PHOTOGAPHER’S FAVOURITE
Bannerfish Bay is a dive site located just right of the lighthouse. And this particular spot is always good for a surprise.
Using the same entry as the lighthouse, go left down a gradual slope to about 12 m. Here you will swim over a large seagrass area which is abundant with macro life; sea horses, angler fish, nudibranchs, rare ghost pipefish, moray eels, stonefish, scorpion fish and crustaceans and lots more are hidden in the sea grass. This is Bannerfish Bay. It is quite common to see the resident turtle feeding on the sea grass. Right in the middle of it all, you will see the small car wreck and several car tires.
Swim a little further and after the sea grass you will find a small reef filled to the brim with schooling bannerfish, which is where the dive site got its name.
PARTICULARITY
A shallow dive, great for night diving and perfect for the photographer.
DIFFICULTY - Easy
DEPTH - 25m
CURRENTS - uncommon
SNORKELING - yes
MEET DAHAB’S GARDEN EEL COLONY
Eel Garden takes its name from the countless garden eels that carpet the sea floor not far from the entry point of the dive.
After walking over the reef plate to the entry spot which is a nine meter canyon, it then broadens into a large sandy area that slopes down gradually. After diving along a jutting reef that lays perpendicular to the main reef the eels slowly come into view. The amazing site of the garden eels waving to and fro in the current like synchronized swimmers who vanish back into the sand as you approach never ceases to amaze, even for the locals who dive there a couple of times a week.
Descend to about 20 m where you will find a nearly flat section with coral boulders and several table corals. It is quite common to find a thick congregation of barracudas regularly patrolling the area.
On your way back at around 5 and 10 m you will see healthy, wide range variety of both soft and hard corals which is rivaled only by the fish life, stunning. Look out here for the rare seagrass ghost pipefish.
PARTICULARITY
Difficult entry & exit when rough – possible for good divers in rough weather though.
DIFFICULTY - Intermediate
DEPTH - 25m
CURRENTS - sometimes
SNORKELING - yes
SHELTERED & CENTRIC
Lighthouse is a very popular dive site in Dahab which is perfect for teaching all levels. It has one of the easiest entries and exits and is always sheltered from the wind, diving there is always possible.
As you step in the water you will find a shallow sandy area that slowly drops off into a large grassy slope. Look out for seahorses and seamoth (pegasus) that generally occur in pairs. There is also a good chance to find the rare anglerfish. On the left site the reef begins. The reef wall is similar to many that you will find in Dahab, it is common to see unicorn fish and a small school or two of bar sea bream. The reef wall is scattered over numerous sandy patches with enormous big pinnacles arising from all directions, which disappear into the deep.
Follow the reef wall and cruise over and between these pinnacles until you reach the saddle.
Here you can always find some scorpion and crocodile fish and if you are lucky you might meet a stone fish. Cross the saddle and enter an amazing coral garden that will end with a very large gorgonian fan coral. Swim around the last pinnacle and come back towards the reef wall where you will slowly ascend to the small sandy lagoon at around 5m.
At night you will find spanish dancers, anenome crabs, nudibranches, octopus and moray eels.
PARTICULARITY
The Lighthouse is the best site to do night dives because it lies in a sheltered bay.
DIFFICULTY - Easy-intermediate
DEPTH - 40m
CURRENTS - sometimes
SNORKELING - yes
AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE
The Blue Hole is probably the most infamous dive site in Egypt. A cavernous hole approximately 25m across plunges from the reef table down to unfathomable depths.
Left from the entry at around 56m “The Arch” starts with the base at around 120m, it connects the Blue Hole to the open ocean. The Arch is beyond the limits of recreational diving.
Enter the water from the beach. It is marked “easy entrance”. Cross the hole and leave it through the exit at 7m.
The Blue Hole hardly offers corals contrary to the beautiful external wall. The coral growth and its splendid colors are breathtaking.
Descend there to your chosen depth. Make sure you stick to a depth well within your ability! On your way back up, search for the rare red anemone in 10m depth.
