Dahab · Egypt · Lagoon · Coral garden · Wall · Cave & cavern
Abu Helal
A cave-like canyon with swim-throughs beyond the shallow lagoon
Area photo: Tim Sheerman-Chase · CC BY 2.0
Abu Helal, also called Ras Abu Helal or Little Canyon, is a shore dive just south of the Canyon in Dahab. A shallow lagoon leads to a reef wall, a drop-off and a coral garden, while far below a canyon runs parallel to the shore for technical divers. It needs high tide and calm conditions, so few divers see it.
Also known as Ras Abu Helal, Little Canyon.
Where it is and how deep
28.5422° N, 34.5167° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The shore entry opens into a shallow lagoon at about 7 to 12 m, with compact reefs on either side. From there divers head out with the reef on their left into a coral garden of hard and soft corals, which rewards those who catch the best conditions with visibility of 30 to 40 m.
Technical divers navigate over the reef for about 12 minutes to find the opening of the canyon at about 45 m. It winds parallel to the shore between 45 and 60 m and more, with many swim-throughs that give it an almost cave-like feel.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Dahab: Conditions stay calm and shore-diveable year-round; visibility peaks in spring and autumn shoulder months.
Dive videos
Abu Helal Hidden cave Canyon · Tom Steiner [Gozotechnicaldiving] on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When can Abu Helal be dived from the shore?+
Only at high tide and in calm conditions, which is why it sees far fewer divers.
Sources
- Abu Helal & Tiger Canyon — Circle Divers
- Abu Helal — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Dahab
A small reef filled to the brim with schooling bannerfish
A 26-metre tunnel at 55 metres links the sinkhole to open water
Coral garden
Shared entrance with the Canyon, then a slow run south
Garden eels standing in the sand a few fin-kicks from the entry
Sand slope
A single large block at 14 metres, loaded with small life
Drift
A canyon from 20 to 50 metres and a forest of giant gorgonians
Reef
A town house reef: seagrass, then coral blocks to 22 metres
Wall
No road in — a 50-minute boat ride to a fan-coral drop-off
Similar dives elsewhere
Shallow hard coral lagoon on the west side of Tiran Island
A resting pod of 60 to 80 spinner dolphins in the lagoon.
A big cave inside the island at the middle of the lagoon
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Two resident dugongs grazing a shallow seagrass meadow.