Seven Sisters and Five Corals

General Description:
Very extensive reef with a large internal lagoon characterized by the presence of a lighthouse on the southern side. Joey's is the largest reef among those present in the Five Corals area.

Distance from the coast: 22 kilometers
Current: average probability
External: reef site isolated
Visibility: from medium to good
Very extensive circular submerged site
Difficulty: medium
Interest in coral: soft corals, gorgonians
Pelagic: sharks, hammers, barracudas, trevally, manta rays
Average and max depth: from 20 to 40 meters
At night: yes, diving at night is allowed
Best time: morning and afternoon
Snorkeling: yes, from the mooring

Diving:
Diving close to the lighthouse, the wall forms a sort of narrow coral belt that slopes from 12 to 18 meters with the presence of a plateau at 25 meters that extends parallel to the wall for over fifty meters. Leaving the plateau to head southwest, skirt the wall keeping it to the right until you reach a forest of gorgonians in perfect health at a depth of 35 meters. The fall is animated by flocks of surgeons and fusiliers as well as a pelagic passage in particular tuna and amberjack that suddenly emerge from the blue and then disappear again. The huge fans of gorgonians give life to a real forest; paying a little attention you will be able to identify specimens of hawkfish hidden in the branches. A sizeable school of hammerhead sharks is easily seen in the blue. It happened on exceptional days to meet hammerhead sharks, silver tip sharks, jacks, barracuda, and manta rays all together in a carousel to leave you breathless. Once the time has finished in-depth, we move along the area of the reef to return now following the wall in reverse and then to the left until we reach the plateau on which there are several pinnacles, some of which detached from the wall with very suggestive populated channels. From tropical fish and large formations of anemones with clown fish. The wall is lined with black whip coral. We can safely say that the richness of this wall is explosive to the point of not regretting any diving in the Red Sea. An aquarium in which all the flora and fauna of the Red Sea are present. Night diving can give you the thrill of diving accompanied by large specimens of manta rays that are stationed in areas where plankton is present.

General Description:
Located northeast of the Five Corals area, the site called Maria's reef is the first one encountered coming from the north. Maria reef has different morphological characteristics than the other four as it is the only one with a plateau while the others are characterized by walls that fall in depth. The Five Corals area belongs to the jurisdiction of the town of Rabigh, located about 150 km north of Jeddah and as many south of Yanbu.

Distance from the coast: 22 kilometers
Current: average probability
External: reef site isolated
Visibility: from good to excellent
Submerged site: narrow, elongated plateau
Difficulty: medium
Beginning of the dive: in the madreporic plateau
Pelagic interest: coral fish, soft corals
Pelagic barracudas, trevally, tuna
Average and max depth: from 12 to 35 meters
Night: no, diving is not allowed at night
Best time: in the morning
Snorkeling: yes, at the mooring

Diving:
Small in size and elongated in shape, this reef is located on the north-south axis. The southern side is characterized by a series of 4 main towers completely covered with alcyonarian. There are 2 channels, one of which is particularly narrow between a tower and the main wall. In the middle of this channel, on the reef wall, there is a cascade of anemones with clown fish. The second channel, much larger in size, is located between the two large towers at a depth of 15 meters, again rich in coral fish and anemones with clown fish. The south plateau has a ridge no more than 15 meters wide that sinks down to 50 meters and is characterized by a madreporic block at 20 meters, after which the ridge sinks steeply to 40 meters. A small step leads to the second very narrow plateau at 50 meters where there are some large fans of gorgonians. On the east side of the ridge in correspondence with the coral block placed on the plateau, at 50 meters there is a large crack detached from the wall that continues with a cave. The base of the whole ridge is completely covered with soft coral. At a depth of 20 meters on the eastern side of the ridge, there is a mushroom formation with a cave at the base, inside clouds of glassfish. From the first meters of depth, you will notice the impressive presence of fish from the huge specimens of tuna to the schools of jacks and barracudas that swim undisturbed along the whole plateau. Their presence is constant for the duration of the dive and wherever we turn, we will notify schools of pelagics. After the time spent on the bottom, you will go up along the ridge to bring you back to the coral blocks that will leave you amazed by their richness. Small fish swim among hard corals and Alcyonacea in addition to the presence of splendid nudibranchs hidden among the rocks. Clouds of fusiliers swim compactly between the towers. The dive will continue indifferently on the east or west side where there is a very beautiful wall full of fish. On the west wall, a few meters after the end of the plateau, there is a large crack in the reef within which groups of croaker and soldier fish live. Here, too, in-depth whips of black coral and isolated gorgonians. In a few meters of water, there are some caves with sweet lips and black snappers. The east face is less steep and less interesting. The most interesting part is the range from 8 meters upwards. Maria reef is an extraordinary dive that concentrates all the fauna and flora of the Red Sea in a short space.

General description:
The longest of the reefs present in the Seven Sisters area, Abu Galawa is an elongated coral atoll with turquoise water pools inside, hence the name Galawa which in Arabic means "pool", Often a mooring destination for boats that take advantage of the excellent shelter for the night.

