Maklouf

Entry is through a canyon which descends through the coral mass of the reeftop, before broadening into a large sandy area stretching south, dotted with coral heads. This sandy area slopes down to about 40m (130ft), and is interrupted by large coral reef blocks to both north and south.

The southern section is particularly rich in hard corals but soft corals are also well represented. There is an unusual red anemone at about 15m (50ft) on an isolated coral block in the middle of the sand.

There are lots of jacks and fusiliers and huge numbers of swarming coral fish, such as fairy basslets, glassfish and damsels on the various coral heads and blocks. Lionfish abound, and the sand hosts populations of crocodilefish and bluespotted stingrays, and the occasional sleeping whitetip reef shark. Eagle rays are also frequently spotted here. During your exit, take some time to poke around in the many cavelets which lead off the entry/exit canyon. Smaller passage branches to the right as you pass your entry point. This passage ascends to about 1m (3ft), affording the easiest exit form the canyon.

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Last Updated: May 30th, 2011