Um El Sid

The route at Um El Sid has a clear logic: shallow entry, a living garden to pass through, a hidden passage, then the fans. From the beach at the base of the steep access road, divers enter through a wide sandy corridor cut into the reef wall. Almost immediately the sandy slope drops away and the garden eels appear — hundreds of them, stretched upright in the current across the slope from 10 to 25 m, pulling back into the sand as divers close in. Moving slowly is the only tactic that keeps them visible.

Midway down the slope, a massive coral tongue arches overhead. Ducking beneath it, or rounding it if depth allows, opens the reef into a vibrant garden of hard and soft corals. Table corals at mid-depth shelter groupers and reef fish. At 30-35 m, the gorgonian fans spread across the reef face in large, branching structures — exactly the kind of habitat where the longnose hawkfish parks itself between the coral fingers and waits. The ascent runs back over the table corals along a reef wall hung with soft corals and dense clouds of anthias. A large pinnacle near the entry marks the safety stop; giant moray have been found at its base.

The longnose hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) is the signature moment. It is a textbook Red Sea species, but the gorgonian fans at 30-35 m here make it reliably findable at accessible AOWD depth rather than at technical range. Two sources independently document its presence on these fans. Few of Dahab's shore dives combine an accessible fan coral zone, a garden eel colony of this scale, and a route-shaped structure that reveals itself progressively — each zone distinct from the last.

The site is also less visited than the northern cluster. Dahab's famous sites draw attention to Blue Hole, Canyon, and Lighthouse. Um El Sid sits at the far end of the southern drive and sees fewer divers for it.

Note: there are giant fan corals at 67 m. These are one of the documented features of the site, but they lie well beyond recreational limits. The recreational dive ends at 30-35 m.

Access requires a steep, sandy-gravel approach track — 4WD transport is standard, and dive centres provide it. Entry needs calm conditions; the site is not suitable in rough weather. Check before committing.

The Gulf of Aqaba runs around 41 ppt — saltier than most oceans. Carry more lead than usual. The site is best combined with Three Pools or Moray Garden as a southern cluster day, with the Bedouin restaurant on the beach available for surface intervals.

For the garden eels: descend slowly on the sandy slope and avoid sudden movements. For the hawkfish: slow horizontal approach at the fan corals, staying off the reef structure throughout.