Scuba diving in

Sudan, North and South

Located between Egypt and the Horn of Africa, Sudanese waters make up much of the Red Sea’s southern reaches, eventually giving way to Eritrea and Djibouti. Officially the Republic of Sudan, this country receives far fewer visitors than its northern neighbour, leaving the majority of the region’s reefs untouched. In addition to world-class diving, these azure waters are also home to white-sand islands, coral atolls that could easily be mistaken for the Maldives, and over 800 kilometres of stunning coastline. Below the waves, scuba divers can explore bustling reefs, spires and pinnacles, and near-vertical dropoffs on the edge of trenches hundreds of metres deep.

The Sudanese Red Sea covers thousands of square kilometres and boasts multiple protected marine areas. Its maritime hub, Port Sudan, has been an essential transportation stopover for centuries, contributing to its wealth of sunken vessels. Nutrient-rich cold upwellings make it a hotspot for marine megafauna of all kinds, from whales and dolphins to pelagic sharks, manta rays, and schooling hammerheads. Simply put, Sudan has a bit of something for everyone - and a fraction of the tourism further north in the Red Sea.

Because Sudan’s best dive sites are so far offshore and spread far apart running north to south, the region is best explored via liveaboard. The majority of itineraries depart from and return to Port Sudan, although a few combine Egypt’s deep south and Sudan’s north, departing from Port Galib in Egypt. Only offered a few times per year, these trips offer dedicated divers the best of both worlds, touring some of the Red Sea’s most stunning sites in both countries!

Getting to Sudan is simple, with international flights connecting through Dubai and Cairo. On arrival in Port Sudan, you’ll be picked up by your liveaboard operator of choice. A visa is required for travel to Sudan but is easy to arrange independently via the Sudanese embassy in your home country or through your chosen vessel’s management team. You’ll arrive in Sudan with a pre-approved letter and receive the visa itself on arrival at the airport.

Because the diving in Sudan is done via liveaboard, you'll be staying on your vessel of choice for the duration of your trip. Sudan is not suitable for a land-based dive holiday or independent exploration as it lacks tourist infrastructure and security in some parts of the country.

Instead, many divers opt to spend a day or two exploring Egypt’s Red Sea before and after their expedition. Sudan’s neighbour in the north offers a wide variety of hotels, resorts, and even budget-friendly hostels, depending on which area you prefer to visit.

If you’d like to tour a few historic sites in addition to scuba diving, consider combining your voyage with a visit to Egypt’s capital city, Cairo. This ancient city is where nearly all flights to Sudan transfer and serves as the region’s hub. A bit of additional exploration here makes for an outstanding local introduction if you’re new to travelling in the region.

Sudan’s climate is hot and dry year round, with arid, dusty winds that blow in from the desert and little to no rainfall. With the exception of a short monsoon season, the region enjoys year-round sunshine and intense heat, with daytime temperatures between 34 and 41°C. 

Liveaboard scuba diving safaris run throughout most of the year in Sudan, with a break for the heat between June and September when both air and water temperatures peak. During these months, the sea reaches a bathwater high of 31 to 33°C - too warm for divers or marine life.

For the most favourable conditions, plan to visit between January and April. Hammerhead season peaks from February through April when the ocean is at its coolest, dropping from 27 to 24°C with cold upwellings from the deep and a thermocline that pushes toward the surface, bringing Sudan’s infamous sharks into the shallows. You’ll find the most mantas later in the year, from September through November. Visibility at the offshore reefs ranges from 20 metres during the rainy season from May to October to beyond 35 metres during the dry season from November through June.

While November through February are known for unsettled surface conditions, this is the best time to dive Sudan. The cooler water means dive groups can encounter hammerhead sharks, reef sharks, tornados of barracuda, turtles, large schools of fish, dolphins, and more.

Sudan is home to both marine protected areas and a UNESCO world heritage site. The Sanganeb Atoll was the country’s first marine national park, established in 1990. This is the only atoll in the Red Sea, with steep slopes surrounding the islands and quickly dropping off to a seafloor more than 800 metres deep. This region was recently recognised by UNESCO as well, thanks to its stunning biodiversity, with over 300 species of fish and 86 different coral varieties.

Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island National Park were later added to Sudan’s park system thanks to their unspoiled coastal landscapes and diverse seascapes. This area boasts the country’s largest island, kilometres of pristine mangrove forest, vital seagrass beds, and one of the only known Sudanese populations of endangered dugongs.

Sudan’s recently introduced Sharks and Rays programme aims to raise awareness on the threatened status of sharks and rays. Through community outreach and education, this science-led initiative also hopes to highlight the potential economic importance for these animals in local communities, shifting the focus from fishing to ecotourism.