Read about our experiences with snorkeling at one of the world's deadliest dive sites... Come with us to the enchanting bedouin village, Dahab on the Sinai Peninsula

Egypt is much more than Cairo, pyramids, camels, and temples

For example, there is this place on the Sinai Peninsula where you can lean back on Arab-style cushions in Bedouin-like tents fit for a sultan…

It’s the place where, after enjoying a refreshing banana lassi, you gaze out over the turquoise sea, contemplating when you should dive in next with snorkel and fins.

Dahab is also the place where the cyclamen-colored Sinai Mountains light up the horizon, causing stars and the moon to twinkle and illuminate like tales from Arabian Nights…

I discovered this when Peter took me to Dahab in 2004.

Our trip, that led us to Dahab

We had been traveling around Egypt for a while.

We had experienced bustling Cairo, seen the Pyramids and the vast desert.

In the port city of Alexandria, we witnessed a different and vibrant Egypt and sailed in a felucca on the Nile.

Our journey continued west towards Marsa Matruh, where we fell ill after eating vegetables washed in local water.

With illness still lingering in our bodies, we took a bus heading south, into the desert, to the desert city of Siwa Oasis. There, we embraced the dry, scorching desert air, using wet towels as pillows to prevent ourselves from melting in the nighttime heat.

We were completely exhausted when we returned to Cairo’s bus station, so we decided to take a flight to Sharm el-Sheikh.

From Sharm el-Sheikh, we took a bus to Dahab, where we melted away on the city’s beaches and restaurants that extended with their Arabic cushions right to the water’s edge.

Cosy restaurant, Dahab
Cosy restaurant, Dahab
Children bathing, Dahab
Children bathing, Dahab

With fins and a diving mask, we ventured out over the reef, which was only knee-deep. At the edge of the reef, we let ourselves tumble over the edge into the crystal-clear cyan-blue water, about 10 meters deep.

Despite my lifelong “fish phobia,” I once again found myself overwhelmed by this serene world, teeming with life, corals, and fish in the most vibrant colors and formations.

We snorkeled every day, interrupted only by banana lassis and pancakes on the Bedouin cushions, card games, and conversations with the local waiters.

Our bodies and minds quickly adapted to Dahab’s rhythm of indulgence in life and seclusion behind Sinai’s red mountains.

Peter in restaurant, Dahab
Peter in restaurant, Dahab
Peter and Lise, Dahab
Peter and Lise, Dahab

Blue Hole

A little north of Dahab, there is a small lagoon-shaped beach. Off this beach lies the divers’ paradise Blue Hole. A 94-meter deep sinkhole, right off the beach and the reef. We went there with snorkels and fins.

Dahab - Blue Hole

We snorkelled in the grand breathtaking hole, so deep that it made us dizzy. The current was strong, and it was not without some concern – The Blue Hole is described as “The deadliest dive site in the world.” Many divers have lost their lives here.

Today, I actually don’t understand how I dared, but I believe overcoming my “fish phobia” gave me courage, while still maintaining a certain alertness – a good combination in that situation.

The Blue Hole was an adventure I look back on with a certain pride, and also a knot in my stomach. I did it.

See you later, Dahab

After a week in the enchanting Dahab, we had to turn back towards Cairo. We had a flight to catch.

With snorkel gear in our backpacks, we boarded the bus to head back to Sharm el-Sheikh.

I shed a small tear… it had been an amazing week of tranquility and plenty of adventures.

See you again, Dahab.

 

 Quick facts about Dahab

Dahab is a small town located on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula. It was previously a fishing village for the Bedouins. It is one of Egypt’s top diving areas due to the reef that lies just off the shores of the Red Sea. Today, it is a popular destination for divers and tourists.

To reach Dahab, you can fly to Sharm el-Sheikh and then take a bus to get there.

  Dahab, Egypt