Rick's Reef, Dahab: dive site guide

Updated October 2026 · by Mohamed Fathy, PADI & SSI dive instructor in Dahab

Depth

5–25 m

Level

Advanced recommended

Entry

Shore (gap in the reef table)

Area

North

Rick's Reef dive guide: what to expect

Rick's Reef Dahab is one of those sites that local guides like to keep for divers who have already done the big names. It lies on the north coast, just a couple of hundred metres north of the Canyon (sources put it at roughly 250–300 m), and it is normally dived as a one-way drift that finishes in the Canyon's lagoon. Fewer people dive it than the Canyon or the Blue Hole, and you can see it in the reef: the corals here are in very good condition.

Diving Rick's Reef Dahab starts through a small opening in the reef table. Below it, a pretty slope covered in salad corals runs down toward the blue. Around 18 m you reach a long stretch of table corals, and from there you simply settle in, keep the reef on your right and let the current move you south. Technically it is a drift dive, but divers' reports describe the current as variable and usually gentle, so it rarely feels like a race.

Along the wall you pass a series of coral pinnacles that are worth slowing down for. Anthias swarm over them, coral groupers hang in the shade, and pufferfish, moray eels and parrotfish work the reef. Keep one eye out to the blue on your left as well, because turtles and Napoleon wrasse sometimes cruise along with the group.

After about 40 minutes the crack of the Canyon comes into view below you. Seeing it from above, with the Fish Bowl and the canyon mouth beneath you, gives a completely different picture of one of Dahab's most famous sites. The Fish Bowl exit is closed to divers these days, so we look from outside and do not go in. From there we finish with a short swim through the coral garden and come out through the sandy lagoon, which is marked by a couple of coral pinnacles.

Most of the dive is spent between 10 and 20 m, and published profiles put the maximum around 25 m. Because it is a drift with a separate exit point, it suits divers who are comfortable with gentle current and good buoyancy control. Advanced divers will enjoy it most, but a confident Open Water diver can do it with a guide when the current is easy.

Rick's Reef dive map

The dive, step by step

1. Entry

   Enter through the small gap in the reef table north of the Canyon and descend the salad-coral slope.

2. Table corals

   Level off around 15–18 m over the table corals, reef on your right, and let the current take you south.

3. Pinnacles

   Slow down at the pinnacles along the wall for anthias, groupers, morays and pufferfish. Keep within 25 m.

4. Canyon view

   After about 40 minutes the Canyon crack and the Fish Bowl appear below. Look from outside only; the Fish Bowl exit is closed.

5. Coral garden and exit

   Rise through the Canyon's coral garden, make your safety stop at 5 m by the pinnacles, then exit through the sandy lagoon.

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Conditions

Max depth

25 m

Dive time

45–60 min

Current

Usually a gentle north-to-south drift; can vary

Visibility

Often 30 m or more

Best time

Calm mornings when the usual north-to-south current is running gently

Requirements

Advanced recommended; confident Open Water divers with a guide on easy days. Good buoyancy and some drift experience.

What you'll see

• Salad corals
• Table corals
• Anthias
• Coral groupers
• Pufferfish
• Moray eels
• Parrotfish
• Turtles (occasional)
• Napoleon wrasse (occasional)

Guide's tips

• Ask for it as a drift into the Canyon lagoon
• Watch the blue on your left for turtles and Napoleon wrasse
• Agree the exit point before you enter

Snorkeling at Rick's Reef

No snorkel-specific reports; the reef edge is shallow but this is a drift site. Snorkellers are better off at the Canyon lagoon or Coral Garden next door.

Snorkeling guide →

Safety notes

• It is a one-way drift: agree the exit at the Canyon lagoon before entering and stay with the guide.
• Current strength varies from day to day; if it is strong, keep close to the reef and do not drift past the Canyon.
• Do not enter the Canyon or the Fish Bowl from this dive; both need their own plan, and the Fish Bowl exit is closed.
• Shallow reef table at the entry gap: watch your fins and time the entry for calm water.

Questions about Rick's Reef