Dahab: Best Snorkeling?

[jibjab]

Hi, I'll be in Dahab for four days in April and unfortunately my partner isn't a diver (yet) so we'll be snorkeling. What would be the best spots for snorkeling? Also I'll go diving at least once, I'm from Canada and have only done wreck diving, have never seen much marine life so I'm excited for my first warm water dives.. if I only get to dive twice, where should I go? And if I only get to dive once?

Here's what I've seen as reccomended snorkeling but its only one persons opinion, if you've been, please share! Thanks

Eel Gardens to Lighthouse (90min, need to choose a day that's not too windy)
The Islands (need to go at high tide-ish)
Three Pools (great place on a windy day)
The Bells to Blue Hole (gets crowded by 10:30)
Ras Abu Gallum - Take a camel trek, she can snorkel and this can be my one dive

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Dive once: Bells-Blue Hole.
Dive twice: Bells-Blue Hole and Canyon.

Eel Garden to Lighthouse is not suitable for snorkeling. Snorkel in the Lighthouse only. Three Pools needs high tide.

 

[jibjab]

Dive once: Bells-Blue Hole.
Dive twice: Bells-Blue Hole and Canyon.

Eel Garden to Lighthouse is not suitable for snorkeling. Snorkel in the Lighthouse only. Three Pools needs high tide.

Thanks! So bells>blue hole and canyon are better dives than Ras Abu Gallum and Ras Mohammed? Would these latter two (or Islands) be good to snorkel in addition to lighthouse and three pools?

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Thanks! So bells>blue hole and canyon are better dives than Ras Abu Gallum and Ras Mohammed? Would these latter two (or Islands) be good to snorkel in addition to lighthouse and three pools?

Ras Abu Galoum and Ras Mohamed are areas not dive sites. Each one of them has several sites. Ras Mohamed is more than 100 KM from Dahab and is best accessible by boat from Sharm El Sheikh. Ras Abu Galoum is accessible by camels or (conditions permitting) by boat.

 

[jibjab]

Would reccomend them over snorkeling locally in Dahab? Or is the quality comparable?

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Quality is comparable IMHO.

 

[jibjab]

Thanks! I think we'll check out Ras Abu Galoum by camel (should be interesting) for some snorkeling, as well as Light House, Three Pools, and maybe Blue Hole? I guess I'll dive Bells-Blue Hole and Canyon.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Yeah don't miss snorkeling at the Blue Hole.

Have fun

 

[jibjab]

update, back from dahab. did five dives, refresher at lighthouse which although its the most accessible dive site right in the middle of the boardwalk, it was very nice. next was canyon, very neat, the walls are actually fairly high and its only a few feet wide so it was quite fun. bells to blue hole was also great, i think thats the entrance to bells in red seas avatar. basically you jump in and then dive down a natural elevator shaft in the rock, pass under an arch, and then pop out on a wall. definitely the coolest entrance i've ever seen. we dove caves and umm sid but frankly they weren't terribly interesting after the previous dives, probably should have gone to ras abu gallum or taken the day trip to ras mohammed in sharm el sheik which is supposed to have the most abundant sea life. i can't imagine staying in sharm though, dahab is the kind of place you could spend a month.. very relaxed. oh also snorkelled eel garden to lighthouse the day we arrived, it was a perfectly calm day which we soon found out was complete anomaly, very nice snorkel but i wouldn't do it on a typical dahab day. snorkelling was nice but the diving was so much better, my girlfriend just ended up doing two try dives and had a blast. if you're there long enough its a fantastic place to get certified.

 

[String]

Agree about bells to blue hole. So many people arrive, snorkel the blue hole where theres nothing and missed the wall and saddle coral which are the best parts. I do prefer Dahab to sharm - so much more relaxed and stress free to live and work.