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Dahab – Divesites
The divesites around Dahab
GOLDEN BLOCKS
Golden Blocks has a coral slope with three sandy alleys in it. The first one starts at 10m and drops down to 30 – 40m. Here lies Dahab’s only real wreck, a paddle boat at 20m. The second slope is like a small canyon with a beautiful little island of corals. At the third slope you will find an impressive Gorgonian fan at 22m and beside it is a small cave. Shallower you have sandy areas with the „Golden Blocks“. These are large coral blocks that go from 10m to the surface and are covered with Anthias. Also in the shallower parts you have beautiful table corals and small coral blocks where there is always a good chance to find big Groupers or colourful Nudibranchs.
MORAY GARDEN
This is one of the beautiful dive sites in the south between Three 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 Three Pools. 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 and Scorpionfish. Following the coral slope you will pass a nice Glassfish pinnacle at 22m. On the left side of Moray Garden you have a coral slope with sand alleys streaming down to the deeper parts. This site has a lot of small things to see but sightings of Guitar Sharks, Whitetip Reef Sharks and Whale Sharks have been known.
THREE POOLS
Three sandy pools interconnected by saddles of coral form the entry and exit point for this dive. Outside of the third pool Napoleon fish might catch your eye just before you descend to the deepest point of the dive by following a sandy alley with Brain Corals, Pipe Corals and Salad Corals along the sides. The alley brings you to a coral garden with pinnacles. A resident turtle often patrols the area. The later part of the dive is a shallow area where sand and coral blocks seem to compete to catch a bit of sun, showing wonderful red coloured details. Crocodilefish and Scorpionfish try to hide in the sandy parts, while Octopuses blend in wherever they go, but divers with an eye for detail will spot them for sure. Depth: 30 metres + (200 feet) Visibility: 30 – 40 metres
THE CAVES
Located south of Dahab, is a slightly misleading name, as the „cave“ is in fact more of a large overhang. This is still, however, a good dive site for the unusual rock formations and variety of sealife. The dive starts by following the gentle sloping drop-off following the shore where the sandy bed provides a home for Garden Eels, Pipefish and Wrasse, which dive into the sand as you approach. The pinnacles provide an interesting site with sealife including Turtles, Morays, Lionfish and Napoleon wrasse. Depth: 35 metres max, Visibility: 30 – 40 metres
GABR EL BINT
There are two dives possible here. The right side, also known as the dark side, features a steep wall that drops down to about 60m cut by numerous chasms, sandy ravines and overhangs. The drop-off is adorned with healthy table corals. The left side is far more colourful 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 Fusiliers. 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 runs parallel to the shore.
EEL GARDEN
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 metre canyon, it then broadens into a large sandy area that slopes down gradually. After diving along a jutting reef that lies perpendicular to the main reef the eels slowly come into view, waving to and fro in the current like synchronized swimmers who vanish back into the sand as you approach. Depth: 1 – 30 metres, Visibility: 30 metres
ABU HELAL
Abu Helal and Abu Talha can only be dived at high tide in perfect conditions, which leads to them being dived much less than other sites, leaving the corals in pristine condition. This site has everything for both technical and recreational diving. The reef encircles a shallow lagoon at about 12m. Outside is a gently sloping bay and on its northern side a broad ridge. The start of this ridge features one of the finest coral garden in the Dahab area and this is the main focus of the dive site. Depth: 60 metres + (200 feet), Visibility: 30 – 40 metres
THE CANYON
A fantastic dive for all levels. From a shore entry you can level off at about 30m along the gradual drop-off which continues for hundreds of metres. The canyon is a natural tunnel in the seabed which can be penetrated at several points along the rift. Once in the canyon, you can ascend up through and come out beside the fish bowl, a natural cave teaming with Glassfish. There is about space for six divers to hover above the sandy bed, whilst the Glassfish swirl around you and Cleaner Wrasse will inspect masks and regs. Watch out for Lionfish which guard the old entrance and exit from the fish bowl. Depth: 100 metres +, Visibility: 30 metres
THE BLUE HOLE
This is an excellent divesite for divers who like a little bit more adventure. The Blue Hole is a submarine sinkhole (a kind of cave), up to around 130 m deep. There is a shallow opening around 6 m deep, known as ‘the saddle’, an opening out to the sea, and a 26 m long tunnel, known as the arch, the top of which lies at a depth of 56 m. The hole itself and the surrounding area has an abundance of coral and reef fish.
THE BELLS
It is formed where a deep groove cuts into the reef top just north of the Blue Hole at Dahab. An excellent dive for fans of the deep blue. The Bells is a natural small hole at 30m in a sheer wall that drops off to 800m+. You descend straight down alongside the wall and dive round the hole and pop out into the blue. Blue is all you can see looking out to sea with the wall to your back. Look out for Sharks and Manta Rays. Gradually ascending up to 15m is where all the reef life is, the usual fishes and corals. To exit from the shore you need to swim over the blue hole sometimes against the current. Depth: 200 metres + , Visibility: 30 – 40 metres. Drift along the wall where attractive cavelets and overhangs with a rich growth of black coral enhance the drop off. Look left into the blue and you may catch sight of a Turtle or Reef Shark.
RAS ABU GALUM
One hour camel ride from Dahab. 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. Depth: 1 – 30 metres (3 – 100 feet) – Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)
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