The Great Islands Tour
The
Islands - the Big Brother and the Little Brother - are two small
isolated promontories that just come out of the water in the middle
of the sea. The Brother Islands have a very high concentration of
life in a very reduced area. The walls are covered literally with
sponges, anemones and all sorts of soft coral alcyonarian in an
astonishing variety of colors and shapes. Of course you will find
here plenty of fish. It is not unusual to see sharks: Hammerheads,
Grey Sharks, Silvertip and White Tip Reef Sharks. Additional you
can dive at the Big Brother at two wrecks: the "NUMIDIA"
and the "AIDA".
The Daedalus Reefis a huge reef formation that lies at about 180
km south of Brother Islands. The reef is surrounded by a sheer wall
all around, featuring a plateau in its southern side that goes from
30 m beside the reef to 40 m on the edge of the drop-off. If the
weather is good, try to get as far north as possible and drift along
one of the sides of the reef. Reef and Hammerhead Sharks are often
spotted here. UW life is here more abundant than anywhere else,
with schools of surgeons, fusiliers, carangids.
Rocky Island is a mythical site that represents the diver's dream.
The fringing reef that circles the entire perimeter of the island
drops steeply to an astonishing depth and the constant currents
that flow all along the year favor the growth of all different kinds
of life in a continuous struggle for a place on the reef. The walls
are absolutely covered with the most beautiful soft corals ever
found, as well as gorgonias, fans, sponges and black coral trees.
Because of its isolated situation and the reduced dimensions of
the reef wall, everything seems to concentrate on the surroundings
of this small islet. Reef sharks, specially Grey and Silvertips,
you can watch in the blue and may be Manta Rays, Sailfish and dolphins.
The Island of Zabargad is a superb dive spot. Here you can dive
along walls, hover over drop offs or dive slowly in the shallow
area, watching the fish and admire the coral garden. At the north
of Zabargad lies a nameless wreck. The 70-m long ship lies upside
down in 24-m depths. The whole stern section is nearly intact- stairs,
rail, lings, davits and the bridge.
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