For the first time I visited Sudan for Freediving. Although I have been to the red sea countless times, most trips went to Egypt. So I was quite curious, whether the complicated travel via Dubai is worth it.
Sudan seems to be poorer than egypt. Tourism is not yet a big thing, and maybe this is one of the reasons, why not many tourists find their way to Port Sudan, where the Diving Adventure start. Although you probably miss things like ATM and the opportunity to pay with credit card, the friendly and open people help you to feel home. Some old divers say this is like Egypt some centuries ago.
However how is the freediving there ?
First of all, most of the Top Sites were completely empty. No other boats and therefor no other divers at the reefs. In the harbour we counted only three Diving Ships and most of the time we didn´t see them out in the ocean.
The reefs were intact and full of fishes, also some rare species like the Bolbometepon Muricatum a special parrot fish, Hammerheads and much more. Of course nearly every day interactions with the Spinner dolphins.
For me the most impressive dive sites were the Umbria a wreck which was purposely destroyed by the captain when the second world war started, to prevent the enemies to take over the ship. A very long wreck in a depth between approximately 10 – 30 m. In the ship you can find, cars, munitions, bathrooms and much more. The penetration is easy and especially for freedivers a great way to explore the wreck.
The second dive site was the Precontinent 2 a part of the underwater station of Pioneer Jacques Costeau. He and other Marine researchers were living in the underwater shelter for some weeks in depths between 11 and 27 m. Most of the station has been removed but you still can dive into one of them. In it, you can see how the marine life re-occupied the station as it is full of fish.
I was accompanied by clients and friends, who also loved this trip. Next year I will come back and offer another Tour to Sudan.
