DAHAB, EGYPT

Good diving, good value and good fun - three "good" reasons to choose Dahab as a location for a relaxed diving holiday. I had already chosen Dahab as somewhere where we could experience reliable quality diving at a relaxing pace with lots of sunshine and where it was suitable for someone who was not expecting world class diving, yet wanted something worthwhile. I was then lucky enough to identify a great bargain at LIDS 2001. So Dahab represented an excellent compromise - a bargain holiday, a chance for my 16-year-old son, recently qualified as a BSAC Sports diver, to get his first decent warm water diving, and something sufficiently interesting for me. Oh yes, and away from the hurdy gurdy of Hurghada or Sharm el Sheikh.

Getting there
Dahab is located up the eastern coast of the Sinai peninsular between Sharm in the south and Eilat in Israel in the north. It is on the eastern finger of the Red Sea and you can see Saudi Arabia across the relatively short stretch of water. We flew to Sharm airport with Monarch Airways and then had a trip of about 2 hours by comfortable air-conditioned minibus up into the mountains and along the coast. The scene on arrival at the airport was chaotic though, with queues going in all directions for purchase of local entry visas and Egyptian immigration control. After 45 minutes of disinterested delay as each visitor was individually scrutinised by the controller at the front of our queue, he finally gave up this tactic and literally threw the passports back at each of the last group of holiday makers as they hurried through. Friendly chap! Or maybe it was just time to go home. No harm done, relax, we'd arrived.

Driving up Sinai, you get an instant impression of the country - barren, dusty, mountainous, and impoverished. Down at the coast there are a few more palms trees, but it is little different, although there is the distinct advantage of a daily on-shore breeze without which the place would be unbearably hot. If you don't like the sun and heat and if you are not prepared to be very careful and drink copious quantities of water, then simply don't go. July, when we were there, is obviously one of the hottest months. Whilst it reached 104°F as we kitted up for one dive, the heat was not intolerable. Evenings were even quite pleasant. Take your time, pace yourself and relax. Shorts, tee-shirts, sandals..... that's it all week (oh, and a hat against the sun).

Dive Centre
On the aeroplane we learnt that there were as many as 30 or so dive centres at Dahab. However, seeing some of these over the next few days, I wondered whether I'd be safe if we had not been careful which we had pre-booked. However, other divers had told us they rated Reef 2000 among the top 3 or 4 in the town. They were right.

Reef 2000 is owned and run by David Elgin, a Scot, and his partner Rochelle. It is relatively new, neat, and efficient. It has a good range of equipment for hire if you prefer not to bring your own, or if you need a replacement, or just a torch for a night dive (not worth it). They have their own compressor, various storage areas, office, lockers and a fresh-water "well" for post dive kit washing. The largely young staff is friendly and helpful. Divemasters are a combination of local Egyptian, European and Australia/New Zealand divers. They have pretty mixed experience and abilities though. They were enthusiastic, wanted you to enjoy your stay and generally observed the principles of safe diving practices.
Since our visit, David Elgin has taken welcome steps to link up with BSAC. At the timeof writing Reef 2000 has just been approved as a BSAC Recognised School. So doubtless they will shortly have an even clearer perspective on the needs of BSAC divers.

Diving around Dahab
The diving around Dahab is along the coast perhaps 10 miles north and south of Reef 2000. It is exclusively shore-based and normally reached by Land Rover or 4x4, often over a bumpy track along the shore. Typically you fin out 50 or so metres across the shallows to the reef and gentle drop off. Kitting up on a big mat on the beach and dry 5 minutes after coming out of the water, means this is easy diving. Some of the reefs, such as Lighthouse or Mashraba close to the town, are a little uninspiring, but there are better places to go such as the gully at Canyon coming up to The Fish Bowl, the wall between Bells and the Blue Hole, Islands, Southern (Glasshouse) Reef, Golden Nuggets and the chimney at Bells. The water is warm and clear and both hard and soft corals are in excellent condition. There is a little damage at Islands caused by the earthquake in mid 1990's, where a few blocks of coral have sadly fallen. However, the coral was colourful and rather better than I had expected.

The marine life is diverse. There are few large creatures, though we did have a close encounter with a fine eagle ray on our last dive. Typical were the numerous reef fish - parrot fish, pipe fish, multitudes of glass fish, a few morays, barracuda, clown anemone fish, jacks, snapper, box, porcupine and puffer fish, lion fish, chocolate dips (twotone chromis), squid, Arabian trigger fish, various pretty nudibranchs, attractive feather stars, banded shrimp and timid broom-tailed wrasse.

