Located further south is Danq Island, an exciting dive encompassing an exploration of the island’s unique coral gardens, sandy plateaus and an underwater channel hidden 30m below the surface. The diverse landscape is Ideal for advanced divers while the mild current here will also benefit those still learning the ropes.

The dive begins on the island’s northern side, where a vibrant reef is located on a sandy plateau which. At 3–4m deep, it’s perfect for a spot of freediving. Reef building coral, like the ones seen here, are particularly common in clear, shallow waters where they can make the most of the sun’s penetration. As a result, they thrive in the warm 31°C water.

On descent, divers will be greeted by a coalescence of colour as they traverse glorious valleys boasting remarkable formations of anemones and hard and soft coral.

The visibility is excellent and presents the perfect opportunity to glimpse one of the green or hawksbill turtles for which the area is known. While they’re a delight to spot, it’s important to give them a wide berth and avoid causing them any unnecessary stress. Turtles need to come up to the surface to breathe, but they also have to venture onto the sand every two weeks during the nesting period. The powdery white sand which covers the shoreline is upturned and full of craters where the turtles have buried their eggs.

As well as turtles, the site is teeming with marine life and divers can expect to see jackfish, red snappers and moray eels swimming amongst the coral.

One of the stranger coral varieties here is the Giant Cabbage Coral, or yellow scroll coral, named for its distinctive shape and fleshy ’leaves’. They have small tentacles that they use to capture plankton and other tiny organisms.