SeaLog
Certification required
OW
Bannerfish Bay
Egypt · reef · beginner
3–30 mbeginnerOWshore entry
Bannerfish Bay
Dahab's town bay: seagrass, sand and coral blocks off a shore entry, dived for macro and used by half the centres in Assalah as a training site.
Max depth3–30 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeshore
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Bannerfish Bay is the bay Dahab town sits on, and for several dive centres in Assalah it is the house reef, a few metres from the door. It shares its entry with the Lighthouse: you get in at the same point and turn left after descending. What follows is a gradual slope rather than a wall, worked to about 12 m on a normal dive, with one Dahab centre listing the site's depth range as 18 to 30 m for the outer part of the slope. It also carries the local aliases Dahab Bay and Assalah Bay.
The substance of the dive is the mix of habitats in a small area: hills of seagrass, open sand patches, and blocks and mini-reefs of coral. The seagrass is where the macro is, and the species Dahab centres name are seahorses, ghost pipefish, other pipefish, frogfish and nudibranchs. The sand holds flatfish, sea moths, stonefish and scorpionfish. Human additions have been left in the bay over the years, a small car wreck, car tyres and clay pots, and eels, octopus and anemones have taken them over. The small reef with the schooling bannerfish is what the site is named for, and a resident turtle grazes the seagrass.
Because the bay is shallow and sheltered, it does most of the training work in town: certification courses, a marked buoyancy park to the north for Peak Performance Buoyancy, and marine biology and Reef Check courses. Night dives run here with a torch, and the shallow coral is snorkelled and freedived as well.
It is a dense stretch of coast. Fish and Friends is 130 m away, the Lighthouse 210 m, Mashraba 250 m and Eel Garden 820 m, and descriptions of the town-bay sites overlap heavily; one centre places this one between the Lighthouse reef and Mashraba. Treat named neighbours here as sections of the same shore rather than separate expeditions.
- Seagrass, sand and coral blocks in one shallow shore dive
- Macro: seahorses, ghost pipefish, frogfish, sea moths, nudibranchs
- A small car wreck, tyres and clay pots colonised by eels, octopus and anemones
- The schooling bannerfish on the small reef the site is named for
- A resident turtle grazing the seagrass
- Marked buoyancy park to the north for training
Please note before you go
- Stonefish and scorpionfish are named by multiple Dahab centres as living in the sand here, at a site you walk into from the beach; look before you put a foot or a hand down
- Devil firefish (Pterois miles) is the single most frequently recorded species at this pin
- The slope continues past the depth most people dive it, to 18-30 m by one centre's listing, so a macro dive that drifts down the sand can get deeper than intended
- Sea urchins including slate pencil urchin are recorded in the shallows at the entry
Access & rules
Getting there
Shore entry in Assalah, Dahab, at the same point used for the Lighthouse; turn left after descending. Several dive centres front the bay directly, with one describing it as a few metres from its door, so gear, air and a guide are all within walking distance of the water. A marked buoyancy park sits at the northern end of the bay.
Operator
You can reach the site independently.
Restrictions
None documented in the operator material we read.
Season
No dive centre we read gives a season for the bay. It is a sheltered town shore reef used for training and night dives all year, so the practical variables are wind on the day and how many courses are in the water, not the month.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentlight
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range3–30 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsbusy
Sheltered shallow bay water over seagrass, sand and coral blocks, entered from the shore in the middle of Dahab town. None of the dive centres we read publish visibility or water temperature figures for this site, so neither is recorded here. The consistent picture across the operator descriptions is calm, shallow and busy with training groups, which is the reason it works as a house reef.
On current: No dive centre we read publishes a current figure for the bay, and its use as the town's main training site, buoyancy park and night-dive shore reef is consistent with sheltered water rather than a drift. Depth is quoted two ways: one source describes the normal dive as a gradual slope to about 12 m, while a Dahab centre lists the site as 18-30 m, which is the outer part of the slope rather than where a typical dive is spent. Aggregator listings quoting an average depth of 25 m do not match either operator description and are not used here.
Questions & answers
How deep is Bannerfish Bay?
The normal dive is shallow: a gradual slope worked to about 12 m. One Dahab dive centre lists the site's range as 18 to 30 m, which describes the outer part of the slope rather than where most of the dive happens. Aggregator listings quoting a 25 m average do not match what the operators say. Plan a shallow macro dive and treat the deeper sand as optional.
Where do you enter the water at Bannerfish Bay?
From the shore in Assalah, Dahab, at the same entry point used for the Lighthouse dive site; you turn left immediately after descending. Several dive centres sit directly on the bay, one describing the site as a few metres from its door, so tanks, guides and a hot drink afterwards are all within walking distance of the water.
Is Bannerfish Bay good for beginners?
It is one of the main sites in Dahab for exactly that. The bay is shallow, sheltered and entered from the beach, and the town's centres use it for certification courses, for a marked buoyancy park at the northern end, and for marine biology and Reef Check training. One centre recommends Open Water and above. Expect other training groups in the water.
Can you snorkel or freedive at Bannerfish Bay?
Both. A Dahab centre lists the site as suitable for snorkelling and for freediving, and the profile supports it: shore entry into sheltered water with coral blocks and seagrass in the top 12 m. Snorkellers will see the bannerfish and the shallow coral easily. The seahorses and pipefish that make the site's reputation are a slow-dive proposition rather than something you spot from the surface.
