[Disclaimer: By reading the below article, you release me from any and all responsibility and acknowledge that diving and diving equipment is accompanied by risk of injury or even death. You also acknowledge the necessity of proper training from a licensed instructor prior to beginning Scuba Diving or diving beyond your current level of training (or with new/unfamiliar equipment)]
We were lucky enough to visit Dahab, Egypt, in 2023, here is a little on the incredible dive sites we had the opportunity to experience.
Canyon – Dahab
We’re sure you’ll agree, a visit to Dahab without visiting its legendary ‘Canyon’ is quite an empty trip – it’s almost like missing the Blue Hole. We certainly think so, and so we went to have a look. The Canyon in Dahab is a large crack in the coral substrate that forms a natural canyon with an entrance around 20m. Entering at the top of this increadible natural feature offers you a spectacular cavern-like experience with an open roof that narrows at the end into a smaller but still quite comfortable open-roofed canyon. Follow this canyon into the depths and you are treated to an incredible journey running from 20m down to a very gentle exit at 50m. The exit is an experience as there’s one or two tight turns (nothing at all uncomfortable for non-cave-divers – as we are), then a series of openings up ahead, through which you pass the appropriately large one which deposits you on an incredible wall which plumits down into depths of 150m plus. After the amazing experience of passing down this valley and exiting, the view is quite spectacular.
Would we recommend: ABSOLUTELY!!!
The Blue Hole – Dahab
All you have to say is the above name, and, let a persons imagination go wild. This is the site that we all know, that not a single Technical Diver in the world didn’t at one point dream of visiting. Once a vast coral ledge, the roof of this amazing geological feature collapsed inwards, forming an incredible ‘tube’ of water only just linked to the outside seas but safe from almost all current. The saddle, allows water in with around 5m depth, while The Arch, on the underside of the saddle, allows water in and out at depth. This is the feature so many rush to, and, if ill-prepared, sadly don’t return from. An incredible archway at a whopping 55-60 meters depth. Swimming along the underside of the arch lends a surreal experience as the massive coral ceiling above you blocks out much of the light and allows only rays of sunlight from the entrance and exit to leave incredible patterns in the water ahead and behind you. This dive is frequently, a drop down into the hole, easily from 10m to 50m directly, before swimming under the arch, and returning either back through the arch and up the inner wall or up the outer wall and up the saddle. Truly an incredible experience, this paragraph doesn’t even begin to do it justice.
Tiger Canyon – Dahab
Something of a more challenging entry, with a very specific entry and exit point in the coral ledge, this dive site rewards your effort ten-fold though with an incredible sloping-wall dive leading down into a small canyon with a 5-10m ledge to the left, over which technical divers are treated to an incredible view down into the blue depths beneath this coral formation.
55m depth and suitable for technical divers only.
Would we go back, absolutely!
A brief overview of the experience in Dahab: we did 5 days Technical Diving with Lagona Divers – Technical, and, their Instructor Matt put a huge amount of effort into the experience, taking us from being very rusty on technical skills and knowledge, through to highly competent. Read more here.
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The Diving Source 