Dahab

Dahab is a delightful Egyptian resort town on the Gulf of Aqaba, that, along with Sharm el Sheik, is renoun for its coral reefs and dive centers. It is preferrable to Sharm-el-Sheik for snorkelers because the coral reefs are accessible from shore, making snorkeling much easier. However it is not as upscale as Sharm. Dive centers abound here and in Sharm that will take the intrepid farther offshore and to deeper and more splendid coral. Sharm is only 60 kilometers away, and busses run regularily between the two towns.

The Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez, are the two bodies of water off the Red Sea that frame the Sinai Peninsula. From your beach lounge chair you can look across the gulf and see Saudi Arabia. At this point the Gulf of Aqaba is not very wide.

Most hotels are along the shoreline, so Dahab spreads out along the Gulf , but only a few blocks inland. The mountains come close to the sea here and one of the activities available is to rent an open, 4-wheel- dune buggy and go for an excursion into the canyons nearby. There is a well known blue hole here in Dahab that is a must see on everyone's snorkel/dive list. This picture may not give you much of an impression, but when you are in the water, snorkeling over the hole, it is very impressive. You can see the difference in color in the picture. The darker blue is the hole.

This hole is heavily dived because of its close proximity and easy access from shore. Th best time to snorkel/dive here is in the early morning before the hords of dive tourists arrive. I came here about 9:00 a.m. There were a few others, but by noon it was chock-a-block with swimmers andI had to be careful because not everyone is as good a swimmer as I. They did not look where they were going and ran into people. So I left just after the crowds ascended transported from the various resorts.

A blue hole, as I understand it, is a more or less circular area with steep sheer sides that could extend down hundreds of feet. The coral growing/ clinging to the sides and the fish and other acquatic life is spectacular to see. It is much like diving--in my case snorkeling--in an open acquarium. I only swam over the top of the hole, but I could see divers below me and their bubbles would ascend.

I didn't have an underwater camera so I borrowed these pictures from the internet to show you how impressive the coral and fish are. This is just like what I saw as I snorkeled around the blue hole and another area called Eel gardens. Yes, I did see some eels.

The entire area is showing signs of stress on the coral reefs. I think Egypt is in the process of trying to do something to protect these reefs, but is moving slowly. To this end just offshore from Sharm there is an underwater national park recently established. The dive community is very concerned about the abuses to the coral by some tourist groups and is attempting to self-regulate so as to protect their livelihood.

This entire coast is world famous for its diving and attracts millions of tourists. All that activity has to take a toll on the environment. Never the less, it was a wonderful way to spend a long weekend and I am glad I found the place. Next time I plan to stay longer--whenever that might be??!