Blue Hole (Red Sea)

This article is about the famous blue hole on the Sinai peninsula named "Blue Hole". For information on blue holes in general or for links to articles on other famous blue holes, see Blue hole.
Blue Hole
Blue Hole seen from above. The area towards the sea is not "The Arch" but a shallow bank called "The Saddle".
LocationDahab, Egypt
WaterbodyRed Sea
Nearest landSinai Peninsula
Coordinates28°34′19.99″N 34°32′14.55″E / 28.5722194°N 34.5373750°E / 28.5722194; 34.5373750
Dive typeFreediving, Open-water, Technical
Depth range6 to 100 m (20 to 328 ft)
Entry typeShore
WaterSalt

The Blue Hole is a diving location on the southeast Sinai, a few kilometres north of Dahab, Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea.

The Blue Hole is a blue hole, with a maximum depth within the hole of just over 100 m (330 ft). There is a shallow opening to the sea around 6 m (20 ft) deep, known as "the saddle", and a 26 m (85 ft) long tunnel, known as "the Arch", whose ceiling is at a depth of 55 m (180 ft) and whose bottom falls away as it reaches the seaward side to about 120 m (390 ft). On the seaward side the floor drops steeply to over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). The hole and the surrounding area have an abundance of coral and reef fish. The Blue Hole is popular for freediving because of the depth directly accessible from shore and the lack of current.

The dive site is reputed to have the most diver fatalities in the world. Tarek Omar, a technical diver from Dahab who has recovered bodies from the hole, estimated in 2012 that more than 130 divers lost their lives in the hole in the preceding 15 years.

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