Islands dive site: Dahab Travel Guide (4.9★)

A reef that breaks into pieces

Most Red Sea reefs are a wall you swim alongside. The Islands is a different shape. A short distance out from the shore, the reef splits into separate coral heads, the “islands” of the name. Sandy alleys and small amphitheatres run between them.

You navigate it the way you would an old town’s lanes. Turn left at a big coral block, squeeze down a channel, and you come out in a sandy bowl ringed by coral. The structure is mostly hard coral, so the colour comes from the fish around it. Expect the usual Red Sea crowd of anthias, parrotfish and butterflyfish working the heads.

Where it sits along the coast

The site is on the southern side of Dahab’s shoreline, away from the Lighthouse and Eel Garden sites near town. The plus code FGH7+2C will drop a pin on the right stretch of coast. Most visitors never navigate there themselves, though. Dive centres drive you down in a pickup with the tanks in the back.

Dahab is a compact town. A transfer from Masbat or the promenade is short, and you can easily fit two dives in a morning. The Blue Hole and the Canyon are to the north, so a lot of divers spend their week up that way and only find The Islands later.

The dive itself

Entry is from the shore across the reef flat. A marked gap lets you get into deeper water without kicking coral. Booties and fin straps make sense here, because you will walk over rock and rubble before you can swim.

Depth is the reason the site works for so many people:

• Beginners and Open Water students: the shallower sections let you stay relaxed while the coral heads give you plenty to look at.
• Experienced divers: the deeper outer edge drops away, and finding your way through the maze is a challenge of its own.
• Snorkellers: the tops of the nearest heads are close to the surface on a calm day, but check conditions with a centre first.

The maze is easy to get lost in. Dive it with a guide the first time, because channels that look obvious on the way out look identical on the way back.

Choosing your conditions

Dahab is known for wind, which is why kitesurfers and windsurfers come here as well as divers. As a general pattern, the sea tends to be calmer earlier in the day. That is why dive centres often schedule shore dives for the morning.

Water is warmest in late summer and coolest in winter, when most people wear a thicker wetsuit. Visibility on the Gulf of Aqaba side of Sinai is usually good all year. Allow an hour or so in the water. A full morning covers the drive, gearing up, the dive and a surface interval.

Getting in the water at The Islands

Practically everyone here dives through one of Dahab’s dive centres. This is how it usually works:

• Book the evening before. Walk into a centre along the promenade, show your certification card and logbook, and say which sites you want. Many divers book The Islands on purpose because it is quieter.
• Ask for a guide who knows the maze. Guides who dive it regularly know the routes back to the exit channel. That matters more here than at most sites.
• Expect a check dive if you are new to that centre or haven’t dived for a while. They often run it at an easier site first.
• Prices and package rates are listed on each centre’s board or website. Compare a few, because multi-dive packages are common.
• Keep off the coral. The channels are narrow and the coral is fragile. Good buoyancy and tucked-in gauges are the courtesy everyone expects.

Tipping your guide at the end of the trip is normal in Dahab, and Egyptian pounds in cash are the easiest way to do it.

Building it into a Dahab week

The Islands fits well between the bigger names. Pair it with Eel Garden and the Lighthouse near town for easy shore dives. Save the Blue Hole and the Canyon for days when you want depth and drama.

If you have a spare day, the boat or camel trip north to Ras Abu Galum protected area makes a good contrast. Afterwards, the cafés on the promenade are where divers fill in their logbooks. Trying to describe The Islands’ route on paper is half the fun.