Dahab, Egypt - a diver’s paradise

Dahab, a lazy town on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, used to be booming. Hotels and restaurants jostled for position with dive shops - so many dive shops - all capitalising on the extraordinary marine environment that this part of the Red Sea has to offer. But now, as I walked the pedestrian street all along the bay, derelict buildings sit embarrassedly between shiny resorts. Construction sites are frozen in time. Direct flights from many European countries were halted following a so-called uprising in 2011, so it was with some caution that I researched my trip. I had firsthand recommendations and my googling hadn’t led to anything that ruled out my plans. A sense of adventure plus the draw of diving meant that I made Dahab the central part of my Middle East trip.

It’s possible to exist in Dahab without ever seeing a car. My first few days involved walking the 50m between my room at the fantastic Red Sea Relax Resort, their dive centre and the ocean. When I did see a motor vehicle it was a truck to take us and our scuba gear to the famous Canyon and Blue Hole dive sites which are only a short ride away. The vibe of this place is so relaxed! The idea of it being in anyway dangerous is hard to believe - I could stay forever.


The main reason I enjoyed my stay so much was the amazing service at the resort and the incredible experience with the dive centre. I have genuinely never seen a dive centre so organised. There are numbered lockers for those diving multiple days, special racks for masks and wetsuits and a dedicated classroom with tv and aircon. Course director and manager Jordan fosters the perfect environment. Every one of the staff are friendly, helpful, inclusive and laidback. But when it comes to scuba, the highest level of professionalism is maintained. Walid my instructor was demanding, encouraging and supportive, and knows all the sites as if they were is own house. I very quickly felt like part of the team and not simply a client to please or student to push through exams, which I’ve experienced elsewhere. Check out their Facebook page for some underwater pictures too.

Similarly, Said and the other staff at the hotel answered every question I had, whilst being friendly and generous. Diving in Dahab is incredibly good value, almost all the sites are shore dives, not boat dives, and the wealth of competition keeps prices low and standards high. You only have to stick your head underwater to meet some of the fishier residents. Red Sea Relax offer a great deal for backpackers - you can stay in the dorm for free for every day that you dive and it’s only €7 for days you aren’t diving. Dahab’s Blue Hole is famous for all the right and wrong reasons - but my dive there is one of the highlights of my scuba career.

Selfishly, I don’t want the direct flights to start again. I want to keep Dahab for myself - chilled and slow paced, with new friends waiting to be met and dive sites waiting to be discovered. I’ll be back soon to explore the underwater world and relax in a trendy cafe.

Getting there: you can fly via several destinations including Istanbul, to Sharm al sheik which is an hour or so taxi or bus ride away. Or coming from Jordan, you can arrive to Nuweiba on the ferry. See here for more information about that.