Information received from Sinai Divers that you may find useful… Dive Site Descriptions The Bells & Blue Hole The Blue Hole is probably the most infamous dive site in Egypt. Carved into a reef just offshore less than 10kms north of Dahab. It is a cavernous hole that drops straight down to unfathomable depths. “The Arch” starts at around 56 meters with the base of the arch at around 120 meters, it connects the blue hole to the open ocean. The abyss Blue Hole and Arch is a demanding dive but is perfect for technical divers. On the recreational front, the entry point is at “The Bells”, about 100m past the end of the dirt track that leads to the Blue Hole. The entrance is a narrow crack in the reef table that forms a pool close to the shore. You descend through a chimney, exiting at 27 meters on a ledge that opens to the cobalt sea. The drop-off is completely vertical, and the underwater landscape is breathtaking. Drift along the wall where attractive cavelets and overhangs enhance the drop off, look left into the blue and you may catch sight of a turtle or reef shark. Ascend and at around 7 meters you will cross over the saddle and into the Blue Hole. The Canyon The canyon is one of the most popular dive sites in Dahab. A long, narrow trench forms a canyon running perpendicular to the reef. After an easy shore entry, you cross a sandy lagoon that opens onto a gently sloping reef marked with coral heads. The amazing and eerie canyon soon comes into view. It forms a thin cleft in the reef that looks like a winding serpent. Descend into the Canyon at 20 meters and drop to the bottom which sits at around 30 meters. Take a minute at bottom and enjoy the magnificent view, the light coming through the crack that forms the entry of the canyon while you sit in semi-darkness, it is an amazing sight. From here you exit through the “Fish Bowl”, a hollow coral mound that forms a small chamber full of glassfish. Finish the dive by swimming through a sensational coral garden at about 8 meters. 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-meter canyon, it then broadens into a large sandy area that slopes down gradually. After diving along a jutting reef that lays perpendicular to the main reef the eels slowly come into view. The amazing site of the garden eels waving to and fro in the current like synchronized swimmers who vanish back into the sand as you approach never ceases to amaze, even for the locals who dive there a couple of times a week. Descend to about 20 meters where you will find a nearly flat section with coral boulders and several table corals. It is quite common to find a thick congregation of barracudas regularly patrolling the area. On your way back at around 5 and 10 meters you will see healthy, wide range variety of both soft and hard corals which is rivaled only by the fish life, stunning. The Islands The Islands offers tropical corals at its best, with a wide range of hard and soft coral, combined with outstanding topography. You can explore a maze of coral boulders, alleyways, amphitheaters, valleys and gullies all in less than 18 meters. After the entry follow a wide sandy valley before entering the intricate reef system. The quantity and quality of the corals is a phenomenon. You can see plenty of big groupers, glittering anthias, jewel-like schools of glassfish, Napoleons, lionfish and a dense shoal of barracudas usually roams the northern section of the reef. The Islands is a all time favorite for everyone who dives there, it is defiantly a real piece of paradise. Umm Sid Umm Sid features abundant fish life and a variety of reef structures which are all in exceptional condition as the site was not dived as frequently in the past as others in Dahab. Entry is through a wide corridor carved into a steeply sloping reef. Dive around and beneath a massive coral tongue until you reach a sandy slope inhabited by garden eels. Follow the slope down into a beautiful coral garden, for advanced divers descend down to 30 meters and view the spectacular vision filled with giant gorgonians. Here you can spot small hawkfish. Ascend up to 18 meters and end the dive by a slow excursion over the table corals and along a reef wall which is covered in soft corals and anthias, look closely and spot the number of nudibranches of all varieties. Sinai Divers House Reef (Manta in our house reef January 2004) Kit up in the dive centre and take a short walk to the beach in to the Dahab lagoon. It is the most perfect location for training in Dahab. A gradual sandy slope goes down to about 12 meters, where it flattens out to an even platform. After going to the right you will find a small reef formation where if you look closely you can spot things like sea horses and nudibranchs. Undulate, peppered and yellow mouthed morays are abundant. Stone fish, scorpion fish and clown fish are also regularly seen. This can be a truly interesting dive for people who just want to look take a closer look for the smaller creatures of the Red Sea. If you are prepared to swim out a little further you have a good chance of spotting tuna and trevallies hunting on the schools of glass fish. Not long ago two manta’s were seen here on a daily base. Even a whale shark has made an appearance here in the past. And don’t forget when you book a diving package of ten dives or more you get 5 dives here for free. A good and shallow site to finish off a days diving. Bannerfish bay Bannerfish bay is located just right of the lighthouse. Using the same entry as the light house go left down a gradual slope to about 12 meters. Here you will swim over a large sea grass area which is abundant with macro life; sea horses, angler fish, nudibranchs, rare ghost pipefish, moray eels, stone fish, scorpion fish and crustaceans and lots more are hidden in the sea grass. It is quite common to see the resident turtle feeding on the sea grass. Right in the middle of it all you will see the small car wreck and several car tires. Swim a little further and after the sea grass you will find a small reef filled to the brim with schooling bannerfish, which is where the dive site got its name. A slow and shallow dive, great for night diving and perfect for the photographer. Red Tooth Trigger Bay – Camel Safari A short journey by jeep from Ras Abu Gallum. Prepare your equipment beforehand at the camp. Entrance from the shore is easy in most weather, it starts off as stone and after a short distance moves onto a sandy slope. Descend and you will instantly find “The Garden”, as the local Bedouin call this site. Although it is only over a small area this dive is prefect as corals spread from as deep as 50 meters right up to 3 meters. Descend over the gradual sandy slope and divers will find that they are surrounded instantaneously by huge schools of Banner fish and Red Tooth Triggers. Corals are found in small pinnacles with both soft and hard corals in pristine conditions. Swim over the table corals which are home to Scorpion Fish, Anemone Fish, Anthias, Puffers and many more. For the micro divers in us Nudibranches are often seen here including the Spanish Dancer, while Turtles and Eagle Rays have also been spotted. This site is perfect for photography being beautiful at all depths with a surprising wealth of life. Salahs Place Entry is from the shore in front of your hut. Go through into a small sandy lagoon divided from the plateau by a saddle of stunning corals. Outside the reef table directly in front of the lagoon is a beautiful pinnacle covered in soft and hard corals. This is often surrounded by Glassfish and Silver Sides who are hunted in flashes of silver by Rainbow Runner fish and Trevallies. A shallow plateau descends dramatically into a wall with pinnacles of soft corals and green bushy coral. On a longer dive it is possible to see schools of Bat fish on the wall. If dived as a shallow dive coral gardens are magically weaving a path between 3 to 10 meters. Abu Gallum Bay This bay is extremely sheltered and diving conditions are good in all weather. 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. Shaira This dive site is reached by Sinai Divers Boat in Dahab, The Ghazala 6. It lies to the south of caves beyond the reaches of the road, which makes this site superb.