One of the most famous dive sites of the Red Sea is the Blue Hole in Dahab, located just off Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula a few miles north of Dahab. Its beautiful depths have claimed the lives of more than one scuba diver, but this incredible dive site offers features that keep divers coming back year after year.
- Dive Site: The Blue Hole / The Bells
- Location: North Dahab, 28°34.367N; 34°32.207E
- Description: Reef / shore dive / drop-off
- Depth: 200 metres + (600 feet)
- Visibility: 30 – 40 metres (100 – 130 feet)
How to access the Dahab Blue Hole
Accessible just a few meters from the rocky shoreline, you can choose direct entry into the Blue Hole, but many divers prefer to enter through “The Bells”, a location in which a deep groove cuts into the reef top just north of the Blue Hole.
Being so close to the main entry point, it is often overlooked, but it is a spectacular way to ease yourself into the site. The Bells is a 27- to 30-meter descent into a completely vertical dropoff. You’ll see stunningly clear blue waters, with beautiful coral growth and marine life that have been described by many a diver as a lot more impressive than the wall of the Dahab Blue Hole itself.
The other way to dive the Dahab Blue hole is by starting at the “easy entrance” marked at the beach. The Blue Hole cave walls descend to a depth of around 100 meters, making it seem bottomless. The “Arch” is one of the more famous features of this site. It’s located at around 56 meters with the base of the arch at around 120 meters, which is what connects the Blue Hole to the open ocean.
Dahab Blue Hole & diver safety
The abyssal reaches of the Blue Hole and the Arch are beyond the limits of recreational diving. Unfortunately, some of the most experienced divers ignore while testing their limits. The cliffs around the dive site are dotted with commemorative items for divers who have lost their lives here. This serves as a somber reminder for all to respect their own personal limitations when it comes to scuba diving.
Conclusion
Approached responsibly, the Dahab Blue Hole is an experience of a lifetime and is guaranteed to be a dive you will never forget.
