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The Caves
Egypt · reef · intermediate
3–30 mintermediateOWshore entry
MEDIA3 items
The Caves
Undercut shoreline south of Dahab: the caves are overhangs, the entry is the hard part, and the real find is the small stuff.
Max depth3–30 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeshore
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
The Caves is the last dive site south of Dahab you can drive to; past it the road stops and Gabr el Bint is reached by boat or camel. Circle Divers puts it about 15 km south of town and is blunt that the name oversells it: the caves are large overhangs, cut back under the shoreline by erosion, so the rock you stand on at the surface is the roof you swim under. H2O Divers describes a large cave on the left of the entry running from about 5 m down to 20 m, and another around 5 m hung with black coral to the south, with a sandy slope in between.
The dive itself is not technically demanding - the centre rates difficulty two out of five and current one out of five, minimum Open Water - but the entry is. It is a stride off a ledge onto the sandy slope, it wants high tide, and it wants calm water; both sources are explicit that the exit is the tricky part when there is any swell running onto the shore. Take a torch, because the point of the site is the light under the overhangs and what is living in the dark at the back of them.
The occurrence data agrees with the guides and adds something. This is the most nudibranch-heavy record of the nine Sinai sites in this batch: Tenellia melanobrachia, Cadlinella ornatissima, Hypselodoris yarae, Chromodoris africana, Chromodoris quadricolor, Phyllidia rueppelii and Aegires villosus all appear, alongside a Jayakar's seahorse, a panther torpedo ray, snowflake moray, day octopus, Steinitz's shrimpgoby, twoband anemonefish, lionfish and forsteri hawkfish. The counts are low, which is what a lightly sampled site looks like, but the composition is a macro site's composition. Wide-angle in the overhangs, macro on the way back.
- The southernmost road-accessible dive site in Dahab; past here it is boat or camel to Gabr el Bint
- Overhangs rather than true caves, cut back under the shoreline - a large one runs from about 5 m to 20 m
- High tide and calm sea only; the exit onto the ledge is the difficulty, not the dive
- A torch is not optional, and the occurrence record is unusually rich in nudibranchs
Please note before you go
- Overhead environment: the overhangs are undercut shoreline with rock above you, and a direct ascent is not available underneath them
- Entry and exit are the real hazard - a stride off a ledge, best at high tide, and both sources warn the exit gets difficult when waves are breaking on the shore
- No torch means no dive here in practice: the interest is under the overhangs and in the dark at the back of them
- Stonefish and scorpionfish sit still on the sand and under the rock, exactly where a hand goes for balance
- The site is 15 km south of Dahab at the end of the road, so evacuation is slower than from the town reefs
Access & rules
Getting there
By road, about 15 km south of Dahab - the last site on the coast you can drive to. Entry is a stride from the reef edge onto a sandy slope. Dive centres run it as a jeep trip, often paired with Um Sid or Three Pools, and it can only be done on a high tide in calm sea.
Operator
You can reach the site independently.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentlight
Surgemoderate
WaterSalt water
Depth range3–30 m
Environmentreef
Coralhealthy
Crowdsquiet
A sandy slope running from the shallows down past a series of undercut overhangs, with little current. What varies is the surface: this is a shore entry off a ledge that needs high water and a calm sea, and dive centres call the site off rather than fight it.
On current: Sources disagree on depth and we take the conservative reading. Circle Divers describes a sandy slope starting at 3 m and running to 30 m, with the left cave descending to 20 m; H2O Divers publishes 18-40 m for the site and puts the large cave between 5 m and 20 m. We record 3-30 m. Current is rated one out of five, which is as low as that centre's scale goes, and the limiting factor is surface conditions rather than current: high tide and a calm sea, because the stride entry off the ledge and especially the exit become difficult with waves on the shore. No visibility figure specific to this site was found.
Dives & underwater footage
Questions & answers
Are there really caves?
Not in the strict sense. Circle Divers is direct about it: these are large overhangs, formed where the rock eroded back underneath the shoreline, so the ground you stand on at the surface is the ceiling you swim under. They are still overhead environments with no direct ascent, and H2O Divers describes the biggest running from about 5 m down to 20 m.
How deep is the dive?
The sources differ and we take the shallower reading. Circle Divers describes a sandy slope from 3 m to 30 m with the main cave down to 20 m; H2O Divers publishes 18-40 m for the site. We record 3-30 m. Most of what people come for sits between 5 and 20 m, under the overhangs.
Do I need a torch?
Yes. H2O Divers puts it in capitals. The whole interest of the site is the light effects under the overhangs and the animals living in the dark at the back of them, and without a light you are diving a sandy slope.
Is it suitable for beginners?
The dive is - Open Water minimum, difficulty rated two out of five, current one out of five. The entry is not. It is a stride off a ledge that only works at high tide in calm sea, and both sources single out the exit as the awkward part when there is any swell. Dive it with a centre that will call it off in the wrong conditions.
