Zahhab Region

Template:Infobox Location

The Zahhab Region, located in the Red Sea off the eastern coast of Egypt, is the sixth and final playable main region in Endless Ocean 2, as well as the tenth overall map in the game. That said, it can be argued that the Zahhab Region is actually the first playable area in the game, as the player briefly swims through the Echoing Terrace during the en-medias-res intro.

Regarded as a diver's paradise, it is arguably the most diverse place in the game (rivaling Manoa Lai Sea as the most diverse in the series), as it has coral gardens, abyssal areas, and even an open sea that occupies nearly half of its map––a first for the series. It is the home of many tropical fish and lots of large animals, such as whale sharks and gray whales. It is also notable for appearing on the lower half of the game's box art, more specifically the Coral Valley area. There are no new mechanics introduced on this map.

Although the Zahhab Region's default music is the shared with Gatama Atoll and Ciceros Strait, "One World" by Celtic Woman will play in the background if the player shows up after opening the Echoing Terrace, both underwater and aboard the boat, although it will cut off after entering the Cavern of the Gods. After beating the story campaign, the music reverts to normal.

In-game Description

Travel Description

"This area off Egypt's east coast sports a breathtaking coral reef. Divers come from far and wide to explore its shallows and depths, while others gather here to watch whales all year round."

Notebook Description

“About six hours south of the Egyptian port city of Hurghada by boat, access to this area is extremely limited. It is close to Luxor and filled with ancient ruins. The word “Zahhab” means “gold” in Arabic.

The region boasts beautiful, nearly translucent waters, but it is right next to the open sea, making it a treacherous place for divers who don’t take proper precautions."

Long Fissure

This huge crack in the ocean floor in the northern Zahhab Region is largely populated by green sea turtles. Great white and tiger sharks appear in this area, exclusively during portions of the "Save the Aquarium" sidequest.

There is also a huge whale shark that patrols the area with lots of remoras, pilotfish, and golden trevallies following him, but only after the completion of a certain Special Reuest. If you peek into the fissure, you can see a huge cave below...

Aquarius Corner

Even though this location consists mainly of a few barrel sponges, hundreds of tropical fish can be spotted there, like miniata groupers, sea goldies, and many others. There are also many zoom-in spots here.

Coral Valley

This area in the southern Zahhab Region covers a huge area. This is the main home of Zahhab's tropical fish. It gets its name because of a small gorge that goes through it, only a few feet deeper, and the gorge floor is covered in sand. There is a small rocky "island" in the middle of the gorge. It is the only dive spot in the area to not play a role in the main story, and is also notable for appearing on the lower half of the game's boxart.

Super Drop-off

This huge cliff runs from the northern end of the Zahhab Region map to the southern end. There is a sandy ramp that gently leads down to this, and suddenly there's a 30,000 foot drop! The legendary white whale Leviathan can be seen patroling this vast cliff, replaced by a regular sperm whale at night.

Echoing Terrace

This cavelike landmark is cut out of the side of the Super Drop-off. At the back of the terrace, there used to be a bronze door, until L&L (R&R) Diving Service blew up the door and revealed what was behind: the Stone Cavern Entrance, and therefore, the Cavern of the Gods. The area is heavily populated with whales and dolphins when it is first discovered, though none of them are permanent residents.

Cavern of the Sun

This small cave in the side of the Super Drop-off is guarded by a zebra shark (the lone specimen in the game), as well as a bartail flathead, and contains the skeletal remains of a sea turtle. After the player has found the Solar Coin, they will be able to find the Turtle Shell, a special diving tank, in the back of the cave; this completes the quest "Guidance of Apollo". This cave is also the resting place of the Bedouin Treasure.

Open Sea

If you venture out beyond the Super Drop-off, you will come upon the Open Sea. If you go out far enough, you'll encounter some striped marlins; and farther than that, you'll eventually find a pod of orcas, including one befriendable specimen. After you've found all of the zodiac coins, the legendary and mysterious Cameroceras will appear in the southeastern corner of your map.

Twin Crevasses

These huge gorges in the central Zahhab Region get between 550 and 600 feet deep. They are guarded by a pod of gray whales (replaced by a lone sperm whale at night), and all of the coins needed to complete the Voyages of the Argo quest are in this area. Go down too deep into either crevasse, and you will be in the Zahhab Region Depths.

Animal Scene Events

Marguerite formation: Unlocked by bringing the orca partner back to its pod to the southeast of the map. It is the only part of the game where juvenile sperm whales are encountered.
Sea turtle egg laying: Viewed as part of the "Save the Aquarium" quest.
Sea turtles hatching: Viewed as part of the "Save the Aquarium" quest.

Notes

Whenever the player dives in this region, the creatures they can find on the loading screens include striped marlin and blackfin barracuda.
The Zahhab Region is the only explorable region in the game to possess more than one sub-area. Gatama Atoll technically does have a second offshoot area, though it functions much differently from the other maps in the game and does not play a role in the story.
- The Zahhab Region is also the second map in the series to possess multiple sub-areas.
This region is one of only two in the game to house more than one species of rideable whale, the other being the Weddell Sea. Unlike that area, though, the whales found here vary by time of day. Rideable whales of all types can be found in the open sea at the beginning of Chapter 6, although none of these can be interacted with.
- It also has the largest number of rideable creatures out of any map in the game, at a total of four.
The Zahhab region is the only map in the game to have more than one dive spot available to the player from the start.
The Zahhab Region is one of only two main maps in the game where the player is not roadblocked by an animal during their first visit, the other being the Weddell Sea.
The Zahhab Region one of only two maps to not house any dangerous creatures, despite having them on its sub-maps, the other being Gatama Atoll.
All legendary creatures tend to swim near a major or a minor landmark. The Zahhab Region is the only map to have equal representation of both categories among its resident legendaries.