When snorkeling in Dahab, you are guaranteed to have a memorable experience. From the infamous Blue Hole to the abundant coral reefs and marine life of their many shore dives, Dahab snorkeling sites really have it all.
In this guide, we will introduce to you ten of the best snorkel sites in and around Dahab, outlining where they are, how to get there and what to expect from them. Additionally, we will share with you some advice that we wish we would have known before snorkeling in Dahab for the first time. This is a beginner’s guid to Dahab snorkeling.
Key Takeaways
- Dahab offers many accessible snorkeling spots with vibrant marine life and coral reefs, suitable for both beginners and experienced snorkelers.
- The best time to visit for snorkeling is during spring and autumn when water and air temperatures are ideal.
- Visitors can rent snorkeling gear easily and affordably in Dahab, and taking guided tours or boat trips can enhance the experience.
- Safety tips include snorkeling with a partner, checking weather and water conditions, avoiding touching coral, and considering life vests if not strong swimmers.
- Key Takeaways
- 5 Things to Know Before You Start Snorkeling in Dahab
- The Best Snorkeling Spots In and Around Dahab
- The Bottom Line
- Frequently Asked Questions
5 Things to Know Before You Start Snorkeling in Dahab
Plan your snorkeling trip to Dahab the right way and save a lot of time, money and troubles along the way. These are some pieces of advice that we wish we would have known before coming to Dahab for the first time. So, without further ado, here are five things to know before your snorkeling trip to Dahab:
- When to Visit Dahab: While snorkeling spots in and around Dahab are accessible year-round, the conditions, as in water and air temperatures, are best in spring and fall. If you’d rather avoid the masses, consider heading to Dahab in summer or winter. For more advice on diving seasons in the Red Sea, check out our in-depth guide.
- How to Get to Dahab: For the easiest transfer to Dahab, book a flight to Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport and book a Dahab bus transfer from there. For Dahab transfers, join one of Dahab’s Facebook group, where these offers regularly appear. For faster or cheaper transfer options, check out our full-length Sharm El-Sheikh to Dahab transportation guide.
- Where to Stay in Dahab: In Dahab, most visitors stay in local hostels or apartments. For a short stay, we recommend staying in one of the town’s lively hostels such as Rafiki Hostel. If you plan to stay longer, you should consider apartment hunting in Dahab. Short-term and long-term rentals in Dahab are usually done without contracts and after checking out the place yourself.
- Where to Buy Snorkeling Equipment: If you are lacking the bag space to bring your snorkeling equipment to Dahab, don’t worry about it. In Dahab, you can find many dive and snorkeling shops selling all the equipment you might need. Some of them even rent out equipment for the day, the perfect option for those traveling light.
- How to Snorkel Safely: When snorkeling, make sure to always snorkel with a partner. Also, make sure to check weather conditions, waves and currents before snorkeling and avoid entering the sea, if you are not fully confident in the conditions. Do not step on any coral when snorkeling near the shore and avoid touching any marine life.
The Best Snorkeling Spots In and Around Dahab
When it comes to snorkeling spots, Dahab is a real paradise. Not only can you find plenty of snorkeling spots in and around Dahab, but they’re also easily accessible from the shore. These are nine of the snorkeling spots in Dahab starting with Gabr El-Bint in the South and ending with the Blue Lagoon in the North:
Gabr El-Bint
Some 20 kilometers south of Dahab, your first snorkeling spot awaits: Gabr El-Bint. As it is one of the furthest snorkeling sits from Dahab, most divers opt for a 50-minute boat ride to access it. However, it is also possible to enter the snorkeling spot from the shore, as it is also accessible by 4×4 or camel.
At Gabr El-Bint, you will encounter excellent snorkeling and diving conditions, considering that it is one of the lesser frequented diving sites of the area. The snorkeling area of Gabr El-Bint is a mix of reef diving and wall diving, the characteristic mix of many of Dahab’s snorkeling spots. This spot is known for its corals and abundant species of reef fish.