You can supplement your dive package by a trip back to Sharm and thence to Ras Mohammed & the famous wreck of the Thistlegorm. This is done overnight and will cost you about US$60 each. There are several packages available if you enquire, but as good as any is that offered by Blue Hole Travel Service along the waterfront in town. They co-ordinate packages for others. We chose something different for our last diving day - a dive safari by camel. Trekking for an hour and a half up the coast on camel-back to a Bedouin encampment certainly was an uncomfortable experience. However, it was memorable and was rewarded with two very pleasant dives at Ras Abu Gallum where there are lovely coral gardens and exquisite colours. (The management at Reef 2000 advise that they now offer a range of excursions themselves - check details locally.)

The PADI Divemaster we were originally assigned to frankly lacked experience. Though safe and appropriate for the various PADI courses run at Reef 2000, her only experience of diving was at Dahab, down to just over 30m. She made several mistakes, as a result of which we had two poor dives and an incident when a diver ended with a series of spiny urchins stuck into his thigh. We protested quite strongly. Reef 2000, to be fair, responded and we had better diving for the rest of the week.

Accommodation
Reef 2000 is located just to the north of Dahab itself, a few hundred yards after the end of the tarmac road and right next to The Bedouin Moon Hotel. This small two star hotel therefore provided handy adjacent accommodation. There are several other better quality hotels in the area, most notably the Hilton, some of whose patrons also use Reef 2000. Althoug they have a drive of a few miles to the centre, Reef 2000 cover the taxi fares . The rooms and the décor at The Bedouin Moon are basic, but passably clean. Our en suite room with shower had a sea view and balcony at no extra cost. The staff was friendly and there is an office safe for all valuables. Breakfast is very basic. You can get beer, soft drinks and a meal of sorts here too; pizza, falafal, burger and chips - that kind of thing. Do not expect British standards of food hygiene and service, though neither Richard nor I was ill at all. You need to go into Dahab itself for a proper meal. There are numerous places to eat, especially along the colourful waterfront. Many places are exceedingly cheap - a meal for £4 a head, maybe less. Be careful though, don't risk eating the fish that you see out on display, however attractive it might seem. An hour or two in the heat plus fly spray (!) makes it a breeding ground for all sorts. This is a fun and relaxing area, cosmopolitan, great to stroll along or meet for a few drinks. Colourful shops, trinkets, bustle, laid back, and even cyber cafes... a must to explore. Memories linger here of the hippies who came to Dahab 30 years ago.

Getting around Dahab is easy - just grab a lift in a "taxi" and jump into the open back of the truck, as that's what most taxis are. Sit on the Egyptian rug on the floor, or on the tailgate, hold tight..... and off into the warm night air. As with everything, barter your fare. The fair price from Reef 2000/Bedouin Moon to town was said to be 7 or 8 Egyptian pounds. I'd haggle down to that, but never managed to pay less than 10 Egyptian pounds (all of £2), as change is not so easy to come by. Everything is paid for in grubby notes; we didn't see a coin all week. Several taxis drivers promised me change the next day as they disappeared off with a wry grin, but then I was smiling too, knowing their game.

Who does Dahab suit?
Well it was great for a low budget, warm water trip, perhaps even a second holiday. It could well suit a group booking from a BSAC Club with a group of Club/Sports divers wanting to do their first trip abroad. There is sufficient variety of diving for 5 days or more without too much repetition. Visibility is good and the coral is surprisingly good too.
Diving is safe with few natural hazards and little current. The only real danger being stupidity at the Blue Hole where, tragically, several divers die each year. But if you want luxury, large pelagics, liveaboards, or exotic or remoter diving, Dahab is not for you.

HOLIDAY FACT FILE We travelled to Dahab in July 2001 on a special package with Longwood Holiday. Longwood are one of several operators using the Reef 2000 and Bedouin Moon package in conjunction with flights on Monarch Airways. They have a website at www.longwoodholidays.co.uk and can be contacted by e-mail on diving@longwoodholidays.co.uk Our diving was done through Reef 2000 who have a well-illustrated website at www.reef2000.com All contact details are given on their site. This site also gives particulars and photos of The Bedouin Moon Hotel. I would also be happy to answer further questions about our trip myself and can be contacted at david@bsactravelclub.co.uk

David Dixon
BSAC Travel Club Co-ordinator

March 2002

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