Abu Bassala

Large coral arouks, isolated towers, rise out of the sandy floor of the south side from an average depth of 16 m, and the dive is a slow loop between them. Groupers and octopuses use them as cover, and the anemone gardens spread between the towers. The reef diverts the current here, so there is little to fight. A second cluster of arouks at the eastern end is covered with corals but is less interesting than the ones to the west.

The caverns are a separate option in the reef wall. They open at around 5 m and run long and often very narrow. After dark the large coral gardens of the south side turn into a night dive of shrimps, sea slugs and octopuses.

Towers, caverns and a night-dive garden share a single 1,050 m reef, which is why a St. John's itinerary stops here. The north wall drops past 100 m, though its few corals leave it out of the plan.

The sheltered southern flank is also a safe, much-used overnight mooring, and the reef is long enough for dive groups to spread out along it even with several boats at anchor.

The arouks look alike from below, and orientation between them is difficult. Memorise their positions and take an approximate compass bearing before you leave the mooring, so the return leg does not depend on guessing which tower is which. The south side is open sand, so there is no wall to follow back.

Stonefish lie on the bottom among the anemone gardens, so hover and keep your fins up between the towers. The caverns are the one part that needs a guide who knows the passages or cavern training of your own: once inside, every turn looks like the last.