The Blue Holes along the Kingdom’s western coast forms one of the rarest marine phenomena in the Red Sea.
These deep circular depressions extend from the shores of Makkah down to Jazan, appearing as dark, round formations set against turquoise waters, creating a striking visual presence and offering significant scientific and tourism appeal.
These features are defined by geological formations shaped by rock fissures, limestone collapses, and natural changes associated with tectonic activity in the Red Sea basin.
They form uncommon marine environments with distinctive characteristics related to oxygen levels, mineral concentrations, and temperature gradients.
The sites host rich biodiversity, including deep-sea corals, rare sponges and crustaceans, large fish, and dolphins and sea turtles. This makes them a natural laboratory for researchers and a preferred destination for divers from around the world.
The Blue Holes Reserve is now among the Kingdom’s leading environmental protection projects. It encompasses a cluster of offshore islands covering more than 16,500 square kilometres and provides unique habitats of high biological importance.
The inclusion of this reserve within the national protected-areas network supports the Kingdom’s efforts to conserve marine environments, develop coastal communities, and advance the national target of protecting 30 percent of its terrestrial and marine areas by 2030, in line with the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030.
