The conventional method of drift diving involves divers descending along a reef before propelling themselves into a swift current that takes over most the work – carrying divers along the face of the reef to observe wildlife without doing so much as a fin kick.
In Dahab, describing our currents as mild is often an exaggeration; but that doesn’t mean we don’t have our own unique drift sites that allow divers to glide at a slower, less heart-pumping pace. Instead of whizzing past what may have been two mating octopuses and unable to turn back to investigate, our drift sites let divers stop to take it all in – even if it means having to do a fin kick or two.
In no particular order, we rounded up a few of our favorites (including some off-the-beaten path goodies) that are worth adding to your Dahab bucket list.
1. Golden Blocks to Moray Garden Drift Dive
Located 12 minutes south of Dahab, the site of Golden Blocks starts with an easy shore entry. Divers descend along a gentle slope leading to a mix of coral gardens and sandy alleyways. Where divers go next depends on the dive plan and diver levels as there are multiple profiles ranging from 1 – 40m+. This drift dive can be done several times without repeating the exact same route.
Highlights Include
- the actual Golden Blocks: 2 coral-rich pinnacles stretching from the surface down to 10m and swirling with various fish species including massive schools of golden anthias (which is how it got its name)
- Dahab’s only shipwreck – a paddleboat at 20m!
- a small canyon holding an outcrop of beautiful corals
- stunning gorgonian fan at the mouth of a small cave
- coral heads dot the shallow areas throughout Moray Garden where hiding rays, groupers, moray eels, nudibranchs, octopuses, stonefish, glassfish, and more await
Larger marine life such as Napoleons, turtles, dolphins and even the rare manta ray and whale shark have been spotted along this route.
Recommended for: all levels as the conditions are calm and it offers interesting routes for Open Water, Advanced, and Deep certified divers as well as divers on double tanks looking for longer dives.
2. Eel Garden to Lighthouse Drift Dive
Lighthouse is the gateway site to diving in Dahab. If you’ve done any training or diving in Dahab, this was most likely your first port of call. It’s the most frequented dive site in Dahab, seeing more divers than even the famous Blue Hole!
When diving the Lighthouse reef, divers often follow the reef to the left, stopping to turn back once they hit the first large sandy patch – having no idea that across that sandy slope, the coral wall continues stretching all the way to Eel Garden. Something similar can be said when diving Eel Garden where divers often head left without even seeing the reef along the righthand side.
The drift dive from Eel Garden to Lighthouse bridges the right side of Eel Garden with the left side of Lighthouse, allowing divers to see the coral wall in its entirety.
This site isn’t for the faint of heart as the dive usually takes 80 – 90 minutes and includes a tricky entrance and occasional shifting currents. Exceptional air consumption is a must. Once you reach a certain point, it’s not possible to turn back and there is nowhere to exit along the route until you reach Lighthouse.
This dive is dependent on the right weather conditions as high tide and low wind is required.
Recommended for: the shallow nature of this dive opens it up to experienced Open Water certified divers. With proper planning it is possible to undertake this dive on a single tank, however it’s more suitable for no deco doubles divers, two-tank Sidemount certified divers, and CCR divers (though please note entry can be trickier with bulkier equipment).
FUN FACT: You don’t have to be a Tec diver to dive with double tanks. Recreational divers can dive on doubles within normal Rec limits too with a 1-day Doubles Primer. Diving with doubles allows for extended dives (like this one) and unlocks several new sites and options to explore!
3. Bells to Blue Hole Drift Dive
Does this site even need an introduction?
The Bells to Blue Hole drift dive is nothing short of iconic – offering a dramatic 30m descent down a tunnel-like crack in the reef plate where divers emerge to face nothing but the open blue in front of them. Hanging a right, divers drift along the seemingly bottomless reef wall, marveling at the craggy overhangs where fish curiously hang upside down. The world’s cheapest dental practice lies halfway along the dive where our two resident Blue Cleaner Wrasse wait to clean the teeth of any diver brave enough to let them.
Can’t tell if we’re joking? Our Reservations Manager caught her last appointment on video.
