Have you ever been to Blue Hole in Egypt?

The Blue Hole is a diving location in southeast Sinai, a few kilometers north of Dahab, Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea. It’s a submarine sinkhole with a max depth within the hole of just over 100 m/328 ft. 

Did you know? The dive site is reputed to have the most diver fatalities in the world with estimates of between 130 and 200 fatalities in recent years.

My first time at the Blue Hole, Egypt

When fellow travelers heard I was going to Dahab, they asked if I was going to the Blue Hole. Typical me, I hadn’t really researched anything about Dahab, but I made a note of it. When I looked it up, I decided I had to go!

So one day before work I got up early and decided to try to catch a taxi leaving town that could take me there. The taxi driver let me know a fair price round trip and that we would set a time and he would come back to pick me up when I was ready.

Do you need a permit for the Blue Hole?

I didn’t know I had to have a permit to go to the Blue Hole, so we stopped at the permit office outside of town before heading to the Blue Hole. Driving along the coast on dirt roads in the Jeep “taxi” was a blast.

The driver dropped me off at a cafe, which had carpets and floor cushions (typical in Egypt) for eating around tables. The cafe attendant got me the menu and a lemon mint juice (my favorite in Egypt!) and walked me over to the next-door snorkel rental shop.

Snorkeling at the Blue Hole

I took my time and wandered up to the “hike” lookout point to grab some photos. Then I got changed and went over to the entrance of the Blue Hole in Egypt. Essentially, the current brings you along the corals and you can just put your face in and observe the vast variety of corals and fish, and then the current pushes you out in between the corals a bit further down the beach.

The snorkel rental attendant went with me so he could bring my flip-flops back to the cafe while I floated along. It was incredible! There was practically no one in the water that early, so I had the whole place to myself and could take my time!

When I resurfaced further down, the attendant brought my flip-flops back so I could walk back over to the cafe. Just down the way, there are other cafes and there is a bathroom/shower.

Scuba diving in Egypt

After I got out, I laid out a bit and read on my Kindle (they have sunbathing areas in the cafe) and then ordered lunch. As I was eating, the taxi driver showed up a few minutes early and was catching up with the cafe attendant. I was one of three people at the cafe and they put on music just for me. It was honestly great service.

There were several groups of divers preparing with double tanks of oxygen to go diving there. I had asked Ahmed about diving at the Blue Hole, but it sounds like due to the difficulty I wasn’t qualified to go, so I was quite content to snorkel along! Luckily, I went scuba diving in Sharm El-Sheikh, a charming town on the Sinai Peninsula.

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