Fanous West

Overview

A flat sandy bottom flanking a shallow reef wall. A narrow channel leads into a 9m deep lagoon via a coral garden sloping down to 14m. There are a few ergs and pinnacles to the west.

Dive Plan

One option is to make a drift dive here. Drop in on the north side, put the reef on your left shoulder, and follow the wall until you reach the pinnacles. Spend a few minutes here and then venture out over the coral garden. From here it’s easy to navigate on the safety stop depth, through the channel, and back to the boat.

The alternative is to start at the mooring and head out through the channel. Take your time exploring the coral garden, and then make a turn around the ergs. Before setting course towards the boat you should check your air – maybe you have time for a short excursion along the wall.

What to See

During the nesting season of the triggerfish in August-September this can be a pretty interesting dive. Make sure you bring a camera to capture these close encounters. Giant moray eels swim around the coral garden, and near to the pinnacles the classic Red Sea action involving silversides and jackfish goes on. Turtles can be seen feeding in the coral garden, and dolphins sometimes pass along the wall of the reef.