Dive sites Dahab
“Dahab must be one of the most relaxed places on Earth. Nobody here is in a rush. There is no boat to catch, no tide to miss, and wherever you turn there are shore side cafes ready to serve you up a cold drink and a plate of hummus and chips.”
Diver Magazine 2004
Dahab lies between two protectorates: Nabq to the South & Ras Abou Galloum to the North. Also all Dahab dive sites are protected areas.
Dahab has a few "must see" dive sites known all over the world. The Daniela Diving centre is strategically located, as all the dive sites of Dahab are very close.
Below you will have a list of some of the dive sites in Dahab Area:
The Dahab Reef
Dahab lies alongside the deepest section of the African rift, the giant crack in the earth’s crust that formed the Red Sea.
The jagged mountains above, continue at much the same angle underwater, forming a dramatic seascape of valleys, canyons and caves. Most of Dahabs dive- spots are geologically unique.
Two dive-sites, the Canyon and the Blue Hole, are worldwide known amongst divers.
Sport divers are allowed to explore the two sites to a maximum depth of 30m.
To dive the deeper section of these fascinating formations one has to be a TEC-diver, using special gas-mixtures. TEC-courses are available in Dahab . If you are interested we can give you a list of partner diving centers offering theses services .
Diving in Dahab is shore-diving. With a few exceptions you simply drive along the shore by jeep or pick-up truck, gear up at the beach and start your dive. When entering the water one has to be careful, especially with high waves and during low tide.
The most northern dive-site is The Bells and in the south The Caves.
Ras Abu Galum and Gabr El Bint can only be reached by camel or boat .
The dominant species are Acropora, Brain- and Stone coral, Leather- and Black coral. Only occasionally you will come across Soft corals. Fish life is represented by the typical Red Sea Reef dwellers, Trigger- and Surgeonfish, all kind of Groupers, Emperor- and Parrotfish. With some luck you can observe Pelagius, such as Jackfish, Barracudas or even a Reef shark.
House Reef Daniela Village
The reef in front of the Daniela Diving Centre is really amazing due to the huge number of beautiful untouched corals on the plateau as well as the drop off. Best diving conditions to enter and exit will be found on high tide and calm wind. To enter and exit easily we pass one of the three lagoons snorkeling to the edge of the reef table through one of the natural pools. Descending on the edge we discover a maximum depth of 12 meters, following the plateau in a direction of 120 degree, we arrive at the drop off starting in a depth of 25 meters. All along the house reef from north to south there are beautiful huge table corals, which are all nearly untouched.
Attractions: Stonefish, Turtle, Crocodile-Fish, Stingray, Barracudas, Surgeonfish, Napoleon fish
Entrance/Exit: Easy on high tide and calm weather conditions
Distance: 0 km
Interacting with the Coral Reef (.pdf)
Ras Abou Helal
Ras Abu Helal translates as “headland of the crescent moon”. It refers to the crescent shaped reef about half a kilometer south of the Canyon. The reef encircles a shallow lagoon at about 12 meters. Outside is a gently sloping bay and on its northern side a broad ridge. The start of the this ridge features one of the finest coral gardens in the Dahab area and this is the main focus of the dive site. This dive can be combined with a visit to the ?Huts? which is located just north of Abu Helal. An easy drift south from The Huts will bring the diver out at Abu Helal, the exit point can be chosen according to remaining air.
Attractions: Murray, Stonefish, Eagle-Ray
Turtle Entrance/Exit: Easy on high tide
Distance: 1 km
Canyon
The "Canyon"-dive is famous all over the world; and not without reason.
After entering in a big lagoon you will come to one of the most exiting advanced dive-sites around Dahab. The "Canyon" is a 30-metre dive into the seabed with an amazing view upward from inside.
The clear blue water runs into the crack in the bottom of the sea and takes you back up into the 'Fishbowl' ( is momentarily not allowed due to damage ).
This hollow coral pinnacle is the home of hundreds of glassfish that swim around you while you're in there. Stick out your hands towards them and they will swim away from you in one big movement, to come back soon after that and reclaim their place in the fishbowl. ( at the moment closed by protectorate for damage)
Distance : 3 km
Canyon Coral Garden
The "Coral Garden" lies alongside the "Canyon" and features all sorts of coral. While you dive along a steep drop-off you might just run into a turtle, a giant moray or even a stingray.
The drop-off lies at about 18 meters and down, so this site can be dived as an Open Water as well as an Advanced dive. Going along the slope you can look out into the deep blue, watching out for the really big fish. On the other side of the "Canyon" there is another interesting piece of diving. On a sandy slope are a few sand eels and usually a fair few puffer fish, giving this side the well-deserved name of 'Puffy Park'
Distance: 3 km
From Riks Reef to the Canyon
Slightly further up the coast than the "Canyon" is the entrance to "Riks Reef". The easy entry-point here is a small lagoon with a rocky bottom. From thereon you follow the reef al the way along to the "Canyon" dive-site.
