Dahab · Egypt · Reef · Sand slope
Umm Sid
A large gorgonian at 35 metres with longnose hawkfish in it
Area photo: Tim Sheerman-Chase · CC BY 2.0
Umm Sid is a shore dive on the Wadi Qnai stretch of coast south of Dahab, entered down a steep sandy gravel road that runs between two reef plateaus straight onto the beach. The diving is a slope of sand and small boulders, with cleaning stations on the blocks and a large gorgonian at 35 metres marking the deep end of the site.
Also known as Um Sid, Om Sid.
Where it is and how deep
28.4206° N, 34.4578° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Getting in is the part people remember: a steep sandy gravel road drops between two reef plateaus and runs directly onto the beach. Once in, the ground is a shallow area of small boulders and sand, and the blocks hold cleaning stations, which reward a few minutes of hanging back and watching rather than swimming straight on past them.
Deeper, the sand carries tube eels, and the slope runs out to a large gorgonian at 35 metres where the longnose hawkfish sit. That depth is the turn. From there the dive comes back up over the shallow boulders, past schooling bannerfish and fusiliers, with pipefish and scorpionfish to find for anyone still hunting small subjects on the way in.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| 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.
Sources
- Umm Sid - Dahab dive site — Scubago
- Dahab — Wikivoyage
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
Seahorses among the seagrass beds of a quiet lagoon
Four small reefs around a lagoon, canyon terrain, mild current
West-coast slope where mola mola come up in season
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Feather stars and sponges on a slope to 40 m