El Shugarat is also known as little trees in Arabic, and you will see why. This dive is one you can only made by boat. The captain will drop you off right next to the reef. Descend down and swim along a beautiful reef wall until you come to a sandy bottom. On the deep side of the sandy bottom at around 16 m you will find an impressive open canyon. When you descend between the walls off the canyon, at around 30 m two big black corals will come into view on each side, take time to look for the long nose hawkfish. Exit the canyon to the left and you will swim in to a virtual forest of gorgonian fan corals. As you are flying over this amazing site you will see them scattered down the reef wall out of sight and into the deep. Unbelievable. As you slowly ascend while still soaring over this forest you will return back to the reef table then enter one of the most beautiful lagoons in Dahab. You can see giant table corals and all kinds of life in and around this lagoon. Once returned to the reef wall you see the last set of gorgonians and turning back into the lagoon in search for nudibranches, blue spotted rays, crocodile fish and many other species. On the end off the lagoon you reach the canyon so take time to throw a last look inside and to get ready for the safety stop.

Gabr el Bint ranks among one of the most attractive sites of North Sinai. With the access by boat, 4x4 or by camel, it is less frequently dived than the other dive sites in Dahab which has left this site in pristine condition. Gabr el Bint means 'The Grave of the Girl' in Arabic. There are two dives possible here. The right side, also known as the dark side, features a steep wall that drops down to about 60m cut by numerous chasms, sandy ravines and overhangs. The drop-off is adorned with healthy table corals. The left side is a far more colourful featuring a virtual forest of gorgonians. Usually drop down to about 20-25m swimming along massive boulders protruding from the drop-off which attracts dense shoals of anthias and glassfish. Keep a good eye on the blue where you will see trevallies hunting on the shoals of fusiliers. After about ten minutes you will find some of the healthiest gorgonian fan corals in the Red Sea. Here you start to ascend to about 10m and cross the saddle then start to head back along a sandy ledge which parallels to the shore. The ledge is riddled with exquisite coral heads that attract numerous reef species, including swarms of anthias, scorpionfish, parrotfish, crocodilefish, surgeonfish, triggerfish, trumpetfish, stingrays and very often a turtle. At the end of the ledge usually is home to a shoal of black and white snappers and twinspot snappers hang here between 5m and 10m. One of the truly breathtaking dives in Dahab.

Sha’ab Said is one of the most beautiful sites you will find in Dahab. It is located just north of Gabr el Bint, next to the small “Blue Hole” and it is reached by boat. When you arrive at Shaab Said you can spot the edge of the reef going north where it forms into two lagoons. The captain will drop you just in front of the first lagoon. Sha’ab Said is perfect for your third dive of the day as it is very shallow. You will do most of the dive at 15 m. Swim inside the first lagoon and enter into walls of stone coral like yellow pore coral (Porites Lutea), galaxy coral (Galaxea Fascicularis) and plate coral (Leptoseris Yabei) just to name a few! Keep swimming into the first lagoon over a small sandy bottom at around 17m. Swim out of the first lagoon you will be amazed, this site you can drift between big pinnacles and small caves and swim-throughs. Excellent buoyancy will be needed in this area, as you continue the dive in the shallow watch as the perfect light shines through the water resting on the soft and hard corals enhancing their color. When entering into the second lagoon you will find yourself in the middle of a school of snubnose rudderfish chasing each other and some black-and-white snappers. The corals keep on going and going into the distant blue, if you are lucky and have high tide the dive guide may take you for a brief look into the small blue hole. PARTICULARITY Boat trip: 55 minutes. This site is only dived by a few people among us, so if you have the chance you will be amazed at the condition of this reef.

