St Johns

This is a typical example of the St Johns itinerary. The schedule is subject to change according to prevailing weather conditions and is only given as a example of what you would usually encounter during your holiday.

Scuba Travel have regular departures of the St Johns itinerary throughout the year

Embarkation
Grand Sea and Contessa Mia depart from Port Ghalib in Marsa Alam for this itinerary.

Trip Duration
All of our St Johns trips run for 7 nights with 7 nights spent on board your liveaboard.

There are normally 4 dives a day (3 day dives + 1 night dive) apart from on your first and last day. There are around 18-20 dives on an average week but this can vary depending on travel times.

Arrival
Once you have been picked up from the airport you will be taken to the port to board your liveaboard. If you are making your own way to the harbour we ask that you not board before 18:00. There will be a full welcome briefing on arrival and you can set your kit up. If you have prepaid any rental equipment this will be given to you on arrival. There is then your first dinner and you can settle in for the evening. The boat will not leave harbour on this first night.

After the boat permissions are sorted, the boat will depart the next morning and the check dive will be made.

A normal St Johns itinerary will dive at the following areas but the exact dive sites and order will vary week by week depending on what people enjoy, where the best sightings have been and reflect diver experience levels.

Marsa Alam
There are many dive sites around Marsa Alam, especially to the south of Port Ghalib.

The Abu Dabab system has around 7 main reef systems which are brilliant check dives and night dives (look out for the feeding lion fish and large plurobranchs). Shaab Marsa Alam has a small wreck on it as well as good for smaller schooling fish and macro.

Ras Shona and Marsa Abu Dabab are always popular dive sites with so much for divers. The hard coral reefs are lovely and home to an impressive selection of fish. Sea grass beds in the centre of the bays draw in large turtles which are frequently seen feeding. If you are lucky you can also find the resident dugongs which literally hoover up grass. Large whip tail rays are also found here.

Elphinstone
Elphinstone is one of the big name reefs in the Southern Red Sea. It is a slim and relatively small reef with dramatic walls and a plateau at each end. You can do several dives here (weather permitting). Head out to look for hammerheads on the north plateau before drifting along the magical wall (the clouds of anthias are vast!). A friendly trumpet fish will often shadow divers as you make your way down the wall. The southern plateau is where oceanic white tips hang out during the later half of the year. You must watch your depth and currents carefully on Elphinstone as conditions can be variable.

St Johns
St Johns offers a mixture of dive sites which are stunning.

Broadly speaking you will do your deepest morning dives on the wonderful walls. Habili Ali is always a cracking start to the morning with steep walls, giant sea fans and plenty of reef sharks. Bumphead parrott fish can be heard munching corals in the shallows and larger pelagics such as hammerheads, manta and dolphin often cruise past. Habili Jaffa boats similar marine life to the larger Habili Ali but with the added fun or being a pyramid shaped reef that you circle several times over the course of the dive. Further wall dives can be made at Gota Kebir and Gota Soraya - always worth looking out for sharks here.

There are several shallower dives sites which are ideal for the afternoon dive and at night. Abu Bassala is especially good for Spanish dancers and free swimming morays. There are pinnacles at Um Aruk packed with splendid anemones and clown fish. Swim through the shallow cave system at Dangerous Reef or just admire the large hard corals.

The final stop in St Johns is usually St Johns caves - a highlight for many a diver. Here you really can lose yourself in the shallow and safe cave system before working your way out onto the outer reef.

Fury Shoal
Fury Shoal is all about the spectacular corals here and abundant marine life. Sataya is the most southerly of the reef system and there are so many ways to dive it, including a shallow dive to see some Roman amphora. Shaab Claude is perhaps one of the most famous hard coral gardens and simply divine. Maksour is a great wall dive with beautiful southern plateau and pinnacles. Malahi is a fun dive with narrow swim throughs to explore. Aub Galawa Soraya and Abu Galawa Kebira are home to small wrecks, a great start to both dives around these coral playgrounds.

Wadi Gamal
There are 3 main reefs around Wadi Gamal that are visited either on the way down to or up from St Johns. Shaab Sharm is a large wall dive with excellent plateau at the south. This is a good location for manta or sharks and huge schools of snapper and bat fish that school on the drop off. Shriniat is a small reef that is quite broken up but with remarkable hard corals and macro life. Shaab Wadi Gamal is used more often for night diving and ideal for a range of creeping crustaceans and feather stars.

Disembarkation
You will normally leave the boat after breakfast on your last day and be transferred to a hotel for the day. Your final transfer will take you to the airport for your return flight home. Please do speak to the travel consultant at the time of booking to confirm the exact last day arrangements as it can vary.

If you would like to add an extension, combine this with another product or tweak the itinerary give us a call so we can discuss your dream diving holiday.

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