Three Pools
Just south of Wadi Gnai and the Happy Life Village, the Three Pools snorkeling area is just a short taxi ride away from Dahab’s center. While this makes it very accessible, it also means that the spot can get quite full in high season, especially since it’s regular frequented by camels, horses and quad bikes. At least, nearby cafés and restaurant also mean that you will have a bite to eat within arm’s reach after your dive.
Three Pools owes its name to its three sandy underwater pools that are connected to each other by extensive coral saddles. Besides the outstanding corals and marine life with in the coral garden such as clownfish and moray eels, Three Pools is said to be one of the better areas to spot turtles.
Napoleon Reef
Located some 500 meters off the shores of Laguna Beach, the Napoleon Reef is one of the few snorkeling sites in Dahab that are not at all accessible from the shore. But believe us when we tell you that this dive site is absolutely worth booking a boat ride for.
Despite being almost 500 meters from the coast, The Napoleon Reef in Dahab is comparatively shallows with depths from just 5 meters up to 30 meters, thank to a so-called ‘spit’ that juts out from the coast. At the Napoleon Reef, you will find excellent conditions for drift diving and reef diving and get the chance to see plenty of reef fish, among them turtles stingrays and eagle rays.
Islands
Heading past Laguna Beach and closer towards Dahab’s center, the Islands dive site is one of our personal favourites in Dahab. While it is a lot closer to Dahab than Three Pools, the Islands dive site is a lot calmer and less frequented. Without the Dahabian sprawl of Bedouin tents and tea vendors, this snorkelling spot is quire serene, which is perfect, because this spot is one to spend more time at.
Named after a collection of underwater islands, the Islands dive site is the perfect destination for a prolonged snorkel session. Snorkelers can easily enter the snorkeling spot from the beach – just be sure not to step on any corals. After a minute or two of traversing the shallows close to shore, the depth drops to about 10 meters. From there, the dive site opens up into an extensive coral maze that is not only great from some relaxed exploring, but also a great spot for underwater photographers. If you are lucky, you will even spot sea turtles here.
Lighthouse Reef
Quite possibly the most frequented dive site in Dahab, the Lighthouse Reef is a must-do for any snorkeler or diver in Dahab. With one of the easiest entrances from Dahab’s sandy beach, the Lighthouse Reef also provides favourable conditions without strong wind or currents.
At the Lighthouse Reef, you can find a mix a wall diving and reef diving. As you enter from the beach, you turn to the left, following a steep drop off that is full of coral formations and marine life. While scuba divers head out further from shore from here, the best route for snorkelers wraps around the furthest corner of the Lighthouse Reef that brings you right into an extensive coral garden. It is here that I spotted my first dolphin when diving in Dahab.
Eel Garden
Heading further north from the most central of all Dahab snorkeling sites, we arrive to the so-called Eel Garden. Easily spotted by the many restaurants and cafés along the shore that have happily adopted the name of the snorkeling spot, the Eel Garden is provides quite the stark contrast to the dive sites introduced up until now.
While other dive sites excite with vibrant marine life, extensive coral reefs, heck, even sea turtles, Eel Garden’s main attraction are its garden eels. Garden eel are a peculiar type of eel that live in burrows on the sea floor, sticking out its head to feed on plankton. As you enter the Eel Garden dive site, you first traverse a channel and a coral reef, before heading out onto a sandy slope where you will find the garden eel at a depth of about 10 meters.
Canyon
As we cross through Assalah and finally leave Dahab again, we find the next noteworthy dive site just north off the town limits. The canyon dive site is accessible to snorkelers and divers of intermediate and high levels, offering two different experiences.
As a snorkeler, you can enjoy some wall diving along a beautiful coral garden that once again leads you to an eel garden at a depth of about 15 to 20 meters. As a scuba diver, you can head out a lot further into the so-called canyon, a long underwater cave with a narrow entrance at the top. At the Canyon dive site, you can spot unique species of fish and enjoy very high visibility for a cave dive.
