The sandy lagoon has an average depth of about 3 meters and is inhabited by a
rich fauna comprising of goatfish, butterflyfish, dominos and pullers and on its most
he Canyon is situated 1.5 kilometers south of
Blue Hole and is easily reachable from Dahab (10 kilometres) thanks to the nice asphalt coastal road finished in 2004. There is a restaurant with a small diving centre opposite the entrance to the site. The access to the site is easy over the shingle beach in front of which you can park your car. You need to cross the reef platform for a dozen meters before you reach the lagoon that then opens to the sea, so it is best to start the dive at high tide to avoid damaging the reef.
the western point there is a saddle serving as exit (and entry) point to the sea. Here you reach a nice and very lively coral garden which stretches out between 5 and 10 meters deep (you will admire this on your way back), head straight to the canyon following an 80° heading and the small reef wall on your left. The canyon is a deep fissure that opens in a north-south direction within the reef slope and descends to a depth of
54 meters. The entry is done through its largest point: here you ascend down to a sandy bottom 28 meters deep admiring the light effects caused by the sun rays in a surreal world. Then turn northwards (the southern area of the fissure is not only too deep but also is of no specific interest) and, ascending about 10 meters, you enter a small cave situated at a depth of 17 meters. This small cave is open on two sides and
The Canyon
Scuba divers kiting up on the shore
accommodates a dense school of glassfish (Pigmy sweepers, Parapriacanthus Sansonetti) which literally wrap around the divers. You exit the cave back out onto the sandy plateau through its main opening at a depth of 16.5 meters; outside you notice that from here it looks like a huge madrepore block encrusted with table and soft corals teeming with life. After having skirted around its perimeter turn keeping the reef on your right to get back to the lagoon, but take your time at the coral garden close to the passage before you reenter the lagoon.
