Dahab Bay
This dive site is found directly in front of all the shops, restaurants and dive centres in Dahab. Depending on which dive centre you’re diving in will depend on your entry point. You can enter at any point. If you enter toward the Southern end, near the Police Station, take care of the surf that sometimes swells up due to windy conditions.
You’ll find Dahab Bay an excellent training area. If you’re inexperienced or are doing Open Water training, you’ll find the conditions here fantastic to learn in. It must be said though, even for the seasoned diver, there’s plenty to keep you busy!
Entry Points
You’ll find that most of the entry points are fairly rocky to begin with, so again be careful. A couple metres in and under, the rocky bottom becomes sandy and begins to slope down to plateau at around 6m. If you head north, which is the best option, you’ll find the bottom composition consists mainly of sea grass. The sea grass is a home to many small sea creatures. Keep a good look out for the various Pipefish that hide in and out of the blades of grass. The Pipefish are a close relative to the Seahorse. You’ll notice they have the same head, but a stretched out or elongated body. They vary in colour, from black, grey and speckled brown. They also vary in size, between 10 to 30 centimetres in length.
Another creature to look out for are the small, pale Pepper Morays. These Morays are minuscule in size, compared with the Giant Morays. They are usually a pale blue with small black dots spread across their head and body. They usually congregate in numbers and like areas where they can hide. So look out for them in coral heads or in the various tyres that are embedded in the sand.
As you move further North on the site, you’ll notice various boats moored to ropes which lead to the bottom. Take care not to become entangled in these ropes. At the bottom of these ropes you’ll find remnants of the coral reef and some wreckage, which house lots of smaller reef fish.
Swim through Hoops
Just further up from these ropes you’ll find a cleared sandy area with various triangular “hoops” tied to concrete blocks. These hoops have proven to be a great buoyancy training aid for the various courses undertaken in the bay. Have a bit of fun swimming through them if you find the urge to test your buoyancy!
Heading further North towards the Lighthouse Reef, you’ll come across two small steel containers at around 12m If you look in and around these containers, you’ll find large amounts of Lionfish. They’ve claimed these boxes as their home. Be cautious when approaching and don’t get too close.
If you continue following the sandy slopes you’ll find yourself on the Lighthouse Reef. Between the steel boxes and the Reef, you’ll find the slope become quite steep and very gravely, with almost no life to speak of. It lasts around 5 minutes until you reach the reef.
Sea Life
For an area not so abundant with coral life, Dahab Bay can offer you, surprisingly, with some fantastic marine life opportunities. Be on the look out for some large Red Fanged, or Blue Triggerfish, Bannerfish, Octopus, Turtles, Porcupine Fish, Giant Pufferfish, Scorpionfish and more!
Typically dives are done in a big loop. Which ever direction you decide to travel in, come back to your entry point to exit.