Blue Hole
Without a debate, the Blue Hole of Dahab is the most famous, or infamous, snorkeling and diving site in all of Dahab. Located just 10 kilometres north of Dahab, the Blue Hole has risen to fame for its unique geography and history. For one, the Blue Hole is impressive in itself, a giant submarine sinkhole that is up to 100 meters deep. But also, it has made a name for itself as a rather dangerous dive site, owing to the many lives that were lost by scuba divers and free divers challenging the hole’s more technical parts such as The Arch.
Despite the claims of it being a dangerous dive site, the Dahab Blue Hole can be snorkeled and dived without any problems. Being located very close to the shore, the entrance to the Blue Hole is either made at the Blue Hole itself or from El Bells a few hundred meters to the north. For snorkelers, swimming along the coral-rich edges of the Blue Hole is a truly unforgettable experience and a great introduction into one of the world’s most famous dive sites.
Ras Abu Galum
If you are considering heading on a multiple-day snorkeling trip north of Dahab, Ras Abu Galum has to make your list. Reached from Dahab or the Blue Hole by boat, foot or camel, Ras Abu Galum not only offers world-class snorkeling conditions, but also a number of huts that allow for overnight stay right on thee coast of the serene Sinai Peninsula.
When it comes to snorkeling, Ras Abu Galum offers a variety of beach diving and reef diving with some visual contrasts to earlier snorkeling sites in the form coral towers and an area with porites. Apart from large schools of reef fish, you will, once again, have good chances to catch sight of a sea turtle here. With an average depth of 15 to 20 meters, however, Ras Abu Galum is better done with scuba diving equipment.
Blue Lagoon
At the end of our metaphorical trip north along the shores of the Red Sea, we arrive at the Blue Lagoon, a true hidden gem in our eyes. Located some 20 kilometers from Dahab, the Blue Lagoon is either accessed from the sea on a boat or from land by foot or camel. In the lagoon itself, you can find a few quiet camps and windsurfing schools. At night, these lean against a stunning backdrop a stars you will rarely find in other places in the world.
While we mostly love the Blue Lagoon for its peaceful atmosphere and lack of signal, it is also a good spot for snorkelling, so don’t forget to pack your snorkel before heading there. While the Blue Lagoon itself is void of corals, the actual shoreline counts with the characteristic drop-offs that we know and love from other Dahab snorkeling spots.
Just a word of caution: The current at the Blue Lagoon can be a lot stronger and the marine life is not as lush as in other places. Also, when we snorkeled at the Blue Lagoon, we encountered a lot more sea urchins than we would have wished to.
The Bottom Line
These 10 snorkeling spots described above are by far not the only snorkeling areas in and around Dahab. Some areas that we didn’t mention in this article are Abu Helal, Caves, Um Sid and Moray Gardens. To learn more about the lesser know snorkeling spots of Dahab, we recommend checking out the information over at PADI’s website.
In any case, one thing is for sure. Dahab offers world-class snorkeling opportunities that you simply cannot miss out on. So we urge you to pack your snorkel and mask and finally make your way to Dahab. It will be worth it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dahab good for snorkeling?
Yes, Dahab is a great destination for snorkeling. Not only does have great coral reefs and abundant marine life, but most snorkeling areas are also easily accessible by foot, making them particularly convenient for snorkelers.
Where is the best place to snorkel in Egypt?
The Sinai Peninsula is a great destination for snorkelling, above all the small Bedouin town of Dahab. Dahab is a local hub of snorkeling, scuba diving and free diving and offers plenty of snorkeling opportunities right off the coast.
Is snorkeling the Blue Hole worth it?
Yes, snorkeling the Blue Hole is worth it. While it is wildly popular for scuba diving, it is also a great area to snorkel at. Snorkelers can swim around the edges of the Blue Hole and get familiar with the Blue Hole before scuba diving there.
What’s so special about Dahab?
Dahab has gained a lot of popularity among divers, backpackers and digital nomads for its great outdoor activities, vibrant town culture and laid-back vibes. In recent years it has attracted more and moire tourist, many of them staying weeks or months at a time.
Wadi Tribe 