Diving in St John's Reefs

At St John's Caves, shafts of sunlight fall through cracks in the reef onto a maze of coral tunnels only a few metres down. It is the signature dive [st-john-caves] of a complex that spreads across a wide stretch of sea near the Sudanese border: coral towers, tunnels, swim-throughs and a pair of deeper pinnacles standing off to one side. A gota is a reef that breaks or nears the surface and a habili a pinnacle whose top stays below it. Gota Kebir [gota-kebir] is the large reef, known for its tunnels and a south plateau, and Small St John [small-st-john] is a steep wall whose overhangs fill with glassfish. Umm Aruk [umm-aruk] is the gentle one, a shallow forest of coral towers on sloping walls over a sandy bottom, with anemones, garden eels and the odd eagle ray. Visibility runs 20 to 30 m and reaches 40 m on the best days.

Habili Ali [habili-ali] and Habili Gaffar [habili-gaffar] sit further out and are where the sharks are looked for, with a grey reef shark cleaning station at Habili Ali and silvertips patrolling Habili Gaffar. Sharks here are possible, not promised, so plan for coral first.

Divers who know the southern route and the Brothers describe St John's as the one with less current. The exposed pinnacles, Dangerous Reef and the northern tip of Gota Kebir can still run hard, and Umm Aruk's current is unpredictable.

Coral condition differs from reef to reef. Some reefs in the far south now carry dead, algae-covered patches, and others hold healthy gardens, so the walls and swim-throughs are the safer reason to come.

Every dive here starts from a liveaboard, because there is no town, shore base or day-boat option. The usual trip is a seven-night round trip from Port Ghalib or Marsa Alam, often pairing St John's with the Fury Shoals reefs and the dolphins at Sha'ab Sataya. Fly into Marsa Alam, under 15 minutes from Port Ghalib, or into Hurghada and allow about 3.5 hours of road south. The crossing is an overnight sail of around 200 km from Port Ghalib, and itineraries differ in how far south they actually go, so confirm the boat reaches the St John's reefs.

Advanced Open Water is the usual minimum, and operators recommend it for the pinnacles and walls. The caverns are daylight dives, and recreational training does not cover going past their entrance, so stay in the light with the guide.

The nearest hyperbaric chamber is at Marsa Alam, about 200 km away. Any decompression problem means a long evacuation, which is a reason to keep profiles conservative.

Expect three to four dives a day plus night dives, with a marine-park fee included in the trip price. May-June and October-November are the windows operators favour.