UNDERWATER MUSEUM A unique diving attraction in the Lighthouse bay of Dahab, Egypt is the underwater museum. The statues in the bay include the Egyptian sun god Horus and the god of happiness, Bess. In addition there is an 800kg elephant made of recycled parts. February witnessed the latest addition to the museum: a statue to honor the Egyptian diver and holder of the world record of the deepest dive, Ahmed Gabr. Aiming to help in conservation of the Red Sea coral reefs through decreasing the pressure on them by creating alternative dive sites, each statue is unique in its own way. “The gallery consists of several artworks statues made by Egyptian hands and representing our culture,” said IDive founder Abdelrahman Elmekkawi. Additionally, the museum serves as a new home for coral reefs. With rising global temperatures and the damage of human activity, coral reefs worldwide are in danger. The divers hope to “plant” the sea, with every centimeter needing at least ten years for growth. The location of the museum is strategic, explains Elmekkawi. Scientists expect that in 70 years, most of the coral reefs all over the world will die, except those inhibiting the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf due to class C and D zooxanthellae temperature resistance (above 30 degrees). This makes the region a donor site for the regeneration all over the world seas The first phase of the museum placed three statues – a donkey-shaped table and two chairs – at the Magra Al Seil area. A year later, an additional three statues were located near the lighthouse: statues of the Gods Horus and Bess, and a life-size elephant sculpture, weighing almost a ton, constructed from metal junk by Mohamed and a student of his.

The beginning of the dive is a line of three coral-formed pools with sandy bottoms, after crossing the pools the dive is continued through a labyrinth of hard corals exiting from the north, the dive continues alongside two big coral islands with a maximum depth of 16 meters. By the outer side of the islands, you can make a small but nice drift dive along the current. There are always a group of small barracudas and napoleon fish in between the two islands. The exit point is a small 2 meter deep tunnel where you can find a couple of lion fish relaxing inside. This dive is special because of the day long sun shine and reflection of light, so when divers talk about “divers heaven” this is it.

Dive Site: Lighthouse Location: Dahab, 28°29.944N; 34°31.182E Description: Reef / shore / night dive Depth: 15 metres (50 feet) - 35 metres max (115 feet) Visibility: 15 - 30 metres (50 - 100 feet) Rating: **** The Lighthouse is so called as it is located near Dahab's lighthouse. Entrance is from the busy beach area, so it is important that you stow your belongings away rather then leaving them on the shore during your dive. On entrance look out for the frogfish located within the rope for the swimming area, they are always found in this location apparently! The dive site follows the reef round, with pinnacles and reefs providing a good variety of life, we found a large octopus, morays, red sea walkman, crocodile fish and the usual assortment of fishies. It also makes a nice shore dive at night. Very peaceful and quiet reef with all the beautiful reds that you don't see during the day. Fish out hunting included lionfish, squirrelfish and octopus and there were lots of fans and urchins. The last five minutes of the dive was done without torches to see the phosphorescence. We dived in full suits to avoid any scratches and stings from the unseen!

NIGHT DIVE at the Lighthouse! Spectacular. Giant Spanish Dancer!

The Dahab Canyon is the classic canyon, an essential dive for all fanatics of caves and cavern diving. The Canyon is itself quite a phenomenon. Up to 10 meters high and virtually closed over at the top, it snakes its way up from the depths, to emerge in a large glassfish filled coral dome. The Canyon dive site offers an easy entry and exit point through a shallow, sandy lagoon. This leads out to beautiful coral gardens inhabited by Butterflyfishes, Unicornfishes, Octopus, Pufferfish and of course Red Sea Anthias, which can only be fully explored after several visits. The Canyon itself is positioned about five minutes north-east from the exit of the lagoon. The entry to the Canyon is done through it largest point at about 20 meters. The progression through the Canyon is easy and the light effect caused by the sun rays is fantastic.

The entry to the Caves is a giant stride off the ledge and into the deep blue. The cave is directly below the ledge with the reefs both on the left and right - soft and hard corals being abundant. Enter the cave and swim to the back then turn and watch the light shine through the swarms of anthias and bannerfish swimming upside down on the ceiling of the cave, a perfect spot for your safety stop!