Blue Hole
A hundred-and-thirty-metre underwater shaft that opens three metres from the shore.
Duration
2 hrs – 4 hrs
Best time
Early morning
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
The Blue Hole is an underwater shaft a hundred and thirty metres deep, separated from the open sea by a coral saddle. Six metres below the surface opens the Arch, a twenty-six-metre tunnel emerging at fifty-six metres on the outer wall.
That passage has killed: several dozen divers have died there, making it one of the deadliest sites in the world, and a memorial plaque lines up their names on the shore. The lagoon itself, at the surface, is a spectacular and perfectly safe snorkelling site.
Getting there
Eight kilometres north of Dahab, on the coast track. Taxi or a dive centre shuttle, twenty minutes.
What the price covers
paid site access plus equipment hire; rates depend on the dive centre
What to bring
- Mask and snorkel
- Headlamp
- Swimsuit
- Board
Rules on site
The Arch is a deep technical dive that has killed dozens of people: it is not a recreational dive, whatever a tout tells you. Snorkelling, the lagoon is superb and safe — stay above the saddle.
