The healthiest coral in the entire Saudi Red Sea, with the highest live coral cover recorded in the Living Oceans Foundation's…The healthiest coral in the entire Saudi Red Sea, with the highest live coral cover recorded in the Living Oceans Foundation's whole survey, on reefs that have effectively never been dived. Whitetip, silky, grey reef sharks and hammerheads are routine. This is what the Egyptian Red Sea looked like sixty years ago. Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast was closed to foreign divers for decades, which is precisely why the reefs are in this condition. Tourist visas only opened in 2019, and liveaboards began exploring the Farasan Banks in the 2020s. The Farasan Islands are also home to a remnant population of Arabian gazelle. Anchorage: Liveaboard only; the banks are a maze of poorly charted reefs. Hazards: Extremely remote with restricted military areas nearby and 40°C+ summer heat. Permits and a licensed operator are mandatory, and the paperwork is the hard part. More