sudanese border. There are dozens of excellent dives. Its reefs rise from a gigantic underwater plateau hidden in the inky blue water.

• Zabargad
  The island of Zabargad has been known since the time of the pharaohs for the presence of ancient mines from which olivine was extracted, a green stone similar to emerald. In Zabargad, you will dive along the south wall, characterized by a multitude of very scenic passages.

• Rocky Island
  The site features several submerged rocks surrounded by sandy areas with a nice swim-through at around 20 m deep. There are beautiful staghorn and hard coral. You can often find a leopard shark and a whitetip reef shark resting on the sand. Turtles and pelagic fish like the giant trevally are common too. The maximum depth is around 39 m, but most of the dive is done around 15 m. The current can be quite strong, and this dive spot is better suited to open water advanced divers.
• Elba Reef
  Elba Reef is located in the Halaib Triangle on the Egyptian and Sudanese border, with very nice plateaus on its north and south sides. It is a triangle-shaped reef. The plateau in the north is long and starts at around 20 m and ends at around 45 m depth. At the edge of the plateau, plenty of huge coral fans can be found. One of the main attractions, at the edge of a deep drop-off at the south plateau, is the large wreck of the SS Isola di Levanzo, which sank in the early 1900s. It is a rarely visited, beautiful wreck that is surrounded by scattered sherry bottles all over the seafloor. The propeller of the ship lies at 18 m, and the entire upper or stern section can be penetrated. Further inshore, the reef is relatively shallow but well-grown with a variety of corals all around. Fish life is interesting, as from reef species to sharks, everything can be spotted.

Day 11:

• One day before your departure, in the afternoon, the boat returns to the marina. Luggage will be taken from storage to prepare all your personal belongings. The details, such as pick-up times, etc., for your return trip, will be provided by our dive guides on board.
  
  
• Check out not later than 10 am on the last day of the liveaboard.

Marine Life: Thresher sharks, Hammerhead sharks, Reef sharks, Leopard sharks, Whitetip reef sharks, Giant trevally, Turtles, Snails, Scorpionfish, Stonefish, Fusiliers, Surgeonfish, Jacks, Coral fans, Hard corals, Staghorn coral, Giant gorgonians.

The last dive will be on the penultimate day of the trip. Divers are recommended to wait for 24 hours before flying after the last dive.

(*) The itinerary description is provided by the boat operator. Sample itineraries and maps are for illustrative purposes only, and the exact route and sites visited may change based on local regulations, guest experience, weather, and logistics, at the Captain’s discretion.