Eritrea's Dahlak Islands teem with life

DAHLAK KEBIR, Eritrea, June 26 (Reuters) Shoals of jackfish and snapper emerge from the gloom of the scuttled, rusting warship as visitors snorkel past.

A short distance away, angelfish and sweetlips glide above the coral, a turtle slips beneath the surface, and dolphins chase a small boat carrying captivated tourists.

''Unbelievable, spectacular,'' said Alessandro Palmero, a diplomat with the European Commission and regular visitor to the Dahlak Islands off Eritrea, after a dive.

''First, two rays, then a shark, then thousands of snapper, thousands of jackfish, and five giant groupers dancing around us.'' Despite the mesmerising sea life, research and development of Eritrea's coast and waters has been inhibited by decades of conflict.

Eritrea fought a long and bloody war for independence from Ethiopia between 1961 and 1991, and another war between the two countries from 1998 to 2000 killed 70,000 people.

Border tensions remain high.

HAPPY DIVERS At the entrance to the inland sea of Dahlak Kebir, old rocket launchers litter the sharp, volcanic rock and Soviet-made tanks are rumoured to lie on the seabed.

The blisteringly hot sand and jagged rock of the arid Dahlak archipelago are a striking contrast to the myriad sealife.

Divers sing the praises of the waters around the 350 or so islands and rock outcrops scattered from 20 km to 160 km from Eritrea's main port of Massawa.

Five of the world's seven species of sea turtles, dolphins, dugongs and occasionally whales are found in Eritrean waters, a United Nations-supported survey found last year.

The survey was the first in the Red Sea state's waters and brought exciting discoveries.

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