General Information
Dahab (meaning ‘Gold’) lies just over 50 miles from Sharm el Sheikh in the Sinai. In contrast to it’s more impersonal neighbour of Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab offers friendly shops and restaurants and has a relaxed atmosphere. Dahab is divided into two main areas; Assalah, the former Bedouin village with it’s 1km long beach and the new Dahab City where the resort hotels and amenities can be found.
Who it suits
The main attraction of Dahab is its diving, most notably its most well known site, the Blue Hole. It is also popular with windsurfers and kite boarders and in more recent times, it is becoming popular with free divers. Originally, Dahab was a backpackers destination in the 1980s but the resort has grown (albeit more slowly that places like Sharm) and now welcomes a wider range of tourists.
Getting There & Around
International visitors to Dahab generally fly to Sharm el Sheikh and from there take the bus or a transfer arranged by their holiday company or hotel. Alternatively, the airport at Taba (to the north) is between 2-3 hours away as is the Israeli resort of Eilat which lies just across the border from Taba. The bus station is located in Dahab City with connections to Sharm (1 hour), Nuweiba (1 hour), Taba (2.5 hours) and Cairo (10 hours).
Map
Climate
The Dahab weather is warm all year round with rainfall practically unheard of. The reliable breeze in Dahab creates perfect conditions for water sports. The average daily temperatures in Celcius:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 21 21 24 28 30 32 36 36 32 29 28 22
Diving
Dahab is an ideal destination for those who like to get away from the crowds and enjoy shore diving. It boasts some of the region’s most pristine reefs as well as the legendary Blue Hole dive site. The ‘shwia shwia’ (slowly slowly) approach to life in Dahab makes it a favourite for divers who want to get away from it all and relax. Diving conditions are ideal for those want to learn to dive, further courses or recreational divers. Some of the shore dives are accessible by 4WD vehicles or even by camel (yes, that’s right, by camel).
Blue Hole and Canyon
The two highlights of diving at Dahab are the Blue Hole and Canyon. The Blue Hole is a wonderful site providing divers a site to play safe. It is essentially a 50m hole in the reef which plunges 180m. There is an archway at around 60m but that is only accessible for trained technical divers. The real attraction of the reef is on the outer reef where there is a huge variety of hard coral and marine life. The Canyon is a long cavern under the seabed which is a must for divers who love caves.
WARNING – THE BLUE HOLE
Dahab’s most infamous dive site is the Blue Hole, 107 meters deep with an arch opening onto the reef face at 58 meters. This site regularly kills inexperienced and experienced divers foolish enough to risk it. In truth, a shockingly high number of instructors and divemasters have met their fate in the Blue Hole, even many who had successfully passed the arch dozens of times. Should you be interested in attempting this dive you MUST go through technical dive training and visit the Blue Hole on the correct gases. Diving this site on air alone is near suicidal, so even if a very experienced person offers to take you through, do not at any price do this unless you have technical training and are using it.
Kindly provided by Rob Atherton
http://www.redsea.explorertravel.co.uk
I love Dahab, the diving is great and the atmosphere relaxed. Not as touristy so has more charm than Sharm..!
At only a 40 min taxi ride it is well worth considering.
Going to Dahab in 49 days really looking forward to diving there especially the bells, Blue hole and Canyon