The dive ends by crossing over a coral-laden saddle at 7m and entering the world-famous Blue Hole where divers complete their safety stop while watching freedivers disappear into the 100m abyss below. Is it any reason this is Dahab’s number one most requested dive?
Recommended for: a minimum of Advanced Open Water certificate is required. Divers can dive this site during their Advanced Course as the Drift Adventure Dive.
4. Rick’s Reef Drift Dive
Located a few hundred meters north of the Canyon, this drift dive is often overlooked as divers flock to, well, the Canyon. It’s common for divers to pair the Canyon dive with a trip to the Blue Hole which is only a further 10 minutes north. However if time allows, we recommend spending 1 full day exploring the Canyon area which is home to 3 dive sites – the Canyon, Canyon Gardens, and Rick’s Reef – and saving the Blue Hole for another day.
Rick’s Reef is entered via a small opening in the reef table and divers head south towards the Canyon, exploring all the corals along the base of the reef wall along the way. About 40 minutes in, divers reach the highlight of the Rick’s Reef drift dive – the Fish Bowl. Long ago, the Fish Bowl was the exit point of the Canyon. Overtime it gradually closed up as it became overtaken with breathtaking corals and is now inhabited by a plethora of fish and marine life in what is now one of the most beautiful coral heads in Dahab.
Recommended for: the most beautiful parts of this dive are above 18m, making it the perfect beginner drift dive for Open Water divers.
INSIDER TIP: You don’t have to be an Advanced Diver to dive all 3 sites in the Canyon area. All sites are suitable to Open Water divers. While OW divers can’t descend down into the Canyon, diving over the crack and watching from above as the bubbles ascend from the canyon is one of the most underrated dive profiles.
5. Bannerfish Bay to Mashraba Drift Dive
We couldn’t forget about our macro photographers on this drift list. We mentioned in a previous post that Mashraba is the closest thing Dahab has to muck diving. Starting in Bannerfish Bay and finishing at the Mashraba bridge allows for maximum sightings of the tiniest of marine creatures.
The dive is rife with broken coral heads, sandy patches, and miles of seagrass to comb through as photographers seek out small shrimps, crabs, nudibranchs, seahorses, ghost pipefish, juvenile fish, seamoths, blennies, and the elusive frogfish.
The only problem is there are so many underwater treasures that you may realize 40 minutes into the dive you’ve barely made it 100 meters (it’s me, hi. I’m the problem it’s me). Luckily there are multiple exit points along the way.
Recommended for: this area offers calm conditions, perfect for photographers and Open Water level divers. It’s also great for those on doubles/two-tank Sidemount dives as well as those wishing to gain experience hours on CCR.
BONUS SITES
We had so much fun putting this drift list together that we decided to add two bonus sites! Both are further afield and only accessible via day boat trips.
The Rocks, Abu Galum: sometimes referred to as Triggerfish Alley, this is a local favorite. Most itineraries at Abu Galum include AG North and South dive sites. But if you’re lucky and have the perfect storm of good timing, group allowance, and ideal weather conditions – The Rocks could be an option for your second dive. The Rocks is known for its pristine coral heads and hundreds of Bluetooth Triggerfish found either swaying in the current or seemingly asleep among the rocky outcrops. The dive involves a descent down past 22m and is only suitable for Advanced level divers.
Sha’ab Said, Gabr el Bint: another little-known local secret that heavily relies on timing and impeccable weather conditions is Sha’ab Said. Lying north of Gabr el Bint, the boat drops you off to drift and weave between large coral pinnacles, small caves, swim-throughs, and two shallow lagoons teeming with life. This is arguably the best preserved site in Dahab (along with El Shugarat – another bonus site at Gabr el Bint know for its fields of fan corals that are rife with camouflaged long-nose hawkfish).
While the dive is shallow with a maximum depth of around 15m and therefore suitable for Open Water divers, experience and strong buoyancy skills is a must. This site is often described as The Islands on steroids and we couldn’t agree more.
That completes our personal drift list of Dahab’s best drift diving sites – we love sharing our local knowledge to help shed light on everything Dahab diving has to offer. We hope to see you underwater soon!