Blue Hole in Sinai, Egypt

There are a lot of places in the world called Blue Hole. There is a Hole in Belize, in Mexico, in Indonesia…but it is the Blue Hole in Sinai, Egypt that has captured my attention and truly fascinated me.

The Blue Hole is literally a hole in the reef and its main feature is an opening called the Arch that is a gateway to the open ocean. The Arch is huge and its walls drop down to 90-120m (295 to 394 ft). As you swim through the Arch the sea drops off from under you with depths up to 300m (985 ft). When the visibility is good this location is simply spectacular.

I conduct Trimix courses here several times a year, but I also enjoy diving here for my own pleasure. It seems every dive I spot something new; last time I found a series of small shallow caves that start at 40m (131 ft) and descend down to 50m (165 ft).

Now thanks to the O2ptima rebreather my dives are totally different from the ones I was doing before. I have the opportunity to dive in a completely new way, giving me more time to penetrate the Blue Hole and its surroundings. Diving on open circuit meant I had very limited time to explore because of gas consumption. Now, by using my O2ptima, a whole new world has opened up and with the extra bottom time I am free to explore to my heart’s content.

The Egyptian Blue Hole is the mecca for the technical and recreational divers. But still, it’s not an easy place to dive in and no dive here should be taken lightly. About a hundred divers have lost their lives here and unfortunately some of the remains are still lying at the bottom of the hole. You have to be prepared to come face to face with the bodies of divers still in their equipment.

I’m planning my next trip to Sinai in Autumn but this time I’m going to examine another diving spot called Canion, which is set to be another challenging adventure for my breather and I.

Best regards,
Jacek Lubowiecki
Polish Dive Rite Team