80km north of Sharm El Sheikh, on the eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, lies an entirely different vibe to both Sharm and Hurghada.
Laid back and popular with backpackers, Dahab is a popular North Red Sea diving destination, yet is considerably less crowded and touristy.
Dahab offers fantastic diving, with all the usual reef fish of the Red Sea as well as barracudas, jacks and sometimes turtles. That said, pelagics seldom pass by and one is highly unlikely to spot any sharks. There are also no shipwrecks.
However, this location is well known for it’s the stunning coral reef and the fact that most dives are accessible from the shore…that said, considerable damage is being caused to the shallow reef by mass diving and careless divers.
Of the 500 dive centres here, many are reported to be lacking in scrupulousness when it comes to marine protocol so please…make sure you pick your diving centre carefully, dive responsibly and do try not to be a dick.
If you go to protected areas such as Ras Mumlach or Ras Abu Galum, you can still find superb and vibrant hard and soft coral – whilst ensuring you’re participating with a dive centre who are responsible enough to have been cleared to get there (but report them if they don’t act accordingly!)
But now for the craziest part: The thing Dahab is most famous for is it’s world famous Blue Hole Dive Site. This is a 70m hole within the coral reef that drops to 80m, with a 30m long arch travelling to the open sea on it’s bottom.
The sun rays penetrating the arches opening create spectacular and eerie lighting effects known to both impress and disorientate divers.
At shallow depths, this is an easy and beautiful dive…however, it is the arch that makes this blue hole the most dangerous dive site in the world. Around 30 scuba divers die attempting it every year.
Do not swim through the arch unless you are a highly experienced tech diver and deep diver and have a mixed gas system.
So: Dahab, an incredible and relatively off the beaten track destination, with next level coral reef. Dive in a manner that is responsible towards the ocean and yourself and you’ll love it!