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The sleepy town of Dahab (meaning gold in Arabic) sits at the foot of the rose hued Sinai Mountains about 100km north of Sharm El Sheikh. Once a simple Bedouin encampment it now boasts modern facilities and some new hotels but still retains its ethnic charm. Dahab sits on the Gulf of Aqaba and some of the deepest waters in the Red Sea are in the area, dropping in places to over 1800mts. It is here you will get the opportunity to sight a busy reef life just a few meters beyond the fringing reef.
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Blue Hole - El Bells
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One of the most famous dive sites in the Red Sea situated 12 km north of Dahab. The Blue Hole has an almost circular shape 150 meters wide and 110 meters deep and connects with the sea through a tunnel 26 meters long at a depth of 52 meters (for technical divers only). The best way to enjoy this dive site is by doing a drift dive starting at El Bells (situated 250 meters north) and finishing the dive in the Blue Hole.
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El Bells is a half open chimney that reaches a depth of 30 meters and have an arch at 26 meters. The wall is there magnificent. It is vertical and in part overhanging with a rich growth of black corals and elephant ear sponges and sea fans. In the deep blue, chance is to spot Yellow fin Tunas, Orange spotted Trevallies, school of Red Sea Fusiliers, and the resident Napoleon Wrasses.
By getting shallower and closer to the lip of the Blue Hole the attraction is also lying on the rich sloping reef. The saddle which allows the entrance to the inside of the Blue Hole is 7 meters deep only. Here is a beautiful coral garden teeming of life. The end of the dive will enable you to skirt around the inner walls of the Blue Hole where you could observe Octopus, many Starfishes and Scorpion fishes.
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Rick's Reef
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Situated on the north of the Canyon dive site, this is a perfect place to make a drift dive from this location toward the lagoon of the Canyon when a mild current is present. This is a very relax dive, excellent for photography. Octopus, Scorpion fishes, Morays, school of Red Sea Goatfishes fish and Fusiliers are always around on the sandy plateau patches with coral heads. The sandy bottom often hosts Blue spotted Stingray and amazing Napoleon Wrasses can always surprised you from the blue. The sloping coral garden stretches from the entry of the dive site to the fishbowl of the Canyon of beyond. A perfect location for the snorkelers as well who can follow the divers bubbles
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The Canyon
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This site takes its name from a long, narrow and very beautiful canyon created by an ancient volcanic activity. The huge fissure now overgrown with hard and soft corals runs north to south from the shallow reef just off shore to a depth of around 54 meters on the reef slope further out (ideal for technical divers).
Access to the site is through a shallow and sandy lagoon laying a few steps from the shore line. It is inhabited by a rich fauna comprising Butterfly fishes, Blue spine Unicorn fishes, Cornet fishes and even juvenile Barracudas. On the most western point there is a saddle serving as an entry (and exit) point to the open sea and a coral garden. Among the large range of reef fish here, some notable residents include the Puffer fish, Snappers, Lyre tail and Coral Grouper, Bass lets and Red Sea Anthias.
The entry to the Canyon is done through it largest point at 22 meters. The progression through the Canyon is easy and the light effect caused by the sun rays is surreal.
The exit of the Canyon is done through a huge hard coral block with a man-sized opening in this coral hummock. The numerous small cracks of this coral block allow the air bubbles emitted by scuba divers to escape giving a fantastic touch to the scenery
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Ras abu helal
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Ras Abu Helal which means "Cape of the growing moon" is situated 3 km south of the Canyon. This extensive site features an inshore reef top dropping steeply to a sandy lagoon of 10 meters maximum depth with a semicircular shape. This dive site features also at a depth of more than 30 m a small narrow canyon (for which the site is named as well) which lies beyond the scope of recreational diving. The surrounding coral garden throughout the site is excellent and fish life is equally diverse. Among the hundreds of reef species, notable residents are Unicorns, big Groupers, Trigger fishes, starry Puffers and Wrasses. Hawksbill turtles are also common here.
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Eel Garden
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This dive site is named after the huge population of Garden Eels. These small creatures swaying in the gentle current stretch for food particles passing by and disappear gently when divers are coming close by. After swimming over the reef platform the entry of the dive site is through a small channel that leads to the main reef. The sandy bottom is home for the garden eels that come out and wave with the water and friendly Batfishes. The reef slope has got an excellent selection of coral growth with both stony and soft species and this colorful and shallow reef boasts large numbers of Lion fishes, Damsels, Parrots, Groupers, Scorpion fishes and plenty of Sand Gobies. The whole area is great for photography.
