Qita' el Banna & Jibna Islands – Sudan Red Sea Diving

About Qita' el Banna & Jibna Islands

Qita' el Banna and the Jibna Islands represent some of the most secluded and rarely dived locations in the Sudanese Red Sea. Qita' el Banna, known locally as The Baron, is a large pinnacle with deep walls, schooling snappers, occasional hammerhead sweeps, and the wreck of the Baron, a small coastal cargo boat rusting on the reef top at 10 to 20 metres providing habitat for morays and lionfish. The Jibna Islands form a small archipelago with pristine fringing reefs, green turtles, whitetip reef sharks, and rarely dived calm lagoons that offer exceptional night diving opportunities. These locations receive minimal diver traffic due to their distance from standard liveaboard routes, preserving coral communities and marine life in a state of extraordinary health. Divers who venture to these islands experience a sense of discovery and exclusivity that characterises the best of Sudanese diving, with pristine reefs that appear unchanged since the earliest days of Red Sea exploration.

Highlights

• ✓Qita' el Banna pinnacle with wreck of the Baron and schooling snappers
• ✓Jibna Islands archipelago with pristine fringing reefs rarely dived
• ✓Green turtles nesting on sandy cays of the Jibna archipelago
• ✓Exceptional night diving in the calm Jibna lagoons
• ✓Whitetip reef sharks on untouched fringing reefs
• ✓Sense of discovery and exclusivity in rarely visited waters

Getting There

Qita' el Banna and the Jibna Islands are reached by liveaboard vessel from Port Sudan harbour, approximately 90 minutes crossing time. These sites are featured on extended liveaboard itineraries that venture beyond the standard northern circuit. The islands have no shore facilities and are accessed exclusively from the liveaboard via zodiac transfers.