Visiting Port Sudan in our inaugural search trip threw up a lot of curveballs, chief among them being the actual site of the real Red Sea Diving Resort.
But, before you think “oh that sounds nice” the “real” Red Sea Diving Resort was part of an elaborate plan by Israel and Mossad to rescue thousands of Ethiopian Jews. And we got, and will get to visit where it all went down.
What was the Red Sea Diving Resort?
The Red Sea Diving Resort was originally built by Italians in 1972, designed as a luxury getaway on the Red Sea coast of Sudan. With beautiful beaches and crystal-clear waters, it was set up as a prime destination for divers and tourists. The resort had everything a visitor could want, a true slice of paradise. But by the early 1980s, things took a turn for the unexpected.
Sudan, at the time, was a staging ground for an incredible operation. Ethiopia was in the midst of a civil war, and famine was causing widespread devastation. Thousands of Ethiopian Jews, known as Beta Israel, were stuck in Sudan as refugees, and their situation was dire. That’s when Israel stepped in, planning a secret operation to get them out.
The Red Sea Diving Resort became the cover for this mission. Israeli agents posing as hotel staff, along with local Sudanese and Ethiopian collaborators, helped smuggle thousands of refugees out of Sudan. They hid the refugees at the resort, pretending it was just another tourist hotspot, while secretly moving people by boat and air to Israel.
This operation, later known as Operation Moses, saw over 8,000 Ethiopian Jews smuggled to safety. It remained a secret for many years, and it wasn’t until the 1990s that the world learned about it. The resort’s role in this high-stakes mission remained hidden until the release of the 2019 Netflix film “The Red Sea Diving Resort,” which brought attention to the daring efforts that took place there.
And now? Well this is Dark Tourism Sudan 101 territory with it being possible to visit. How do you visit the Real Red Sea Diving Resort? Lets get into that.
Visiting the Real Red Sea Diving Resort
Getting to the real Red Sea Diving Resort will mean either taking a day trip or staying overnight in the area. Both options will require traveling 70km from Port Sudan, with the latter meaning a stay at Arous Resort. Arous Village, as it’s also known, is literally opposite the old Red Sea Resort and offers tours there, along with diving and snorkeling.
The rooms are basic, including tent options, but overall, it’s a nice place. Part of the charm lies in its “bar,” which really nails the look but, sadly, is sans alcohol. One day Sudan, one day.
At night, they really take it up a notch by putting the actual Red Sea Diving Resort movie on their projector. I was really pumped when they did this and ended up thoroughly enjoying the movie. There are other islands around that can be visited too (we saw a bus almost wash away), as well as people partying the night away.
What is it like visiting the Real Red Sea Dive Resort?
I was pleasantly surprised when visiting the actual Red Sea Dive Resort because so much of it was still intact, giving it that genuine Dark Tourism feel. These great points were made even better by a local guide who, while a little biased, wasn’t exactly anti-Israel either.
It also gave me a real newfound respect for the movie, even if that came after the fact. While it wasn’t filmed here, they did an amazing job recreating it for Netflix. All these points more than made the night spent here worth it, especially with the breakfast, which ended up being the highlight for our group.
YPT can take you there on one of our Port Sudan tours, or hopefully a “real Sudan” tour when the war finally ends.
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