Dahab
Diving in the Gulf of Aqaba
A relaxed holiday spot with endless possibilities
This former fishing village in the south of the Sinai Peninsula has become a popular holiday destination in recent years, thanks to its super relaxed vibe.
Whether you're into diving, looking for peace and quiet, seeking adventure, or just want to soak up the sun, Dahab is the perfect spot for independent travelers.
Just under an hour's drive from Sharm el Sheikh Airport, Dahab welcomes its guests with countless little beach bars & restaurants serving local and international delights along its colorful promenade. You'll also find fantastic diving & water sports options like kitesurfing & windsurfing, beach yoga, stand-up paddling, and various shopping opportunities in the local shops and bazaars.
SHEIKH ALI DAHAB RESORT
Genuine local hospitality
Enjoy a unique stay with genuine local hospitality. The Sheikh Ali Dahab Resort offers the perfect mix of experiences, activities, and relaxation, right in the heart of Dahab's Mashraba district, just a short walk from the popular beach promenade.
This resort is the first all-suite hotel in Sinai, showcasing Dahab's growth and tourism progress. It's named after the owner's father, Sheikh Ali, who built the first accommodation for travelers back in the 1980s, welcoming them with his Rababah music and coffee brewed over an open fire. That camp was later transformed into one of the town's first hotels and is now known as Nesima Resort.
Gabaly, Sheikh Ali's son, later added to Dahab's accommodation choices with the very first all-suite hotel in Sinai. It totally made sense to dedicate this new hotel to the Sheikh himself and build it right in his original palm garden in Mashraba.
The relaxed vibe of this first all-suite hotel really captures the vastness of Sinai. You'll see it in the spacious, bright, and generously designed suites, all arranged around the pool, offering a super comfy place to stay.
The Sheikh Ali Dahab Resort offers 22 suites, a spacious pool you can see from every suite, a restaurant with yummy local and international dishes, and its very own dive center.
BLUE OCEAN DIVE
A dive center that's got something perfect for every diver.
The Blue Ocean Dive Center, which opened in 2012 and is part of the Sheikh Ali Dahab Resort, is one of the best-equipped dive centers in Dahab. It's totally spot-on not just for regular recreational divers, but especially for specialized technical and rebreather divers. You'll find it right inside the Sheikh Ali Dahab Resort, run by Nicky & Tom in a super cozy, family-friendly atmosphere. These two owners have actually lived in Sinai for over twenty years, so they're real Sinai pros and know all the dive spots around Dahab like the back of their hand!
After a quick check dive, you and your dive buddy can head out for some truly unforgettable dives in the Red Sea. If you fancy, we can arrange a dive guide for your group or even a private guiding session for just a small extra fee. Plus, you can book and complete all sorts of dive courses right here at the dive center, whether you're into recreational, technical, or rebreather diving.
Our dive center has experienced, German-speaking dive guides, rental gear that's always well-maintained, dive tanks, twinsets, stage cylinders, rebreather absorbent, and different gases. If you're experienced, you can even do technical dives up to 100 meters deep here without any special permits – how cool is that?
We offer two dives every day. We head out to the 30 different dive sites directly from the center using a pickup truck. Even the furthest spots are only about a 35-40 minute drive away. Between dives, you can chill out and grab lunch on the beach at one of the many cute little Bedouin restaurants before jumping back in for your next dive.
On top of that, the Blue Ocean Dive Center also arranges special boat trips from Sharm el Sheikh to awesome spots like the Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed, or the Strait of Tiran. We can also do boat trips to Dahab's southern reefs, as long as the weather plays along!
THE MOST FAMOUS DIVE SITES AROUND DAHAB
BLUE HOLE & BELLS
The Blue Hole is Dahab's most famous dive spot, and it's the furthest north you can get to by pickup truck.
The Blue Hole is this huge, oval, deep blue hole right in the reef top. It's about 35 meters across and plunges down to over 100 meters deep! The outside wall of the Blue Hole is covered in gorgeous corals, which is a big contrast to the inside, where there's hardly any growth.
Right here, a deep trench stretches along the shoreline. The sheer wall is absolutely covered in all sorts of corals, giving you a breathtaking view into an endless, deep blue abyss.
This spot actually gives you at least 3 different ways to dive it. If you enter the Blue Hole, you'll cross the reef top over a saddle at 6 meters deep. Then, you can dive along the sheer wall, keeping it either on your left or right side.
Just a bit further north of the Blue Hole, you'll find the entry point called Bells. After a short scramble past a big rock, you'll get to a little notch in the shore. When you dive down here, a U-shaped shaft opens up – it's open on one side, and this 'cascade' drops straight down to a depth of 27 meters. The whole descent is a truly unique and breathtaking experience!
CANYON & CORAL GARDEN
The Canyon is right up there with the Blue Hole as one of Dahab's most famous dive sites, and it's so diverse you'll want to dive it multiple times! You'll enter and exit through a lagoon that cuts through the reef top all the way to the shore. Once you're past the turquoise lagoon, you'll hit the gorgeous, deep blue open water. If you head northeast, you'll spot a deep crack in the reef plateau, which we think was probably caused by an earthquake.
The Canyon winds its way through the plateau, starting at about 12 meters deep at a hollow coral block called the "Fishbowl." The Fishbowl itself looks a bit like a small, igloo-shaped pizza oven with two bigger holes at its base. We suggest following the crack down to about 20 meters, then diving through a wide opening to get into (and out of) the Canyon. Once inside, you'll hit a depth of 30 meters with a sandy bottom.
Here, the Canyon opens up into a cave that you can dive through, heading upwards towards the Fishbowl before making your way back to the exit hole. Once you've left the Canyon, you'll spot a cool curtain of air bubbles rising from the rocks, bubbling their way up to the surface.
If you head southwest from the lagoon, you'll discover a super diverse coral garden.
You'll often spot a turtle popping up from behind the hard corals. Keep an eye out for scorpionfish and Pegasus fish here too! The reef plateau finishes with a sheer wall that's also really beautifully covered in marine life.
ISLANDS
The Islands dive site is definitely one of the prettiest spots to dive in Dahab.
Coral lovers will absolutely adore this spot! The dive site is a maze of corals. With an average depth of 5-10 meters and a maximum of 18-20 meters, it's perfect for a chill dive. It's easier to get in at high tide, as you'll need to walk about 50 meters across the sandy reef top. You can also enter and exit through a small tunnel that opens right onto the reef top or leads directly into the first sand pool. The coral maze separates four sand pools of different sizes from the fringing reef. From a bird's-eye view, the dive site looks like two islands snuggling together. In the coral labyrinth, divers often spot a big school of yellow-tailed barracudas, plus blue-spotted rays and those incredibly huge giant pufferfish are super common here.
PRICES SHEIKH ALI DAHAB RESORT & BLUE OCEAN DIVE CENTER
SHEIKH ALI DAHAB RESORT
BLUE OCEAN DIVE CENTER
BLUE OCEAN DIVE CENTER
Not Included:
- Flight Tickets & Visa
- Tips
- Dive & travel insurance
- Extra Transfers