Sudan's Red Sea

Sudan is one of the best destinations to dive with hammerhead sharks.

Sudan's Seabed

Unlike the Egyptian part of the Red Sea, the Sudanese part is not exploited for industry or tourism because of the conflicts. Its seabed is pristine, healthy and perfectly preserved.

The main reason for the trip was to see the hammerhead sharks, which are common in the area. But in this region, due to the currents, we could only see them at great depths. Recreational divers have a depth limit of 40 metres, beyond which we have to take extreme safety precautions. Given that the nearest hyperbaric chamber was in Egypt and the Sudanese rescue services were conspicuous by their absence, we had to be very careful not to accumulate too much decompression time. Despite this limitation, we were able to enjoy them, as well as the variety of corals, gorgonians and colourful minnows that make up the environment.

Umbria, The Great Sunken Ship

Built in Hamburg in the 1910s, this freighter could carry 2000 passengers and 9000 tonnes of material. It covered a very important supply route during the Second World War until the Italian ship was sunk by the Allies.

Entering a ship of such dimensions underwater is not easy, and can be very dangerous. If you get lost in the maze of corridors you won’t get out. So, again, we had to be very cautious and above all not get separated. This is quite difficult when you are mesmerised, for example, after entering the cargo hold and seeing the vintage cars, going into the kitchen and seeing the wine bottles… You're concentrating on diving, but you can't help but be drawn into life on board. Going into the dining room, the bathrooms... it's like going back in time.