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The Lighthouse
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Located just off shore at the lighthouse of Dahab bay it features an extending sloping reef with a good range of depths which can suit all level of divers. Look out for Sea moth (Pegasus) and Shrimpfish’s on the sandy slope as you step in the water. Large pinnacles, huge cabbage coral and coral heads extend out of the point reaching depth of more than 25 meters with a diverse fish life with Surgeon and Unicorn fishes, Wrasses, Trigger fishes, Breams and Morays. The sloping coral wall and the coral garden at the northern part of the reef is very healthy and boast both hard and soft species of coral and host a varied fish life like Cornet fish, Angelfish, Goatfish and school of Common Big eyes feeding from the mild current. It is home as well to Spanish dancers very popular among the photographers.
The shallow wall of the fringing reef plate, the gentle sloping reef and the abundance of marine life make the Lighthouse an excellent site for night diving.
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Masbat
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this dive site located in the heart of Dahab city is the ideal place to spot numerous Thorny Seahorses and Pipe fishes on the very shallow ridge covered of sea grass and funnel weed.
Among the inhabitants of this ridge are the Peppered, Snow-flake and Undulated Morays, juvenile Scorpion fishes and sea urchins.
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The field of sea grass which covered a wide part of the dive site serves as nursery grounds for many species of crustaceans and fishes and colorful Ascidians. At the southern tip of this pasture of the marine plants the reef margin is starting.
Large coral pinnacles and rich soft coral growth with beautiful Acropora will be found along the wall. Among the huge coral formation, there is a small swim-through at around 30 meters. You could find Potatoes Groupers, Giant Morays and Unicorn fishes and school of Red Sea fusiliers during your dive.
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The caves
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This site is the last of the series of sites on the southern coast of Dahab before the Gabr El Bint National Park. It centers on two shallow and large open front caverns, deeply undercutting the reef table close to shore. They are well worth a visit: there are covered with soft corals, sponges and black corals and inhabited by a resident huge Puffer fish and the shy Peppered Morays. The dive along of the reef sections on both sides of the caverns is as interesting as the caves. Inlets and surf tubes lead onto the sloping body of the main reef where a large cover of hard and soft coral and lively population of reef and schooling fishes are present.
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One day Camel dive safari
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Ras Abu Galum
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Different and important ecosystems are present in the protected area of Ras Abu Galum such as well developed coral, beautiful coastline bordered by high mountains. Ras Abu Galum can be reached by camels. The one day camel dive safari is the most popular and the best way to enjoy this famous dive location where two or even three dives can be done in summer. After reaching the Blue Hole by jeep, and loading the camels with the diving equipment, the camel ride will take you on a path along the fascinating rocky coast for an hour and a half. The dives will give you the opportunity to see a fantastic underwater landscape. On the North part of the coast after entering in a pool with sandy bottom, swim over the small ridge of coral and at about 6 meters a huge Madre pore tower with plenty of glassfish will be in front of you. Then a hard coral plateau with massive pore coral, beautiful table coral, Broccoli coral start will where Breams and Parrots and Angelfishes make their home.
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On the south part of the dive site, the plateau gives place to a fantastic drop off with beautiful tower of coral on the top. Huge puffer fishes, school of Trevallies, Emperor fishes and Snappers are living here.
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One day Camel dive safari
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Gabr El Bint
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Gabr El Bint means the "Tomb of the girl" and it is the southern dive site of Dahab. Part of the attraction of this site is the novelty of the commute- by camel loaded down with high-tech diving gear along the inaccessible coastline between Dahab and Nabeq.
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The first dive is done to the north of a hard coral buttress that you can see from the shore. The underwater landscape is fantastic with a wall running around the north point of a curving bay and descending to more than 50 meters depth decorated with table corals, black coral. Within the bay, the wall begins at around depth of 8 to 20 meters and gives life to shelters and small caves, it is of outstanding beauty.
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The second dive is done south of the hard coral buttress. In shore, a large sandy lagoon dotted with coral heads lies just next to a hard coral buttress. It is an excellent place to spot Rays and numerous Crocodile fishes. The upper reef slope widens with a true forest of soft corals. It is exceptional and teeming of life. Beautiful Gorgonians and impressive Cabbage corals lie down between 12 and 30 meters.
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This is one of the most unusual sites along the Sinai coast and well worth the journey.
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