Reef

Islands

Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt

Snorkeller-friendly reef top
Suitable for beginners
Best for advanced divers
Pinnacles

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Type

Reef

Max depth

30 m

Level

Advanced

Depth15m average, 30m at the outer edge; pools from 3m

LocationThe eastern side of the Dahab lagoon, south of town.

ConditionsEntry at high tide only, and awkward in wind. Medium current outside the maze, good visibility. The shallow corridors keep the dive within reach of any level.

Overview

Islands is a coral site rather than a fish site. Well over a hundred coral species grow here, among them some of the largest single colonies in the Red Sea, and the structure they have built is a labyrinth: a wide reef platform holding three hard coral pools with sandy floors, linked by valleys and corridors that a diver navigates rather than crosses. The 1995 earthquake opened part of the maze into its present shape.

Dive plan

The pools are worked in sequence, each with its own sandy floor and its own way through to the next, and losing the thread is the normal experience of the site rather than a mistake. Depth stays around 15 m through the maze and reaches 30 m at the outer edge. The corridors are narrow enough that fin control decides whether the coral survives the group, which is the reason the site is dived slowly.

What to see

The coral is the reason to come: brain corals large enough to be landmarks, and a species count higher than anywhere else on this stretch of coast. Snappers and groupers hold the corridors, black-spotted puffers and napoleon wrasse work the platform, and yellowtail barracuda school over the outer edge. Blue-spotted rays and eagle rays cross the sandy floors, with crocodilefish and ghost pipefish on the bottom for anyone slow enough to find them.