Andromeda Itinerary

Farasan Banks

Our  first  group  of  divers  travelling  to  Saudi  Arabia  gave  us  their first-hand  account  of  what  it  was  really  like  diving  the  Farasan Banks, south of Jeddah, and we are happy to share their experiences with  you.  They  took  one  of  the  many  direct  flights  from  Europe  to Jeddah that are available now.

Farasan Banks is an area that encompasses many small islands, coral reefs, and sand banks, starting about 230km south of Jeddah near Al Lith, and stretching to about 250km. It actually covers 2 latitudinal degrees. These are complex groups of islands, dotted with deep-water channels that form a national park.

In the northern region of the Farasan Banks 4 tall peaks formed over time; Dohra, Marmar, El Jedir, and Malathu reefs. The peaks are virtually vertical and drop hundreds of metres into the deep. These formations are a lot smaller compared to the main reefs like Malathu, for example which covers an area of about 400m x 140m. 

All the notes our divers took in their diver's logs are actual and real experiences they had encountered, broken down reef by reef. This area lies straight across from Sudan, so it was expected that underwater wonders and richness similar to Sudan's would appear here as well.

Day 1: Aramco Reef

This is a beautiful reef, abundant with purple and orange soft corals. We spent the night here as it is a perfect spot for night diving.

Day 2: Malathu Reef

A sand bank, adorned by green grass on top. You can actually see the turtles on the beach as they lay their eggs in the sand. We got to see 2 of them on our first dive here. For the second dive we jumped in near the split point. The sand banks and the pinnacle were spectacular, home to a huge number of dolphins and tuna. The boat moored at a less windy spot for the night.

Day 3: Dohra Reef

This is also a grass-covered sand bar, and the turtles' "foot prints" are clearly visible in the sand. This reef houses even more species like the thousands of birds that live and nest here. This is an amazing spot! On our first dive we dove along a wall full of corals and thousands of colourful fish. On the second dive we dove on the south plateau where  schools of barracuda and jackfish delighted us, and we made friends with a few turtles too. The third dive toped it all! A school of mackerels were followed by 2 huge tuna, and 2 silky sharks were in tow, looking for dinner. At this spot, we saw turtles on every dive. We moored again at another spot for the night.

Day 4: Shaab Ammar

Our first dive was on the south plateau. Talk about starting your day with a bang! A school of hammerheads at 40m, a school of barracuda on the plateau, and plenty of smaller tuna along with a couple of silky sharks. The reef is magical and very healthy, undisturbed, with tons of young hard corals. These was the best dive so far! On the second dive the first one repeated itself -  hammerheads at 40m, huge schools of barracuda on the plateau, and whitetip sharks for good measure! On the third dive even more to see - eagle rays and lots of barracuda.

Day 5: Mudarr

A great start - about 20 hammerheads at 40m! When they spotted us, they turned back to check us out, and lingered around us for long-long minutes. Between dives, a family of 30-40 dolphins kept us entertained near the boat, over the reef. We sailed back to Shaab Ammar for the third dive. Some of us swam inside the reef through crevices, passages, and caves. It was sensational! Outside the caves sharks and barracuda kept the show going.

Day 6: Canyon Reef

The boat moored at the south end of the reef, and we had 2 dives here. We did not see the usual big fish here but it is a gorgeous dive site. We were diving among stand-alone coral blocks, and met up with barracuda, whitetip sharks, tuna, and we were just in awe of all the brilliant and healthy coral formations.