Blue Hole

The Blue Hole is the most famous dive site in the Red Sea, a near-circular underwater sinkhole about 8 kilometres north of Dahab whose floor drops to more than 100 metres. Even from the surface, looking down into that deep blue circle of water is mesmerizing. The shallow ledge around the rim — just 6 metres down — is accessible to snorkellers and gives a taste of the extraordinary clarity without the risk.

For divers, the Blue Hole offers multiple experiences depending on your certification level. Recreational divers swim the rim and the "saddle" — a shallow opening to the sea at 6 metres — while advanced divers explore deeper along the walls. The Arch at 55 metres is strictly for properly trained technical divers with appropriate equipment. Reputable dive centres in Dahab offer guided dives at the Blue Hole with briefings about the site's hazards; do not attempt it alone or without proper supervision.

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The Blue Hole is reputed to have more diver fatalities than any other dive site in the world, with estimates ranging from 130 to 200 deaths since the 1990s. The culprit is usually narcosis at depth combined with an attempt to swim through "The Arch" — a tunnel at 55 metres that connects the hole to the open sea — which is beyond the range of recreational diving and into territory where nitrogen narcosis distorts judgment catastrophically. Signs at the surface now warn of the danger.

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