Sha’ab Alshu’abah

Umluj

Top Dive Time

45-60Min

4.0

Ratings

Distance

20 km @ 190° From

Ash Shab’an Coast Guard

Approx 50-65 minutes by boat

Skills

Beginners, Advanced, Free Diving,

Site Features

Shipwreck,

Densely covered with soft and hard coral formations, Sha’ab Alshu’abah (or Southern Mark 7) consists of three sites. The first two wander along a sloping reef wall. The mild to strong current creates outstanding visibility of 20–30m due to consistent movement, which keeps the water clear of floating sand and debris.

Approaching 20m, divers can thoroughly explore the coral heads situated on a sandy platform. Colonies of fan and fire corals invigorate the reef by supporting the fish that reside in their tentacles.

The third site is a thrilling dive around the Argonaftis shipwreck. It’s not recommended that divers enter the ship due to the risk of injury.

All three dives are best suited for advanced divers, and it is recommended to go with the flow of the current and enjoy the marine spectacle. Schools of anthias put on a delightful display while hammerhead and whitetip sharks loiter in search of prey. Meanwhile, the warm waters are relished by lionfish, parrotfish, wrasse, moray eels, rays and barracuda.

Coral larvae attach themselves to the sea floor or rocks and then metamorphose into single polyps. If successful, these tiny, single polyps divide and can sometimes form enormous colonies made up of tens of thousands of clones from the original polyp. Through their growth, these colonies construct much of the reef. Although coral tissue is translucent, corals derive their wide range of colours from the zooxanthellae algae that live within their tissue.