After 8 days of touring the Egyptian pyramids, we headed to Dahab to enjoy some scuba diving on the Red Sea. Our resort in Dahab, Dahab Paradise, was 95% occupied by our TravelTalk Tour Group and it was nice to have it to ourselves as we spent the afternoon by the pool. Dahab is a very chill relaxed town which was a great change of pace from the rest of Egypt. The strip in Dahab is full of great seafood restaurants and little shops. Amazingly, we weren’t hassled while shopping in Dahab like we were in the rest of Egypt. They just ask you if you need anything and maybe want to show you an item or two but aren’t pushy about it like in the rest of Egypt.
Dahab is a perfect place to unwind for a couple of days after the rigorous sightseeing schedule in the rest of Egypt. The scuba diving and snorkeling in Dahab is amazing which was the main purpose of my time there. The Red Sea is known to have some of the best scuba diving in the world.
I just received my Advanced Open Water Certification in Sharm El Sheikh a couple of weeks prior and was excited to explore more Red Sea dive sites. We we were set to do 2 dives during the day, The Canyon and the Famous Blue Hole. Both were located only about 15 minutes from our hotel and it was my first time to do shore diving. Shore diving is when you get your gear ready on land and walk straight into the ocean from the beach and descend from there.
We were told we would come across an Eel Garden during our dive which looked almost like little weeds growing out of the sand in one area. When we swam for a closer look, they all disappeared underneath the sand. The Canyon gets its’ name from a spot of coral that literally looks like a canyon underwater. We swam to the bottom of a narrow Canyon and laid on our backs looking to the surface. For a minute, you can have the illusion of being on land.
The most exciting part of the dive was at the very end. I was swimming along and heard a clicking sound that I thought might be one of the two divers trying to get my attention. When I turned around to look at them and they pointed above me so I start looking around and there were 3 dolphins swimming by us. I had been totally unaware that the dolphins were above my head! Luckily I saw them just in time! There were within 20 feet of me and I think they would have let us touch them. Luckily, I managed to get two good photos of them on my GoPro as well.
I had always wanted to go swimming with dolphins but had never imagined that I would get to swim with them in the wild. It will be very hard to ever top that dive! When went back to the PADI shop after my second dive, we told 2 of their junior instructors/interns about seeing the dolphins and they thought we were pulling their legs until we showed them the photos. The three of us felt even luckier knowing that it is a super rare to see dolphins on the Canyon dive.
Our second dive of the day was the Blue Hole. The Blue Hole is one of the most famous dive sites in the world. I may be in a minority but I didn’t love it. We put on our equipment and had to walk about the equivalent of 2 blocks to get to the site. With the heavy equipment on my back and uneven surfaces, it wasn’t a fun walk. You also walk directly past a memorial for all the people that have lost their lives in the Blue Hole. That isn’t exactly comforting to walk past before beginning your dive. Many people have died in the Blue Hole including many Free Divers trying to push their limit or scuba divers trying to do a very difficult deep dive within the Blue Hole.
The entrance into the Blue Hole is super crowded with divers and snorkelers. I was trying to put on my fins and got run over by some snorkelers which wasn’t a great start to my dive. The thing I didn’t like about the Blue Hole is that you descend 30 meters immediately. It takes me a minute to equalize my ears and I couldn’t descend nearly as fast as the scuba diver instructor that I was trying to keep up with. I didn’t like feeling rushed to descend. I should have gone under a short tunnel but since I was slow in descending I swam over it. The last guy in our group came down a solid minute after us which is what I should have done. He took his time to equalize and descend at a rate comfortable for him.
The Blue Hole in Dahab is best known for the topography rather then the sea life. I didn’t see nearly as many fish as I have on past dives. I did find it interesting to watch the free divers at the end of our dive. Free Divers dive without any breathing equipment and just hold their breath. It seemed like several of them were training to extend the amount of time they can hold their breath under water descending and ascending using a rope. My instructor told us that he can hold his breath for 6 minutes under water. That is not for me! I don’t want to have the sensation of not being able to breath under water and panicking when my lungs begin to burn. I will happily stick with scuba diving! Unfortunately my GoPro ran out of battery so I don’t have any photos to show from that dive. There was an option for a night dive but I skipped it so I could spend the rest of the day relaxing.
We went to dinner at a great seafood restaurant called Sharks. You get to pick out your own fresh fish, shrimp, or calamari. It was a wonderful meal and so much cheaper then what I would pay back home for a seafood meal.
If you are interested in hearing more about my TravelTalk Tour of Egypt, please read, part 1, part 2, and part 3.
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