Dahab packs an astonishing variety of diving into a short stretch of coast, most of it reachable straight from the shore. From gentle bay reefs perfect for a first open-water dive to the world-renowned Canyon and Blue Hole, there is a site here for every level. This page describes the main ones honestly — what each is like, roughly how deep, and crucially which level of diver each one suits, because matching the diver to the site is the heart of safe, enjoyable diving.
A quick guide to the headline sites and who each suits. We always match you honestly to a site within your level and the day's conditions.
| Site | Character | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| The Lighthouse | Gentle shore reef, easy entry | Beginners & training |
| The Islands | Coral gardens and sandy lagoons | All levels |
| The Canyon | Dramatic rock fissure, moderate depth | Certified, some experience |
| The Caves | Reef with shallow overhangs | Certified divers |
| The Blue Hole (rim & reef) | Famous reef around the rim | Certified; the deep arch is technical only |
| Bay house reefs | Easy, shallow, abundant life | Everyone, incl. snorkellers |
Dahab's two most famous sites are wonderful — and widely misunderstood. Here is the honest picture of both.
A dramatic fissure in the reef that you drop into and drift along, with shafts of light and a real sense of adventure. Dived sensibly at moderate depth it is a superb dive for a certified diver with a little experience — and our guides keep it well within safe limits rather than chasing depth for its own sake.
Famous, and famously misreported. The reef around the Blue Hole's rim is a gorgeous, perfectly safe dive that we happily take certified divers on. The deep "arch" that gives the site its notoriety is a technical dive far beyond recreational limits, and we do not take recreational divers near it — we dive the beautiful, safe part and leave the arch to the specialists.
The skill in guiding is not knowing the sites — it is matching the right site to the right diver on the right day. A nervous newly certified diver and a thousand-dive veteran should not be on the same dive, and a site that is delightful in calm conditions can be wrong when the wind gets up. Our guides choose the site for your level, your recent experience and the day's sea, and they will tell you honestly when a famous site is better saved for another day. That honest matching is exactly what keeps diving both safe and enjoyable, and it is the reason a local guide is worth so much more than a map.
It also means the sites grow with you. As a diver progresses through the courses, more of the sites open up — the moderate-depth Canyon after the open-water course, the deeper and more demanding dives after the advanced. We never rush that progression, because depth and difficulty earned too soon is how diving goes wrong. The safety thinking behind all of this is on the safety page, and certified divers can simply join the guided fun diving.
The reef parts, in time and within limits, yes — but not on a first dive. We build you up through the gentler sites first and take you to the famous ones when your certification and experience genuinely suit them. We never put a beginner somewhere unsafe to tick a box.
The deep arch has a grim reputation because technical divers have come to grief attempting it beyond their limits. The reef around the rim, which is what we dive, is a lovely and entirely safe recreational dive. We simply do not go near the arch, and nor should any recreational diver.
Most are — you walk in from the beach, which is part of what makes Dahab so relaxed. A few of the more distant sites involve a short jeep ride or boat trip, and we will tell you which when we plan your diving.
Tell us your level and the sites you dream of, and we will plan it safely.
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