Of the most attractive natural area of Sudan is its red sea coastline. In fact presently it is Sudan biggest attraction to tourists, especially sea lovers and  has gained an excellent reputation throughout the world.

The Red Sea is a long, narrow marine basin, with a total length of about 1900 km. It extends northwards from the strait of Baab Elmandab in Yemen to the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Its maximum width is 306 km. the red sea has three distinct zones of depth: the shallow reef-studded shelves of less than 50 m, the deep shelves of 500 -1000 m. And the central trench of more than 1000 m. The maximum depth of the red sea is 3040 m. Off port Sudan.

The Red Sea is unique in several aspects; among them is its uniform temperature distribution at the surface & at difference depths. At the surface near Portsudan the temperature range is 26.2-30.5ْ ; at a depth of 150m the range is still 23.9-25.9 ْ. Moreover, its high degree of transparency reaches up to 46m. These characteristics have made the Red sea an ideal place for snorkel, diving & photographing; it is comfortably warm, one could float nicely & the visibility is better than in most other places.

The Sudanese coast is 650km. long as the crow flies; numerous embayment & gulfs make it 750km. long. It has two prominent features: coastal lagoons, locally called marsas & reefs, called shia'ab in Arabic. The marsas may be protected by embayment of the sea or may be cut in coastal plain, well beyond the general coastline. In marsas despite the heavy flush water influx during the short rain season. Coral grow & build coral knobs (tens of centimeters or meter in size) & the patch reefs (meter to tens of meters in size). As for the reefs is distinguished according to their shapes & positioning. There are the fringing with the exception of the marsas & the Tokar delta in the south. The fringing barrier reef which are generally separated from the coast & the fringing reefs by a ship channel. The barrier range from narrow discontinuous reef walls, only several tens to a few meters wide, to plat form of up to 14 km. in width. Finally there are the atolls which are reef platforms located in further offshore, several hundred of meters to a few kilometers in width & surrounded with water, example of these are the Senganeeb Island & shia'ab Rumi, all these types of reef provide shelter to diversity of marine life. They also offer protected areas for snorkelers & shallow water divers.

One of the most magnificent features of the Red Sea, are its beautiful coral reefs. Coral or more precisely their skeletons are the main components of which reefs are built. Coral is an animal, individual called a polyp, which is generally on to few millimeters in diameter. It look like a bag with six arms ( or multiples of six); foe its protection & support, it forms skeleton of a kind of limestone. These individual skeletons, or corallites as they are called, are cub or tube shaped. Usually they live in coral colonies which may be centimeters to several meters in size. Different kinds of coral occur in different areas of the reef, factors such as waves & light determine the nature of the coral. Whether of delicate or solid structure. Thus the distribution of corals reflects their respective adaptation to the prevailing environment conditions in various part of the reef. Sides from corals, other elements are also instrumental in the structure of the reefs: e.g. worms & calcareous red algae; a form of marine plants.

Surrounding the reefs & complimenting them in creating a breath-taking sight, is the wide spectrum of marine life. The Red sea is famous for its plans & animals, many of which are related to those of the Indian Ocean, but some of which are exclusively found in the Red sea.

Among the common fish in the Red Sea are the Tarpon, Giant Herring, Salmon Herring or Milkfish, Soldier fish, Goggle Eye & Rock Cod. There are also more than 320 species of sharks. Among them such veracious predators as the Tiger shark & Hummer Shark. It should be noted, however that unless irritated or attracted by blood, sharks are peaceful animals & generally speaking, shark attacks among the Red Sea coast are very rare. In addition several species of Whales also find home in the Red Sea, namely the Blue Whale, a 15 m. long giant which feeds in plankton, & the killer Whale which poses no threat to humans, but scares off Sharks. The Whale shark, 8-12 m. in length, is a jolly, plankton-eating whale that be friends fishermen.

These characteristics and  many others make the Red Sea an attractive location for vacancies and relaxation. This is especially true for those who love the sea & enjoy its offerings. Fans of scuba diving, snorkeling, yachting & various water sports will find all the necessary conditions on the Sudanese red Sea to pursue these activities to their ultimate satisfaction.