Reef · Drift

El Bells

Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt

Best for advanced divers
Wall / drop-off
Drift dive

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Type

Reef · Drift

Max depth

50 m

Level

Advanced

DepthChimney exit at 28-30m; the wall runs deeper

LocationShort walk north of the Blue Hole, a few kilometers north of Dahab town.

ConditionsShore entry with almost no current and visibility usually between 10 and 30 m. The blind drop through the chimney to 28 m puts it beyond a first open-water dive.

Overview

El Bells is entered through a chimney. A narrow vertical fissure runs down through the reef table a short walk north of the Blue Hole, and a diver drops through it in the dark and comes out at 28 to 30 m on the face of an open wall, which is the whole point of the site: there is no slope, no plateau and no gradual start. The fissure widens toward the bottom into the shape that gives it the name. From the exit the dive runs south as a drift along a vertical wall of overhangs, fissures and swim-throughs, finishing in the Blue Hole over the shallow saddle.

Dive plan

The descent is made in the chimney itself, and the exit onto the wall is the moment the dive begins. Depth is controlled from there, since below the exit the wall carries on into water far deeper than any recreational plan. The route south to the Blue Hole is a drift along the face, working the overhangs and swim-throughs and shallowing steadily. The dive ends by crossing the saddle at about 6 m into the Blue Hole itself, which is where the safety stop is spent.

What to see

The wall carries star coral, gorgonians, black coral and anemones with their clownfish, and elephant ear sponges stand out from it into the current. Giant manta rays pass along this stretch occasionally, which is the reason to keep glancing out into the blue rather than at the rock.