What will I see at Bannerfish Bay?
The draw is macro across three habitats. In the seagrass, Dahab centres name seahorses, ghost pipefish, other pipefish, frogfish and nudibranchs; in the sand, flatfish, sea moths, stonefish and scorpionfish; on the artificial structures, eels, octopus and anemones. The schooling bannerfish on the small reef give the site its name and a resident turtle grazes the seagrass. Records at this pin also include striped pyjama nudibranch, Spanish dancer, Red Sea garden eels and giant clams.
Is there a car wreck at Bannerfish Bay?
Yes, of a sort. A small car wreck, several car tyres and clay pots have been placed in the bay over the years, and dive centres describe them as having been colonised by eels, octopus and anemones. It is an artificial habitat in shallow water rather than a wreck dive, and it usually forms one stop on a slow macro circuit rather than the point of the dive.
Can you night dive Bannerfish Bay?
Yes. Dahab centres run night dives on the bay with a torch, and the site suits it: shore entry, shallow sheltered water and a bottom of seagrass, sand and coral blocks that turns over a different cast after dark. Spanish dancer and other nudibranchs are among the species recorded at this pin.
What should I be careful of at Bannerfish Bay?
The two things worth naming are underfoot and underhand. Multiple Dahab centres list stonefish and scorpionfish as living in the sand here, and this is a site you walk into from the beach, so look before you plant a foot or steady yourself on the bottom. Devil firefish is the single most frequently recorded species at this pin. Sea urchins including slate pencil urchin are in the shallows at the entry.
Life recorded at Bannerfish Bay
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISHexabranchus sanguineusoccasional · 17 recordsTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 8 records
Pterois milesoccasional · 47 records
Amphiprion bicinctusoccasional · 32 records
Pomacentrus sulfureusoccasional · 27 records
Pseudanthias squamipinnisoccasional · 27 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Pterois miles | occasional | 47 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 32 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | occasional | 27 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | occasional | 27 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | occasional | 24 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | occasional | 19 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 19 |
| Arothron diadematus | occasional | 18 |
| Fistularia commersonii | occasional | 18 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | occasional | 18 |
| Abudefduf vaigiensis | occasional | 18 |
| Hexabranchus sanguineus | occasional | 17 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 16 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 16 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | occasional | 16 |
| Dascyllus trimaculatus | occasional | 16 |
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 15 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 15 |
| Myripristis murdjan | occasional | 14 |
| Chromodoris quadricolor | occasional | 14 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | occasional | 14 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | occasional | 14 |
| Arothron hispidus | occasional | 14 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 14 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | occasional | 14 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | occasional | 13 |
| Canthigaster margaritata | occasional | 13 |
| Arothron stellatus | occasional | 13 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | occasional | 13 |
| Grammistes sexlineatus | occasional | 12 |
| Hipposcarus harid | occasional | 12 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 12 |
| Calotomus viridescens | occasional | 12 |
| Epinephelus fasciatus | occasional | 12 |
| Gorgasia sillneri | occasional | 11 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 11 |
| Neoniphon sammara | occasional | 11 |
| Synapta maculata | occasional | 11 |
| Heterocentrotus mamillatus | occasional | 11 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | occasional | 11 |
| Acanthurus nigrofuscus | occasional | 10 |
| Gymnothorax griseus | occasional | 10 |
| Chelidonura livida | occasional | 10 |
| Mulloidichthys flavolineatus | occasional | 10 |
| Bodianus anthioides | occasional | 9 |
| Diplodus noct | occasional | 9 |
| Pteraeolidia ianthina | occasional | 9 |
| Labroides dimidiatus | occasional | 9 |
| Millepora dichotoma | occasional | 9 |
| Acanthaster planci | occasional | 9 |
| Heniochus diphreutes | occasional | 9 |
| Ostracion cubicum | occasional | 9 |
| Echinometra mathaei | occasional | 9 |
| Petalifera ramosa | occasional | 9 |
| Tetrosomus gibbosus | occasional | 8 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | occasional | 8 |
| Pleurobranchus grandis | occasional | 8 |
| Pomacanthus imperator | occasional | 8 |
| Exallias brevis | occasional | 8 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 8 |
Nearby sites in Sinai
Explore all sitesFish and Friends0.1 km
SinaiOne of the walk-in entries on Dahab's town bay, worked north over coral blocks or south over seagrass and sunken sculptures.
The Lighthouse0.2 km
SinaiDahab's town beach entry: a six-metre shelf, a wall, a seagrass flat and half the freediving lines in Egypt.
Mashraba0.2 km
SinaiDahab's southern house reef: a walk-in seagrass and sand dive with a pinnacle at around 18 m and a deep swim-through behind it.
Eel Garden0.8 km
SinaiA shore dive at the north end of Dahab onto a sand slope carpeted with garden eels, gated by wind and tide at the reef plate.
Islands2.4 km
SinaiA shallow coral maze south of Dahab: sand pools, valleys and lagoons, and almost nothing below 20 m.
Napoleon Reef3.2 km
SinaiA detached Madrepora tower off the Dahab Laguna, dived from a boat because the reef juts into the current.
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