Dive sites in Dahab Egypt: El Bells and the Blue Hole
August 18, 2017
I wrote about the Blue Hole before, but in this series of Dahab dive sites the infamous Blue Hole can’t be missing. The Blue Hole is located about thirty minutes from Dahab. At the main entry point there are some Bedouin type facilities where you can sit, relax and enjoy a meal. Ofcourse you can dive the Blue Hole pool, but my advice is to do a drift dive from El Bells to the Blue Hole.
A drift dive from El Bells to the Blue Hole is a classic dive with a stunning drop off at the start. Walking to the entrance point El Bells on a rocky shore line in full equipment can be quite a challenge. The entry can also be a little daunting, since there is only a small gap in the rock to enter the water. But you are rewarded with a spectacular descend! The entry point El Bells is a small crack in the reef table that continues under water till about 28 to 30 meters depth. It’s a bit like descending a chimney. The drop-off is completely vertical, and the underwater landscape is breathtaking. It’s so narrow that you can only enter and descend one person at a time. You will find corals to your left and right and nothing but blue in front of you. When your reach the maximum depth at around 30 meters, you turn to the right and follow a coral wall. Now you are in an amazingly blue world with magnificent sunrays playing in the water.
The reef wall is home to lots of clownfish anemones, but don’t forget to check the big blue every now and then for barracuda and possibly a shark. The drift dive will gradually become more shallow until you reach the beautiful coral saddle into the Blue Hole at about 7 meters depth. Now you are in the famous Blue Hole.
The Blue Hole is a submarine sinkhole, with a maximum depth within the hole of more than 100 meters. The site is almost a circular shape from 150 meters wide and 110 meters deep, connected with the open sea through a 26 meters long tunnel. The arch of tunnel starts at 45 meters. It is best to spend most of your time in the Blue Hole outside of the reef as the inside pool has hardly any coral. This is a nice place for your safety stop. Around the exit point you will see freedivers passing by on their way to a respectable depth. A drift dive from El Bells to the Blue Hole can be a quite energetic dive, so don’t forget to monitor you air consumption since surface finning is tiring due to strong currents.
The Blue Hole at Dahab is believed to be the most dangerous and deadliest dive site in the world. Ofcourse the Arch is a challenge. But since this dive is for tech divers only, the only real danger for recreational divers is divers overrating themselves. Scuba diving is a safe sport as long as you and your buddy stay within your personal limits.