In recent years the dive site has earned itself a bad reputation. Many have died there testing their limits beneath the deep archway. The cliffs around the bay bear their epitaphs. The danger of the Blue Hole is that it has no bottom. To make a mistake here can have serious consequences, with no second chances. People trying to discover their limits only find them when they have gone too far.
PARTICULARITY
The Blue Hole is perfect for TEC diving. To dive the deeper section of these fascinating formations one has to be a TEC-diver, using special gas-mixtures. Several dive-operators in Dahab offer TEC-courses and diving.
DIFFICULTY - Intermediate
DEPTH - 30m
CURRENTS - uncommon
SNORKELING - yes
A MYSTIC ADVENTURE
The canyon is one of the most popular dive sites in Dahab and an essential dive for all fanatics of caves and cavern diving. It is quite a phenomenon. Up to 40m deep and virtually closed over at the top, it snakes its way up from the depths.
After an easy shore entry, you cross a sandy lagoon that opens onto a gently sloping reef marked with coral heads. The amazing and eerie canyon soon comes into view. It has three main openings. At about 12m is the fishbowl. Below that is another large bowl, opening at about 20m. Deepest of all is a narrow exit at 52m.
In between these openings, the walls have grown together to virtually close over the top of the canyon, forming a tunnel. From the top, it has the appearance of the fluted mouth of a clam shell. Descend into the Canyon at 20m and drop to the bottom which sits at around 30m. Make sure you stick to a depth well within your ability.
Take a minute at the bottom and enjoy the magnificent view, the light coming through the crack that forms the entry of the canyon while you sit in semi-darkness, it is an amazing sight. Finish the dive by swimming through a sensational coral garden at about 8m. Very good chances to find the resident octopus.
PARTICULARITY
To dive the deeper section of these fascinating formations one has to be a TEC-diver, using special gas-mixtures. Several dive operators in Dahab offer TEC-courses and diving.
DIFFICULTY - Intermediate
DEPTH - 40m
CURRENTS - sometimes
SNORKELING - yes
PEACEFUL BEAUTY
Ras Abu Galum is a stunning dive spot that lies in one of the Sinai’s protected National Park areas. Located in the far North of Dahab it can be accessed by camel or alternatively by boat.
A sandy slope descends away from the shore with the reef wall starting on both sides. Dive to the left where the reef table swings wide into a steep wall dive with pinnacles and dramatic rock formations, always keep one eye fixed on the blue as you will often see trevallies and jacks while the resident turtle crosses beneath them close to the wall.
Ascend a bit shallower and you will find beautiful fire corals and schools of reef fish.
PARTICULARITY
The Ras Abu Galum bay is extremely sheltered and diving conditions are good in all weather.
DIFFICULTY - Intermediate
DEPTH - 30m
CURRENTS - sometimes
SNORKELING - yes
EXCITING DESCEND
The Bells is formed where a deep groove cuts into the reef top just north of the Blue Hole at Dahab. Being so close to the Blue Hole it is often overlooked, in favour of its big brother. However; for the less macho diver; it makes a beautiful dive at around 20m.
The groove of The Bells breaches the reef table. A clear blue pool is formed. Start your dive here (see photo). You descend through a chimney, exiting at 27m on a ledge that opens to the cobalt sea. The open water here is some of the clearest, deepest blue you will see. The drop-off is completely vertical, and the underwater landscape is breathtaking.
Drift along the wall where attractive cavelets and overhangs with a rich growth of black coral enhance the drop-off. There are many anemones along this wall. Look left into the blue and you may catch sight of a turtle or reef shark.
There are many anemones along this wall. The resident clownfish are more laid back than their Sharm counterparts. At night this reef comes to life. Like many others in Dahab, it is home to Spanish dancers, a species of large red nudibranch, which is beautiful to watch in motion.
PARTICULARITY
By staying shallow towards the end of the dive you can enter The Blue Hole at around 5m and exit the water there.
DIFFICULTY - Intermediate
DEPTH - 40m
CURRENTS - uncommon
SNORKELING - yes
LITTLE TREES
El Shugarat is also known as “little trees” in Arabic, and once you are there you will find out why. This beautiful dive site is only accessible by boat.
