Blue Hole

The Blue Hole is a near-circular sinkhole cut into the reef table about 20 minutes' drive north of Dahab, and its fame rests on the arch, a tunnel roughly 26 m long whose top lies at about 52 to 56 m and which links the hole with the open sea. The arch is strictly a technical-diving objective; recreational divers explore the outer wall and the shallow coral saddle at about 6 to 7 m, usually arriving along the wall from The Bells. The inside of the hole carries little coral, but the outer wall is overgrown with hard and soft corals, gorgonians, black coral, anemones with clownfish and large elephant-ear sponges, and manta rays are occasionally seen out in the blue. The sheltered water inside the hole is a training ground for freedivers. The site is reputed to have more diver deaths than any other, many of them divers who pushed beyond their limits near the deep arch, so it suits divers who stay strictly within their certified depth.