Distance from the coast: 20 kilometers
Current: average probability
External: reef outcropping site
Visibility: from good to excellent
Submerged site; extended, elongated
Difficulty: medium
Beginning of the dive: plateau, sandy madreporic
Pelagic, coral, soft corals, and gorgonians interest
Pelagic: sharks, hammerheads, trevally, barracudas
Average and max depth: from 12 to 40 meters
At night: yes, it is allowed to dive at night
Best time: always
Snorkeling: yes

Diving:
The extended southern plateau of Abu Galawa slopes down from 12 meters close to the wall where there are multitudes of coral conformations up to 30 meters deep on the edge of the southern slope where there is a step that leads to a small rounded plateau placed at 40 meters. There are corals formations under which you can see small sharks resting on the sand's surface. This is the point where it is easier to meet the current which is a fundamental element for the sighting of large pelagics. In the blue, it is common to spot specimens of trevally, gray sharks, silky sharks, and a school of sedentary hammerhead sharks. The walls facing south and south-west is covered with spectacular large-sized soft corals and by concentrations of gorgonians with large fans. At the end of the time along the wall, you will return to the mooring, taking you to the vast plateau characterized by a multitude of elevated madreporic panettone interspersed with narrow channels of white sand. The extraordinary nature of this site is immediately evident both for the incredible presence of reef fish and for the number of soft corals that cover its walls. At the center of the plateau at 25 meters a large conformation covered with purple soft corals is clearly visible, at its base there are small cracks inhabited by clouds of glass fish and groups of lionfish. The afternoon dive is recommended just before sunset when the fish is looking for food. A magical light will illuminate the scene creating a truly extraordinary suggestion. In this place, there is all the fauna of the Red Sea, from large pelagics to small coral fish. Abu Galawa is one of the most beautiful sites for night diving: at night it often reserves very interesting encounters.

General Description:
Located about 15 minutes east of the Marker 7-night berth, Marker 11 is located in the Sha'ab Shu'aybah district about 6 hours sailing north of Yanbu. The reef has a circular conformation with the southern wall that from the surface rests on a narrow channel of white sand at 25 meters and then resumes falling vertically in depth. Near the plateau to the south, the sand channel tapers until it connects to the vertical fall and then starts to widen again as you move away from the tip. The boat is moored close to the Marker lighthouse.

Distance from the coast 24 kilometers
Current: average probability
External site solitary outcropping reef
Visibility: from medium to good
Submerged site medium - elongated plateau
Difficulty: simple - medium
Beginning of immersion in the madreporic wall
Interest: soft corals, gorgonians, coral fish
Pelagic: trevally, tuna
Average and max depth from 10 to 30 meters
Night: no, diving at night is not allowed
Best Time: in the morning
Snorkeling: yes at the mooring

Diving:
The dive can be carried out starting directly from the mooring of the boat, swimming for a short distance with the wall on the left that falls vertically in depth from 25 meters and presents an explosion of fans of gorgonians even 4 or 5 meters wide on which they have many multicolored alcyonaceae found a comfortable bed. Observing among the gorgonians, you can see the hawkfish with their long pointed snouts perfectly immobile, ready to spring to grab some unwary prey passing by. The relatively wide plateau located at 28 meters deep narrows as it slopes towards the blue. The wall under the tip forms a large indentation in the rock. We are in the most interesting area for observing pelagic fish. On current days, gray sharks will appear from the blue, an almost constant presence in these waters, and a single specimen of the hammerhead shark. At the end of the residence time, we return by swimming along the plateau until we reach the reef wall where we can observe several rocks rich in reef fish. At the foot of the mushroom-shaped tower on the left, there is a small rock covered with colorful Alcyonacea, very often frequented by a large group of butterfly fish. After having dedicated the time necessary to observe the coral mushrooms that are located close to the reef wall, you will follow the main wall on the right at a shallow depth to return to the mooring of the boat.

General Description:
The reef indicated as Marker 41, better known by the name of Mansi which in Arabic means "the forgotten" is a huge solitary madreporic column of circular shape which is 13 kilometers south of Marker 39, the last of the Seven Sisters and about 23 kilometers north of Marker 44 or Sha'ab Suflani. Large atoll with perfectly vertical walls covered with gorgonians, multicolored Alcyonacea, and long branches of black coral. The madreporic block rests on a seabed at 80 meters and then slips into the depths of the sea. Mooring normally takes place close to the marker on the southern slope of the reef.

Distance from the coast 40 kilometers
Current: average probability
External reef site isolated
Visibility: from good to excellent
Very extensive submerged site - circular
Difficulty: medium
Beginning of the dive in the madreporic wall
Interest:, soft corals, gorgonians, caves
Pelagic hammerheads, trevally, tuna
Average and max depth from 10 to 35 meters
Night: no
Best time: morning - central hours
Snorkeling: yes at the mooring

Diving:
The Mansi dive can be done indifferently by diving from the boat to swim along the wall and then returning following the same wall in reverse or taking the dinghy to the east or west side and swimming following the wall to the mooring. The two walls are very similar to each other, usually, the west wall is the one on which you dive more frequently. As soon as you enter the water you meet a wall that falls vertically into the blue, from a depth of 30 meters down it is completely covered with formations of gorgonians, black coral bushes, and large Alcyonacea. During the first part of the dive, it is good to keep an eye on the open sea since, thanks to its isolated position it is often exposed to currents, an optimal condition to meet the schools of large pelagics. Trevally, tuna, barracuda, gray sharks but above all hammerhead sharks are an almost constant presence in these waters. It is enough to detach a few meters from the wall and move into the blue to make these extraordinary encounters. Before leaving, always make sure that the current is favorable and pushes parallel to the wall. After the time in-depth, we return to the wall that will surprise us with its richness. It is enough to dedicate a little time to research them to be amply rewarded. The subsurface layer of the reef is interspersed with continuous very interesting cracks thanks to the particular plays of light that create the sun's rays that filter inside. Small sea creatures appear from every small ravine.