The captain will drop you off right next to the reef. Descend down and swim along a beautiful reef wall until you come to a sandy bottom. On the deep side of the sandy bottom at around 16 m you will find an impressive open canyon. When you descend between the walls of the canyon, at around 30 m two big black corals will come into view on each side. Take a moment to look for the long nose hawkfish. Exit the canyon to the left and you will swim into a virtual forest of gorgonian fan corals. As you are flying over this amazing site you will see them scattered down the reef wall out of sight and into the deep. Unbelievable.
As you slowly ascend while still soaring over this forest you will return back to the reef table then enter one of the most beautiful lagoons around Dahab.
You can see giant table corals and all kinds of life in and around this lagoon. Once returned to the reef wall you see the last set of gorgonians and turning back into the lagoon in search for nudibranchs, blue spotted rays, crocodile fish and many other species. On the end of the lagoon, you reach the canyon so don’t forget to take time for a last look inside and to get ready for the safety stop.
PARTICULARITY
Boat trip: 1 hour/10 minutes. At this site you will see one of the most beautiful lagoons in Dahab.
DIFFICULTY - Advanced
DEPTH - 40m
CURRENTS - very common
SNORKELING - yes
TRUELY BREATHTAKING
Gabr el Bint ranks among the most attractive dive sites around Dahab. With the access by boat or by camel, it is less often dived than the other more centric sites. Which has left it in pristine condition.
There are two dives possible here. The right side, also known as the dark side, features a steep wall that drops down to about 60 m cut by numerous chasms, sandy ravines and overhangs. The drop-off is adorned with healthy table corals.
The left side is a far more colorful featuring a virtual forest of gorgonians. Usually drop down to about 20-25m swimming along massive boulders protruding from the drop-off which attracts dense shoals of anthias and glassfish. Keep a good eye on the blue where you will see trevallies hunting on the shoals of fuseliers. After about ten minutes you will find some of the healthiest gorgonian fan corals in the Red Sea. Here you start to ascend to about 10m and cross the saddle
Then start to head back along a sandy ledge which parallels to the shore. The ledge is riddled with exquisite coral heads that attract numerous reef species, including swarms of anthias, scorpionfish, parrotfish, crocodilefish, surgeonfish, triggerfish, trumpetfish, stingrays and very often a turtle. At the end of the ledge usually is home to a shoal of black and white snappers and twinspot snappers hang here between 5 and 10m.
PARTICULARITY
Boat trip: 1 hour/15 minutes. One of the truly breathtaking dives in Dahab.
Gabr el Bint is Arabic for “The grave of the girl”.
DIFFICULTY - Advanced
DEPTH - 30m
CURRENTS - very common
SNORKELING - yes
LIKE A LABYRINTH…
Islands is one of the most beautiful dive sites in Dahab. More than 9 years ago an earthquake made the first coral fall down from the islands and created an area called the “Maze”…
The Islands offer tropical corals at its best, with a wide range of hard and soft coral, combined with outstanding topography. You can explore a maze of coral boulders, alleyways, amphitheatres, valleys and gullies all in less than 18 meters. After the entry follows a wide sandy valley, before entering the intricate reef system. The quantity and quality of the corals is a phenomenon. You can see plenty of big groupers, glittering anthias, jewel-like schools of glass fish, napoleons, lionfish and a dense shoal of barracudas usually roams the northern section of the reef.
This beautiful spot is an all time favourite for everyone who enjoys diving, it is definitely a real piece of paradise.
PARTICULARITY
Entry can be a bit difficult at low tide.
DIFFICULTY - Intermediate
DEPTH - 20m
CURRENTS - sometimes
SNORKELING - yes
FOR ALL LEVELS
Moray Garden can be enjoyed by all divers regardless of level. It has a lot of small things but sightings of guitar sharks, white-tip reef sharks and whale sharks have been known.
On the right side, you will find a fascinating coral garden with a small wall dropping off to 50m. It is a great place to look into holes and cracks for interesting things like morays, nudibranchs, scorpionfish and even small sharks. Following the coral slope, you will pass a nice glassfish pinnacle at 22 m.
