Dahab Egypt Scuba Diving and Back Packing

By: babz



15 years ago I was 20 years old and was told by a far and wide travelled friend about a small bedouin camp in the desert of Egypt on the Red Sea called Dahab. She spoke of a beach lined with makeshift cafes. Diving, snorkeling and windsurfing on a pristine piece of abundant and pristine coral reef. Friendly Egyptians happy to have visitors and ready with a horse, camel, quad or 4x4 for rent to explore the dunes and lonely beaches. I had an upcoming trip planned to Europe and was determined to work in a stop in Egypt after these stories of laid back hippy life on a coastal oasis.



I started out in London, culture shock was not an issue in any way being from Canada and going to western Europe. As I headed south and into Italy I started to feel further from home. Once I arrived in Greece I was fully aware of a difference in my way of life and theirs. Women for one thing were openly ogled and cat called with the odd bum pinch to boot. I was also very aware of the cleanliness standards being very different.



I caught a cheap flight to Cairo, Egypt from Athens. I was overwhelmed. One of the most populated and impoverished cities in the world, it was a lot to take in. The frighteningly fast and noisy cab ride on a freeway with 4 lanes filled with 5 lanes of traffic which included camel caravans and donkey carts. The horns didn't stop as that is the main signaling system there, with no regard of stop signs or lights. 30 million people praying on the sidewalks 5 times a day. An outward dislike of western women and "their" ways but a secret and somewhat disgusting urge for them. An inability to walk 5 steps on the streets without peddlers and beggars bombarding your way. I couldn't get away from that city fast enough.



Luckily I was able to obtain transportation quickly and easily as everyone you speak to has a brother or cousin who is a driver of some sort of bus or van. I opted for the more expensive chartered bus line with a/c. I figured it would be one of my only luxuries there. That was a mistake as I soon learned. I was packed onto a large bus not unlike what we'd have here however the facilities had overflown down the isle. The a/c was cranked full blast as this is a luxury for everyone there and must be taken advantage of. I was the only woman and my travel partner and I were the only foreigners. Every single person there chain smoked as it is one of the only drugs a Muslim is allowed, so with closed windows it got pretty hazy. From the front which is where I sat, a t.v. blared bollywood movies too loud to sleep through. We had 3 stops and each one had some sort of road tax or fee for us to pay in US dollars. You don't have a lot to argue in the middle of the desert on an unmarked stop at night. There was one much needed and expensive bathroom break at a cafe, the owner probably a brother or cousin of the driver's. I don't remember exactly how long the trip took but it was something like 15 hours of hell.



We arrived at dusk in Dahab. We had our Lonely Planet suggested hostel mapped out and wandered the 1 of 3 streets in town to the far end where we found the concrete hut compound that would be home. The owner was Abraham, a happy fellow with a love of travelers. We soon found the reason for his eternal smile was the small ball of paste-like brown opium in his lower lip, a standard for many there. He was glad to have us stay and gave us a square hut equipped with a sectioned of hole and hose to be used as... you guessed it, the bathroom. It was as safe and secure as you'd get anywhere in Egypt. The rent was ridiculously cheap, $2 a night or deals for longer stays. There was a small courtyard in the middle of the huts and on one side was a shower hut with actual toilets which actually turned out to be our biggest luxury of the whole Egyptian trip. We had a bed and made use of it as soon as he was done the tour.



When we woke we figured we'd check out the closest cafe on the beach. This was easy to find. The whole length of beach in town was lined with cafes and restaurants. They laid out woven mats and big cushions on the sand to lounge on. Low tables with hookahs were staggered about. So we pulled up a cushion and resigned ourselves to go with the flow. We decided through many warnings from friends, locals and travel books to be safe with food and water. We had the safest sounding things on the menu and our own bottled water. We soon found a small shop that carried sealed water bottles and canned tuna which became a mainstay. I still managed to get amoebic dysentery which is another story too disgusting to tell in which I very narrowly escaped with my life.



We talked to some other guests at our hut hotel about cheap diving, dive spots and certification. I was set up with equipment, wet suit and instructor and within a half an hour I was under water. After a couple hours of instruction and supervision I was set to my own devices. Not the safest training but they did give me a card and were happy to rent me the gear on a daily or weekly basis. The reefs were incredible, teeming with fish and colour. You could swim off the beach in town and see another world or you could head a few km's down the coast to the Blue Hole. There was not a lot of knowledge of preservation for the reefs so people just went for it. I feared the worst for these delicate pieces of underwater heaven.



My 5 day trip to Dahab stretched out into 4 weeks right through Christmas and New Year's. There were frequent trips organized on the fly in town to the desert for full moon parties or to Mount Sinai to hike in the crisp desert sunrise. I met a lot of backpackers who had made this reclusive Bedouin camp their home. One Belgian guy had come 7 years earlier for a week, flew home, sold everything, bought a windsurf board and came right back never to leave again. There was something about this quiet hippy-haven that drew you in and made you forget. Was it the calm waves over the endless beaches? Was it the breeze through the surrounding mountains? Was it the hookah pipes and opium paste? Whatever it was it attracted a certain kind of laid back, adventurous traveler.



I planned my trip back to Cairo by mini-van, a better choice though very over packed. Kids on laps and 5 squished onto a bench seat for 3 with people on the floor too. Luggage haphazardly tossed onto the roof. Maybe it was the mix of people sweating together or maybe I was totally unwound but I slept most of the drive back to the city. I left Egypt with a lot of mixed feelings about the country but I love of my little home in the desert.



Since I was there, Dahab has become a major destination for Europeans on cheap charters and divers from the world over. There are several 5 star resorts, paved roads and sidewalks, streetlights, and even chairs on the beach. I hear there is still a hippy presence but it would be mixed with families overflowing out of the resorts onto the streets, beach cafes and reefs. I hope it is a balanced mix because the mellow feel of Dahab has not been duplicated anywhere else I've been in the world. Hopefully too, they have realized the value to the earth the coral reefs have and found a way to preserve and protect them.



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Author - nicole bablitz

Location - http://contentdragon.com/content/recreation/travel/dahab-egypt-scuba-diving-and-back-packing/