Diving in Dahab
Red Sea, Egypt
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Diving in Dahab, Red Sea, Egypt - Visit Report
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Dahab is a small village some 90km north of Sharm-El-Sheikh on the coast of the Red Sea. From the airport
in Sharm-El-Sheikh it is just a one-hour drive to Dahab through an impressive dessert-like landscape.
The Swiss Inn hotel resort (next to the Hilton) is situated a few kilometers outside of Dahab. The Swiss
Inn hotel offers excellent accomodation, good food, friendly staff and a beautiful beach directly in front
of the hotel.
Dahab is well-known to windsurfers since there is almost always some wind (from a light cooling breeze
to sometimes a bit stronger winds). Dahab is also well-known to scuba divers who enjoy exploring the many
dive sites along the coast line north and south of Dahab. Divers are taken to the dive sites by jeeps
and pickup trucks (you may even book a camel dive trip). The most famous dive site is probably the Blue
Hole which reaches depths of some 800m. It is an impressive dive site, but it also features several fatalities
of divers who tried to pass through the exits into the blue at depths of 55m resp. 70m.
Diving in Dahab is great fun and absolute not dangerous as long as you follow the appropriate rules
and instructions. We had the opportunity to go diving without being accompanied under water by a dive
guide (but of course being breefed throroughly before going into the water). This gave us the freedom
to chose our own direction and explore the dive site on our own and added substantially to our self-confidence.
Compared to diving off a boat, jeep diving does have a few drawbacks. You will not find many (real)
toilets near the dive sites. Also entering the water carrying the (heavy) dive equipment over the un-even
rocks/stones and entry points is not always very easy. And after spending an hour in the water it is almost
unavoidable that sand enters the equipment and wetsuits while undressing. Still, we enjoyed it very much!
Our personal rating (January 2004)
| Topic |
Rating |
Comments |
| Dahab |
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Unfortunately, we have almost seen nothing of Dahab itself, since we were spend much of our time diving,
eating and sleeping. We heard however that a visit to Dahab is worthwhile for shopping, strolling or eating
at one of the restaurants there. |
| Swiss Inn Hotel Resort |
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The Swiss Inn hotel resort offers excellent accomodation, rooms, restaurants, a spacious pool, bars
and mayn other facilities. There is a beautiful beach directly in front of the hotel with wind-protected
sun beds, a beach bar, surfing and diving facilities and a beach volleybal court. |
| Eating and drinking |
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The hotel offers a wide choice of good food and drinks. Rich buffets were prepared both for breakfast
and dinner to suit everyone's taste. At some of the dive sites you will find Bedouin Restaurants which
do not look much like a restaurant but do offer surprisingly tasty foods and snacks. We often enjoyed
their hospitality at lunch time between the morning and afternoon dives. |
| Activities |
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There are numerous activities offered in Dahab such as trips with a glass-bottom boat and ofcourse
windsurfing, diving and snorkeling. A desert trip to the 'white canyon' out in the nearby Sinai desert
is also a thrilling experience! |
| Under water |
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The huge amounts of fish (although small), the incredible colours and the amazing corals! See it for
yourself! Water temperature in january: 22°C (5mm shorty over a 5mm long john is recommended). |
| House reef |
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There is a rather simple and shallow house reef (max 14m). The coral blocks are not so numerous but
they are home to many morays, lion fish, scorpion fish and many other species. This is just perfect as
a last dive to end your holiday! |
| Dive sites |
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There are several fascinating dive sites in this area. The most famous is probably the Blue Hole where
several divers lost their lives trying to dive trough the exit into the blue at a depth of 55 meters.
It is an easy and relaxing dive if you just don't go deeper than 30 meters. The shore line is however
fairly crowded with tourists, souvenir selling children and bedouin restaurants. Check out a corresponding
photo in the photo gallery section. |
| Jeep diving |
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There is no diving off boats. Instead, you are transported to the dive sites by jeep or pickup truck
which is sometimes a bit of a bumpy trip (between 15-30 minutes). After unloading the equipment you put
on your gear right at the beach and just walk into the water. These entry points are sometimes paved with
some un-even rocks/stones meaning that you need to keep your balance. The sand at the beach may bother
you a little when unloading your gear again after a dive. And 'real' toilets are hard to find at these
dive sites.... |
| Dive centres |
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We went with the Extra Divers dive centre which is associated with the Swiss Inn hotel. The dive centre
is run quite professional and has friendly and competent (german) staff. You will find mostly german guests
here. Dive time is limited to 60 minutes and if you have more than 20 dives you and your buddy may go
unaccompanied by a dive guide (after a thorough breefing of course). |
| Prices |
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Food and drinks are not very expensive. However, diving itself is not very cheap: 20 Euro per dive
(incl. jeep transport, air and weights but using own equipment). |
| Weather |
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Clouds are very rare, rain even rarer. However, january is the coldest months with temperatures as
low as 15°C. The wind may make it even a bit chilly. Warm clothing (especially to warm up after a
dive) is recommended in this time of year. |
| Conclusion |
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Diving in Dahab is a great experience. There are some great things (such as the Blue Hole) and some
drawbacks but all in all we had agreat time here. |
If you have any comments, don't hesitate to let us know!
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