Can you snorkel it?
H2O Divers lists it as not suitable for snorkelling. The entry and exit are the reason, and the features are undercuts you would have to dive under rather than look down on. Three Pools, 2 km north, is the snorkelling site on this stretch of coast.
How do I get there?
By road, about 15 km south of Dahab. It is the last dive site on the coast reachable by vehicle - past it the track stops and Gabr el Bint is a boat or camel trip. Centres run it as a jeep day, usually with a second site nearby.
What will I see?
The guides list glassfish shoals under the overhangs, stonefish, lionfish, anemones and clownfish, plus turtles, pipefish, guitarfish, morays and giant pufferfish. The occurrence record adds the reason photographers like it: this is the most nudibranch-rich position in our Sinai set, with Tenellia melanobrachia, Cadlinella ornatissima, Hypselodoris yarae, Chromodoris africana and Phyllidia rueppelii all recorded, alongside a Jayakar's seahorse and a panther torpedo ray.
Life recorded at The Caves
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISHexabranchus sanguineusrare · 1 records
Amphiprion bicinctusrare · 4 records
Tenellia melanobrachiarare · 4 records
Paracirrhites forsterirare · 3 records
Hypselodoris yaraerare · 3 records
Pomacentrus sulfureusrare · 3 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Amphiprion bicinctus | rare | 4 |
| Tenellia melanobrachia | rare | 4 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | rare | 3 |
| Hypselodoris yarae | rare | 3 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | rare | 3 |
| Pterois miles | rare | 3 |
| Aegires villosus | rare | 3 |
| Cadlinella ornatissima | rare | 3 |
| Chromodoris africana | rare | 2 |
| Monodonta nebulosa | rare | 2 |
| Dascyllus marginatus | rare | 2 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | rare | 2 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | rare | 2 |
| Phyllidia rueppelii | rare | 2 |
| Heniochus intermedius | rare | 2 |
| Hippocampus jayakari | rare | 2 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 2 |
| Cyclichthys spilostylus | rare | 1 |
| Echidna nebulosa | rare | 1 |
| Epibulus insidiator | rare | 1 |
| Fistularia commersonii | rare | 1 |
| Gorgasia sillneri | rare | 1 |
| Gymnosarda unicolor | rare | 1 |
| Gymnothorax flavimarginatus | rare | 1 |
| Gymnothorax griseus | rare | 1 |
| Halichoeres hortulanus | rare | 1 |
| Hexabranchus sanguineus | rare | 1 |
| Hipposcarus harid | rare | 1 |
| Labroides dimidiatus | rare | 1 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | rare | 1 |
| Naso unicornis | rare | 1 |
| Neopomacentrus miryae | rare | 1 |
| Octopus cyanea | rare | 1 |
| Oxycirrhites typus | rare | 1 |
| Phyllidiella pustulosa | rare | 1 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | rare | 1 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | rare | 1 |
| Scarus niger | rare | 1 |
| Sphyraena barracuda | rare | 1 |
| Synodus variegatus | rare | 1 |
| Torpedo panthera | rare | 1 |
| Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus | rare | 1 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | rare | 1 |
| Pseudanthias taeniatus | rare | 1 |
| Chromodoris quadricolor | rare | 1 |
| Grampus griseus | rare | 1 |
| Hypselodoris infucata | rare | 1 |
| Tridacna squamosa | rare | 1 |
| Nembrotha megalocera | rare | 1 |
| Polycera melanosticta | rare | 1 |
| Phyllidia multifaria | rare | 1 |
| Amblyeleotris steinitzi | rare | 1 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | rare | 1 |
| Anampses meleagrides | rare | 1 |
| Bothus pantherinus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon auriga | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 1 |
| Chaetodon trifascialis | rare | 1 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Sinai
Explore all sitesUm Sid0.5 km
SinaiA wide sand corridor cut into the reef 400 m north of The Caves, with a garden-eel slope and gorgonians deep, skipped by most Dahab groups because of the current.
Three Pools2.1 km
SinaiThree sandy lagoons in the reef plate, three to four metres deep, that you walk into and swim through to reach the drop-off.
Moray Garden2.4 km
SinaiA sandy shore entry in Dahab's Southern Oasis that runs out to golden coral blocks, usually dived as a one-way drift with the site next door.
Golden Blocks- Moray Garden2.4 km
SinaiThe one-way shore dive between two entries in Dahab's Southern Oasis: gold-lit coral blocks and sandy roads at one end, a sloping coral garden at the other.
Golden Blocks2.5 km
SinaiThe northern beach entry of the Dahab South chain: two golden coral towers, three sand alleys and a sunken paddle boat at 20 m.
El Gehaza4.4 km
SinaiBeen here? Log it.
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