Dahab · Egypt · Pinnacle · Reef
Ras Abu Galum
No road in — reached only by boat or by camel from Dahab
Photo: Alexey Komarov · CC BY-SA 4.0
A reef inside the Abu Galum protected area north of Dahab, with no road to it: divers arrive by boat or by camel. The diving works pinnacles and rock formations at an average depth of 20 to 30 metres, and the trip is run either as a day out or as an overnight in the Bedouin huts on the beach. The logistics are as much a part of the day as the dive is.
Where it is and how deep
28.6150° N, 34.5600° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Getting there is half of it. Ras Abu Galum National Park is accessible only by boat or by camel — there is no road in. Boats run daily, and the camel route goes either as a day trip or as an overnight, staying in original Bedouin huts with dinner, stargazing and breakfast on the beach. Either way the diving starts well away from the coast road that serves the rest of Dahab.
In the water the site has an average depth of 20 to 30 metres, a straightforward profile that its listing calls suitable for divers of all levels. Lots of pinnacles and dramatic rock formations give the reef its structure, and a great variety of marine life works through them, so there is structure to work between rather than a single wall to follow. The whole area lies inside a protected reserve.
Background
Ras Abu Galum was declared the Abu Galum Managed Resource Protected Area in 1992, and the reserve covers 500 square kilometres. There is still no road into it: the dive sites are reached by boat, running daily, or by camel, and the Bedouin community on the beach runs the huts that overnight trips use, which is why the site is dived as a trip rather than as a stop on the coast road.
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.
Photos from Ras Abu Galum
shahar chaikin · CC BY 4.0
Alexey Komarov · CC BY-SA 4.0
Alexey Komarov · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Dahab Ras Abu Galum · Deep Blue on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How do you get to Ras Abu Galum?+
Only by boat or by camel — there is no road to the site. Boats run daily from Dahab, and camel trips go either as a day trip or as an overnight stay in the original Bedouin huts on the beach.
How deep is the diving at Ras Abu Galum?+
The site has an average depth of 20 to 30 metres, which its listing calls suitable for divers of all levels, though it is a deep average for a new diver. It sits inside the Abu Galum Managed Resource Protected Area, declared in 1992 and covering 500 square kilometres.
Sources
- Ras Abu Galum — DiveSSI MyDiveGuide
- Ras Abu Galum North dive site — PADI
Photo credits
- Rocky cove with Bedouin huts along the shore beneath bare desert mountains by Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Camouflaged reef stonefish resting on sand near the reef by shahar chaikin, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Weathered granite boulders piled at the shoreline with mountains behind by Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rocky beach curving along a mountain coastline toward turquoise water by Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Coral garden
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Sand slope
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Drift
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Reef
A town house reef: seagrass, then coral blocks to 22 metres
Similar dives elsewhere
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