Umm Aruk

Umm Aruk is a shallow forest of coral towers on sand. Roughly two dozen free-standing ergs, six to nine metres high, rise from the bottom in a maze, with larger boulders on the east and west sides and a reef edge dropping to about 20 metres on the south. A typical plan starts on the east side, turns into the towers after the second boulder, then crisscrosses the blocks and works back along the reef edge to the boat. The dive is about finning between the towers and finding the life packed around and on top of each block.

In the one detailed account available, divers are pointed to the western towers for eagle rays and garden eels, and to the sloping grooves on the north side where young whitetip reef sharks rest. A Napoleon wrasse passes in the western channel. Expect a visible shimmer between the blocks where water layers of different temperature mix. It is a relaxed, scenic dive rather than a big-animal one.

Umm Aruk is the coral-tower maze of St John's. Where the rest of the itinerary runs to caverns, walls and shark pinnacles, this is a shallow, navigable field of free-standing towers, described as one of the more accessible sites in the area. The appeal is structure and exploration: threading the ergs and discovering what shelters behind, around and on top of each block, rather than waiting in the blue for a shark.

It is a thin site by St John's standards, with little written about it beyond a single operator account, so set expectations to a pleasant, shallow coral dive rather than a headline. The resident sharks are small juveniles, not the grey reef and silvertip draw of the habili pinnacles, and as of 2025-2026 the wider Deep South is living through a regional bleaching event. Its real value is as the easy, scenic dive of the trip, and a strong night dive.

This is one of the easier St John's dives, but it is still remote, expedition diving. The current is unstable in direction and can come from any side through the day, though it is usually light, so use the swirls between the towers deliberately and keep an eye on your heading. The maze is not extensive enough to lose yourself in, but a compass and steady heading keep it simple. Standard southern-Red-Sea rules apply: a 40 metre limit and no-decompression diving.

Late-morning entries on the east side give the best light through the towers, and the night dive is worth taking for the hunting reef. The nearest recompression chamber is around 200 kilometres away at Marsa Alam, so dive conservative profiles and carry DAN-style insurance. Nitrox is worth taking for the repetitive days.