This dive too, can be done as an open water or and advanced dive. The coral reef follows the coastline and drops down to significant depths. Wondering around the patches of coral, looking for special marine-life and different kinds of coral, you will make a drift-dive from one dive-site to the next, ending up in the big lagoon at the Canyon.
Distance: 3.5 km
Eel Garden
The site's name kind of gives it away already: a dive to the "Eel Garden" will reveal the hundreds of sand eels living here. The eels, which almost look like shiny silver ribbons, stick their heads out of a sandy slope and vanish into the bottom as soon as you come too close.
The constant moving away of the eels and the sliding slope give you the feeling of being on a totally different planet.
Apart from the eels there is a wide array of aquatic life and wonderful coral, among which is an L-shaped pinnacle with overhanging soft coral, usually surrounded by fish.
The Eel garden is best dived at high tide and with little wind. The entry / exit in the lagoon there is lovely, but on windy days there can be a strong & dangerous current.
Distance: 05 km
The Islands
This site got its name from the two big coral islands just offshore and it has the largest selection of corals in the area. The Islands show over 130 coral-types and have the biggest brain and cabbage coral around Dahab. Apart from living coral, the site also has some interesting 'broken coral'. A few years ago there was an earthquake that made some of the pinnacles break off. Nowadays that fallen coral gives a marvelous effect at what is called 'the bone yard'.
One of the exits of the site is a small and narrow tunnel at a depth of two meters. The "Islands" is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful sites in Dahab. Not to be missed!
Distance: 7 km
From Bells to Blue Hole
The "Blue Hole" is without a shadow of a doubt a world-famous site for advanced divers.
The dive starts a bit up the coast at the "Bells"; a big crack in the coral wall with a straight drop to 28 m, coming under an archway at the end.
Following the enormous (and virtually bottomless) coral wall to the south you will encounter unspoiled corals, overhangs, and many different types of marine life.
Crossing the so-called 'saddle' will then take you into the famous "Blue Hole" itself. The coral inside the hole has suffered under the large amount of snorkelers, but the dive and the deep blue water of the hole will make your heart pound anyway.
Distance: 8 km
Lighthouse Reef
The "Lighthouse" is known as the training-site of Dahab and shows us an amazing reef. It has a sandy slope that is ideal for shallow water-work like on the Open Water Course, checkouts and introductory dives.
The "Lighthouse Reef" offers a great dive for open water as well as advanced divers. As a deep dive the Lighthouse is actually very different than as a shallower dive, revealing some large and beautiful coral pinnacles. The reef itself goes along a rocky point, with a mirage of soft and hard corals. The aquatic life at the Lighthouse is amazingly varied. You can find turtles, damselfish, clownfish, stonefish, lionfish, morays, rays, and a huge number of unicorn fish here.
Distance: 6 km
Mashraba Reef
The site can be dived in a number of ways so it's very suitable for both open water and advanced dives. The coral wall and surrounding pinnacles that lead to the point of the reef have a large amount of corals and underwater life. At the point itself is a pinnacle that is usually covered by lots and lots of different fish. "Mashraba" is the place to see crocodile-fish, the gigantic Napoleon wrasse and the blue spotted stingray. But we do not only dive this site during the day, because at night a totally different kind of life comes out. At that time there's flashlight fish, shrimps, maybe a Spanish dancer and also the sparkling phosphorescence.
Distance: 8.5 km
Three Pools & Moray Garden
"Moray Garden" and the "Three Pools" lie, just like "Umm Sid", south of Dahab-city. These sites are often covered in one dive. The dive starts and ends with an easy entry and exit on a pebble bottom. After descending to the chosen depth for the dive, you run along a very impressive patch of coral. The site actually looks like one amazingly big reef-like pinnacle; big enough to spend the whole dive on. During the dive you pass along smaller pinnacles on top of this reef and have a look out for wildlife and the incredible amount of coral.
Distance: 23 km
Laguna & the 7 Pinnacles
The "Laguna" is situated at the south-end of a natural curving bay, a bit past the "Islands". The site can be dived from several different entry points. From one entry the "Laguna" shows you patches of coral, scattered along a sandy bottom. There is a place we call the coral valley, because this looks like a real underwater landscape.The "Laguna" differs from most other sites. There's no reef table and the coral is different then at other sites because the Laguna is a more sheltered place.
If you enter elsewhere, you will pass some small pinnacles with lots of little and big fish, giving this part of the site the name "7 Pinnacles".
Distance: 8 km
Ras Abou Galloum
Ras Abu Galoum is situated approximately 15 kilometres north of Dahab and is a marine and wildlife reserve. It offers the diver remote, pristine reefs which are easily accessible and can suit all experience levels. The area itself is of astounding beauty and is perfect for enjoying Bedouin hospitality and the starry skies of the desert. Ras Abu Galoum may be reached on a one / two day jeep or camel safari run from and offers the perfect opportunity to experience desert, Sinai mountains, the underwater world and Bedouin hospitality.
Distance: 16 km
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