Top Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Egypt

The Canyon is one of the most amazing dive sites from Egypt, it's a crack that has been formed after a earthquake that touched the Gulf of Aqaba. The entrance of the Canyon is at 18 meters and you drop down until 30 meters. It's partially a overhead environment and from there the recreational divers can go through the crack and exit at a depth of 14 meters. Qualified Technical divers have the possibility to make the dive with a technical Instructor down to 52 meters where is another exit. This dive site is 10 minutes from Dahab in direction Israel and is located in the Gulf of Aqaba. The city Dahab is located 95 km North from Sharm el Sheikh and is accessible by car or bus.

The majority have died because they attempted to do this dive on a single cylinder of air. Forget it, this is suicide, when you find the arch you will have to swim through a 30 meters long tunnel about, IT does take a few minutes remember!!! Use mixed gas for this dive and you need a proper equipment, torch and a good BCD and don't forget that is a decompression dive. Anyway if you need further information you can mail me and I will tell you everything I know about the "Blue Hole" and Dahab. You can have a visit at my homepage: www.divewaterworld.com -- Tom Steiner The famous "blue Hole" of Dahab is a great dive, but only for experienced diver, take note that the Blue Hole is about 200 m large at the top and the bottom is at 106 m. You reach the arch at 52 m and then you can dive through it right into the Gulf of Aqaba. Be aware of Nitrogen Narcosis, at this depth and an arch over your head it's a very serious problem if you have a nitrogen narcosis. I know by experience and you can see it right at the blue hole all the people who tried the dive and never came back, it is a dangerous dive and you need the right equipment and the right person to do this dive. So just don't walk in any dive center and ask to do the blue hole, they might say yes, but.

Right across the Israeli border- which is easy to cross from Eilat- is Taba's Hilton hotel. It is very good value for Hilton, because they had terrorist attacks a few years back. But now it feels extremely safe (your luggage gets screened at check in: a bit odd but understandable). The hotel has nice bungalows facing a white sand beach, and a dive center which is operated on both sides of the border (Israel and Sinai/Egypt). In front of the beach are 3 small reefs, and a local dive master takes you out for up to 3 shore dives a day. It's the red sea, with all its beauty. Even though the site is less spectacular than Dahab etc. it is very easy convenient, and wonderful because there's plenty of time to take pix. Easy relaxed dives. The dive master was also outstanding, pointing to marine life we never would have seen (octopus, sea horses, garden eels etc.). Two minor drawbacks: since it's in the gulf of Aqaba, there aren't many big creatures around. Also, because you are literally swimming at the border of 4 countries (Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan), night dives were not allowed unfortunately. The dive center also operates daily dive trips to Dahab etc. and it's also easy to go on a live-aboard e.g. Sharm El Sheik straight from Taba. Much cheaper and far less crowded than Eilat!

A true vertical wall, full of overhangs and fissures, with lots of swimthroughs and cavelets. Towards the Blue Hole, in the south, the reef profile softens to a steep slope. The dive begins in a small slot in the reef table, around 100m (328ft) north of the Blue Hole lagoon; after reaching your maximum depth on the sheer wall section just south of the entry, ascend slowly and follow the reef south to the lip of the Blue Hole lagoon, in about 6m (20ft) at the top of the reef. This is your exit point.