Dahab · Egypt · Cave & cavern · Coral garden · Reef
The Canyon
A reef fissure opening at 18 m onto a chamber floor at 30 m
Photo: mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
A vertical fissure in the reef north of Dahab, reached by walking in through a shallow lagoon and finning out across the coral gardens. The split opens at 18 metres and drops into a chamber whose main floor is at 30 metres, with a narrower continuation below that runs to 40 metres and belongs to technical divers. It is an overhead dive with a tight, controlled profile rather than a long reef swim.
Where it is and how deep
28.5544° N, 34.5212° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The shore entry puts you into a shallow lagoon which leads into the coral gardens beyond. From there the site splits in two: turn right for the coral gardens, which hold butterflyfish, unicornfish, pufferfish, octopus and Red Sea anthias and are worth a dive of their own, or turn left for the canyon itself. Which way you turn first sets the shape of the dive.
The canyon is a vertical fissure in the reef, an underwater split in the rock that opens at 18 metres. Drop through the mouth and it widens into a large chamber with its main floor at 30 metres — deep enough that centres use it for the deep dive of the PADI Advanced Open Water course. The depth and the enclosed space are why the site is described as one for Advanced Open Water divers with excellent buoyancy control.
Below the chamber the fissure narrows again and continues to 40 metres into what is called the Deep Canyon, which is technical ground rather than part of the standard dive. The fishbowl swim-through that used to be part of the route partially collapsed, and swimming through it is now strictly forbidden for safety and environmental reasons. The way out is back up through the mouth and across the shallow water the entry crosses.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef fish swarms
| 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.
Know before you go
- The fishbowl swim-through partially collapsed and is now strictly closed; swimming through it is forbidden for safety and environmental reasons.
- The chamber is an enclosed overhead space with its floor at 30 metres. Agree gas and maximum depth before dropping through the mouth, and stay off the walls.
Photos from The Canyon
mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
The Canyon, Dahab • awesome technical dive • 02.01.2017 · Denis Lefter on YouTube
75 meter dive to Neptune's Cave at the Canyon - Dahab · Kevin Phillips on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Canyon in Dahab?+
The fissure opens at about 18 metres and the main chamber floor is at 30 metres. A narrower continuation runs to 40 metres into the Deep Canyon, but that section is for technical divers, not part of the standard dive.
What certification do you need for the Canyon?+
Advanced Open Water or equivalent, because of the depth and the enclosed space, along with excellent buoyancy control. Centres also run the course's deep dive here, on the 30-metre chamber floor.
Sources
- The Canyon - Dahab's Dive Sites — Sea Dancer Dive Center
- Canyon, Dahab — DiveSSI MyDiveGuide
Photo credits
- Coral pinnacle rising through blue water with orange anthias schooling around it by mattk1979, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
- Sergeant majors and blue chromis schooling over a shallow coral reef slope by mattk1979, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
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More dive sites in Dahab
Lagoon
A cave-like canyon with swim-throughs beyond the shallow lagoon
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Swim-throughs and pinnacles from 10 metres, diveable year-round.
Rope-marked route through reef canyons and caves to 30 m
Sunlight falling through cracks in the cavern roof at 6-10 m
Cave & cavern
Wundi Cave
Biak & Padaido Islands · Indonesia
A tunnel through an undersea cave in the Padaido Islands.