JEDDAH: With more than 1,000 miles of Red Sea coastline, one of Saudi Arabia’s northern-most towns has the potential to be a diving hotspot for residents of the Kingdom and beyond.

Haql, a city at the northern end of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastline, offers many natural destinations, from tumbling cliffs and clear waters brimming with a thriving marine ecosystem to colorful coral reefs and white sandy beaches surrounded by mountains such as Jabal Al-Tayeb.
Sparsely populated, the area is prime location for adventurers and those wanting to camp out on one of the charming beaches of the area.
Near the city lies Ras Al-Mashee bay, a little known area that has attracted divers who swim round the half-submerged Georgios G shipwreck, known as the “Saudi Titanic,” and enjoy the array of fish and coral. The British-made cargo ship, which ran aground on the coral reef in 1978, is home to moray eels, lion fish, barracudas, sand tiger sharks and garden eels.

Waleed Bakhraibah, 43, an advanced-level diver, has visited the site more than 20 times in the past decade, bringing along his wife and eldest son just a few months ago. Bakhraibah, a government sector worker, often thought his young children would enjoy the many pristine beaches of the area.
“I’m still in awe of the quiet beauty that surrounds the inside of the ship,” he told Arab News. “The last time I visited, I tried to stay still and take it all in and everything around me, from fish to eels, just swam freely. I was merely an observer.”
Al-Sultaniyyah beach, 42 km south of Haql, has attracted a small but steady flow of tourists over the past few months with its crystal-clear and pristine waters.
Residents of Haql like to head to the Palm Garden, a park area that offers wonderful views of the Gulf of Aqaba and its surroundings. The garden abounds with palm trees, and has many areas for families and children.