As you come up to the shallow reef at the top of the coral garden you will at 7m. Find a sandy area where you can see a big school of yellow tail barracudas. At the left side of Moray Garden you have, at the deeper part, a coral slope with sand alleys streaming down. At the shallower part, you have beautiful table corals and coral blocks. It is a great place to find nudibranchs, morays and blue spotted stingrays.
PARTICULARITY
Moray Garden is one of the beautiful dive sites in the south just between 3 Pools and Golden Blocks. At the entry and exit point you have a sandy slope from where you can go either right or left or do drift dives from Golden Blocks or to 3 Pools.
DIFFICULTY - Easy
DEPTH - 40m
CURRENTS - uncommon
SNORKELING - yes
AMAZING REEFS
Sha’ab Said is one of the most beautiful sites you will find in Dahab. It is located just north of Gabr el Bint, next to the small “Blue Hole” and it is reached by boat.
When you arrive at Shaab Said you can spot the edge of the reef going north where it forms into two lagoons. The captain will drop you just in front of the first lagoon. Sha’ab Said is perfect for your third dive of the day as it is very shallow. You will do most of the dive at 15 m. Swim inside the first lagoon and enter into walls of stone coral like yellow pore coral (Porites Lutea), galaxy coral (Galaxea Fascicularis) and plate coral (Leptoseris Yabei) just to name a few! Keep swimming into the first lagoon over a small sandy bottom at around 17m.
Swim out of the first lagoon you will be amazed, this site you can drift between big pinnacles and small caves and swim-throughs. Excellent buoyancy will be needed in this area, as you continue the dive in the shallow watch as the perfect light shines through the water resting on the soft and hard corals enhancing their color.
When entering into the second lagoon you will find yourself in the middle of a school of snubnose rudderfish chasing each other and some black-and-white snappers. The corals keep on going and going into the distant blue, if you are lucky and have high tide the dive guide may take you for a brief look into the small blue hole.
PARTICULARITY
Boat trip: 55 minutes. This site is only dived by a few people among us, so if you have the chance you will be amazed at the condition of this reef.
DIFFICULTY - Easy
DEPTH - 20m
CURRENTS - sometimes
SNORKELING - yes
BRING YOUR TORCH!
Jump out of the jeep and you are literally standing on top of the caves. This site focuses on a large, open-fronted overhang, or cavern under the reef table right off the shore.
The entry is like off a boat, giant stride off the ledge and into the deep blue. The caves can only be dived in calm conditions as jumping off the ledge can be quite tricky when there are waves crashing on the shore.
Once in the water the cave is directly below you and on both the left and right side you will find a shallow reef. The reef that circles the cave is just as attractive as the cave itself with both soft and hard corals being abundant. Here you will often spot large groupers, scorpionfish and morays with a tiger shark spotted on a number of occasions.
Enter the cave and swim to the back then turn and watch the light shine through the swarms of anthias and bannerfish swimming upside down on the ceiling of the cave, a perfect spot for your safety stop!
PARTICULARITY
Entry a bit difficult in rough weather – Giant strike off reef table. Bring along a torch for this dive. The Caves is the southernmost dive site accessible by car.
DIFFICULTY - Intermediate
DEPTH - 30m
CURRENTS - very uncommon
SNORKELING - yes
SPOT THE LONGNOSE HAWKFISH
Umm Sid features abundant fish life and a variety of reef structures which are all in exceptional condition as the site was not dived as frequently in the past as others in Dahab.
Entry is through a wide corridor carved into a steeply sloping reef. Dive around and beneath a massive coral tongue until you reach a sandy slope inhabited by garden eels. Follow the slope down into a beautiful coral garden, for advanced divers descend down to 30m and view the spectacular vision filled with giant gorgonians. Here you can spot small longnose hawkfish.
Ascend up to 18m and end the dive by a slow excursion over the table corals and along a reef wall which is covered in soft corals and anthias, look closely and spot the number of nudibranches of all varieties.
PARTICULARITY
Strong currents possible.
DIFFICULTY - Intermediate
DEPTH - 35m
CURRENTS - sometimes
SNORKELING - yes
