Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt

The Bells

The Bells is the standard entry for the Blue Hole drift, 200 metres north of the hole itself. It is a vertical chimney cut into the fringing reef just behind the cliff, dropping divers from a small Bedouin-built rocky platform into open water at around 6 metres. From there the dive follows the wall southward at 18-25 metres, passing several gorgonian-decorated overhangs, soft coral curtains and small caverns with glassfish, before crossing the saddle into the Blue Hole lagoon. The wall is sheer and drops past 60 metres; resident Napoleon wrasses, lionfish, giant moray eels and masked pufferfish are reliable, and turtles and eagle rays appear regularly. The dive is named for the rounded chamber in the chimney that, when surfacing inside, produces a bell-like resonance. Currents are usually mild. Visibility 25-30 metres.