The best dive sites in Dahab
general, diving in Dahab is quite comfortable as most of the dive sites can easily be reached from shore. In addition, the diving conditions (such as the weather, visibility, (no) currents) are great. Most of the time, visibility is great at all dive sites and ranges between the 20-30 meters.
Dive site 1: The Canyon
The Canyon is one of the best dive sites in Dahab. This dive should definitely be on your bucket list!
As the name already indicates, the Canyon is a ‘’valley’’ under water (a crack in the reef). The Canyon in the shallow waters, but the Canyon only has a few entry/exit points: 17-18 meters, 30 meters and 53-55 meters.
The Canyon itself is between the 5 and 10 meters deep. Some parts of the Canyon are fully closed at the top, but most of the time there are cracks and openings. There is also a cave called ‘’The Fish Bowl’’ but it not recommended (and probably still not aloud) to go in/through as the structure can collapse.
At the Canyon, you can see garden of corals, butterfly fishes and puffer fishes. Glass fishes might be around at the Fish Bowl cave.
Dive site 2: The Blue Hole
The Blue Hole is the most famous dive site in Dahab. Many divers visit Dahab every year to explore this dive site. There are even day trips organized from Sharm El Sheikh to dive at the Blue Hole.
As the name itself suggests, the Blue Hole is a deep site with a maximum depth of 100 meters and a diameter of around 35 meters. What makes the Blue Hole special is that the diving conditions are often good (e.g. little to no currents) with possibilities for (tech) deep diving and free-diving.
From the sea side, there are two entry points: at 6 meters and 53 meters. Access from land is easy as there are two entry points, just a few steps away from the road.
For those who are qualified to make deep (technical) dives, you might want to explore ‘’the Arch’’. This is a 26 long tunnel which connects the Blue Hole with the Red Sea at a depth of 52 meters. It is also possible to dive deeper and experience this beautiful Arch from 100 meters below.
In our opinion, there is not that much interesting marine life to explore at the Blue Hole. It’s all about the experience of diving at the Blue Hole. However, due to the depths of the Blue Hole, you might see sharks swimming in the blue. For the best experience, we recommend to start your dive at the dive site ‘‘The Bells”. This dive site is located 200 meters to the left from the Blue Hole and is a beautiful and stunning dive site. See our next section below for more information.
Tip: If you are surfacing close to the land exit points of the Blue Hole, watch out for kicking snorkelers. It’s better to surface just a few meters before the land entry/exit point of the Blue Hole in order to avoid any uncomfortable (or dangerous) situations.
Dive site 3: The Bells
As mentioned above, it is highly recommended to combine a dive to the Blue Hole with The Bells.
This dive site can be split into two parts: a crack/tunnel in the reef and a wall dive. The Bells can be entered via a small lagoon. Once there is more space to descend, you can enter the crack/tunnel. This tunnel starts in the shallow waters and goes down to around 30 meters. In our opinion, this part of the dive is one of the best. At the end of the tunnel, always keep sight into the blue. We encountered a 3-4 meter long hammerhead shark once we came out of the tunnel!
Note: Be careful when going through the tunnel/crack as there is not that much space for movements. In addition, please enter the crack one by one and keep enough distance.
Once you have reached the depth of around 30 meters, you can continue your dive in the direction of the Blue Hole (reef on the right side). The second part of the Bells is a beautiful wall dive. There are a lot of beautiful corals overhangs and many other marine life.
After about 200-250 meters, you reached the Blue Hole. At a depth of 6 meters, you can enter the Blue Hole and end your dive. Due to the depths and diving conditions, this dive site might not be suitable for Open Water divers.
Dive site 4: Ras Abu Galum National Park
Ras Abu Galum is designated as a natural park and is located north of Dahab. In Ras Abu Galum, there are two dive sites: North Ras Abu Galum and South Ras Abu Galum.
Both of the north and south reefs are situated just off the shore and can easily be accessed by walking from the beach into the water. The northern part is well-known for its coral gardens. However, the southern part of Ras Abu Galum are also covered with beautiful coral gardens. Besides these stunning coral gardens, you can also expect to see different marine animals like butterfly fish, angel fish, anthias, glassfishes , lionfish, grey eels, snapper, and batfish.
These dive sites are accessible for divers of all levels. The maximum depth of these dive sites is around 30 meters. However, the dive starts with a sandy slope which goes down smoothly. The most interesting parts of the reef are between 6 and 20 meters.
Note that Ras Abu Galem lies in a remote area. Most trips to Ras Abu Galem are offered by camel or by boat. It is possible to go by car but it’s difficult to get there by car and therefore not offered by many tour operators. The trip by camel from Dahab takes about 1.5 hours and goes along the beautiful coastline of the Red Sea. It is also possible to go camping in Bedouin huts.
Dive site 5: Abu Helal
Abu Helal can be considered a hidden gem. This dive site is less visited compared with the other (more popular) dive sites in Dahab. Note that Abu Helal can be visited if the diving conditions are acceptable. Currents might be strong so caution should be taken when diving here.
This dive site offers everything for both recreational and technical diving. You’ll see a shallow lagoon at about 10 meters depth. In this sandy lagoon, look out for stingrays hiding in the sand. On the left side at a depth of around 15 meters, you will find a big coral garden, full of marine life.
By heading out from the shore, you will eventually reach the “small canyon” at around 30 meters. Due to its depth and narrowness of both entry and exit points, it is not recommended to entry the canyon. However, you can always explore the canyon by swimming above the canyon.
Leave a Reply