Dahab · Egypt · Reef · Sand slope
Golden Blocks
A coral block packed with glassfish and bannerfish
Area photo: Tim Sheerman-Chase · CC BY 2.0
Golden Blocks is a shore dive about 15 minutes south of Dahab, in the Wadi Qnai stretch of coast. A shallow sloping reef of sand and boulders runs down to 18 metres, where the ground closes into continuous reef threaded with sandy roads, and a small canyon with gorgonians sits at 25 to 30 metres. The named block, full of glassfish and bannerfish, is what divers come for.
Where it is and how deep
28.4385° N, 34.4624° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The entry is off the beach after a short drive south of town. The dive starts on a shallow sloping reef of sand and boulders, and the block the site is named for stands in this section — a large coral block full of glassfish and bannerfish, worth a slow circuit before you go any deeper. It is one of the named Wadi Qnai sites, described as large coral blocks boiling with marine life.
At 18 metres the ground changes: the scattered boulders give way to a closed reef, still cut by the sandy roads that run through it. Following one of them down leads to a small canyon at 25 to 30 metres with gorgonians on it, the deepest part of the dive and the natural point to turn around.
Sand and coral both carry macro here: tailless pipefish, scorpionfish and blue-spotted rays are the regulars, with plenty more for anyone diving slowly. Bigger animals pass through as well — dolphins, big stingrays and eagle rays are all possible here, and whale sharks visit the site in October.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
- Stingrays
- Eagle rays
- Whale sharks
- Dolphins
| 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Golden Blocks?+
The reef slopes from the shallows to 18 metres, where it changes into closed reef with sandy roads. The deepest feature is a small canyon with gorgonians at 25 to 30 metres, so a typical dive runs between 18 and 30 metres depending on how far down the slope you go.
When can you see whale sharks at Golden Blocks?+
October is the month named for whale shark visits at this site. Dolphins, big stingrays and eagle rays are possible at other times, but the everyday diving here is macro — tailless pipefish, scorpionfish and blue-spotted rays on the sand and boulders.
Sources
- Golden Blocks - Dahab dive site — Scubago
- Dahab — Wikivoyage
More dive sites in Dahab
A small reef filled to the brim with schooling bannerfish
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A town house reef: seagrass, then coral blocks to 22 metres
A lagoon packed with thousands of juvenile barracuda
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A single large block at 14 metres, loaded with small life
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A gentle 6-metre shelf that slopes on down to 30
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A large gorgonian at 35 metres with longnose hawkfish in it
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A school of snubnose rudderfish chasing each other in the second lagoon
Drift
A canyon from 20 to 50 metres and a forest of giant gorgonians
Similar dives elsewhere
Four small reefs around a lagoon, canyon terrain, mild current
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Grey reef sharks, nurse sharks and eagle rays on a current-swept slope
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Coral top at 4 m with an outer sand slope running to 30 m