The Blue Hole

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH ELIZABETH!!!

We took our time getting up this morning, had some breakfast and then got ready to go snorkelling. We went to the Blue Hole, an 80-100m deep pool in the reef just off the beach near Dahab. It's a famous place to dive, but has also killed many inexperienced people because of the depths. As it turns out, it was one of the best snorkellig sites we've ever been to.

We arrived by 4WD jeep since the road is a bit rocky. There are a bunch of hut restaurants set up, but otherwise there is nothing. After over an hour of us trying to find flippers that fit and masks that wouldn't leak, and burning the bottoms of our feet on the searing hot pavement, we were very pissed off at the company we went through and nearly went back to receive a refund. But, we just decided to get in the water without flippers and dealt with the leaky masks. We're so happy we did because it is absolutely gorgeous there. The visibility was about 25m, and the water was crystal clear. It was like we were swimming in an aquarium fish tank. We saw thousands and thousands of fish, and tons of different types and colours of coral. It was a bit scary looking down into the depths, since we're both petrified of sharks, but the beauty of the fish and coral overpowered our fear. We swam along the edge of the hole, then crossed over the reef and out onto the outside. It was truly amazing.

After two rounds of snorkelling, we decided to head back to town. The company we booked with assured that we could get a ride back whenever we were ready. Well, it was only 3:00 and our driver said they wouldn't be leaving until 4:30. We'd had enough hanging around, so we just hung out near the jeeps and got a ride back with a group of divers. I don't think the guy was happy about it (we saw him later in town) but we didn't care because they were crap.

Back in town, we had a late lunch and found a place that sells beer for 5 pounds. Bargain. We sat there for quite a while, then went back to Jay's for dinner. Back at our hotel room, we packed up and prepared to leave at 11:00 p.m. for Mt. Sinai. We managed to lay down for a bit beforehand.