Dahab vs Sharm el-Sheikh Diving: Which Red Sea Town Wins?

The best way to dive Egypt’s Red Sea is from a liveaboard—full stop. These boats take you out to remote reefs and wrecks, where you can drift past schools of barracuda, dodge oceanic white tips, and fall asleep to the sound of water lapping at the hull.

But if you're going to be shore-based in the Sinai, you've got to make a decision with respect to Dahab vs Sharm el-Sheikh diving. Where should you base yourself?

The right answer depends on what you want out of your trip—and how much diving experience you have. We spent time in both, and here’s how they compare.

Dahab

The town of Dahab itself is, to me, superior in every way possible to Sharm. It’s a laid-back strip of guesthouses and restaurants strung out along the shoreline, the kind of place that feels instantly familiar if you’ve ever wandered through the better backpacker towns of Southeast Asia. The vibe is casual. The food is better than it has any right to be. The accommodation ranges from cheap and cheerful to boutique and beachy, and you’re never more than a few minutes’ walk from the water.

There’s a Bedouin influence that, while softened for tourists, still shows up in the hospitality, the storytelling, and the ease with which you can get out of town and into the desert for a stargazing dinner or a camel dive safari.

The diving in Dahab is cheap and easy. Most sites are shore dives—no boat required. The reefs are colorful, the water is calm, and the currents are practically nonexistent. That makes it perfect for beginners or anyone who just wants to rack up relaxed, scenic dives with minimal fuss.

The downside? You might not see sharks. In fact, even after quite a few dives, we didn’t see any. That’s not just a bummer for divers who like their reefs with a side of adrenaline—it’s also an ecological red flag. Reefs need sharks. Their absence matters.

Sharm el-Sheikh

Let’s start with the downside: Sharm has no soul. It’s a resort town built from scratch, and it feels like it. The town is sprawling and difficult to navigate. Yes, there are plenty of hotel options, but what you get for your money is generally worse than what you’d get in Dahab. We ended up doing an emergency hotel switch when the first place we booked (Coral Hills Resort) turned out to be a bedbug factory. I strongly recommend you avoid that place—unless you're the kind of traveler who considers itching part of the cultural experience.

That said, the diving off Sharm is spectacular. Sites like Ras Mohammed National Park and Tiran Island offer big fish, dramatic topography, and powerful currents that bring the reefs to life. If you’re an experienced diver, Sharm’s dive sites are simply more than what you’ll find in Dahab. The marine life is bigger. The coral is brighter. The drift dives are drifty-er. It’s world-class.

But there’s a catch: If you’re not already experienced, many Sharm-based dive operators won’t take you to the good sites—at least not until they’ve done a “check-out” dive with you to make sure you’re not a liability. That’s fair—safety first. But it does mean that some of Sharm’s best diving may be off-limits to new or rusty divers unless you're there long enough to work your way up. If you will limited to the entry-level dives, you will probably be better off is Dahab.

Dahab vs Sharm el-Sheikh Diving: Try Both

We spent time in both towns because I was diving with my daughter, who started the trip as an Open Water diver. Dahab was perfect for building her confidence, getting her Advanced certification, and logging enough dives to make Sharm’s more technical sites a safe and enjoyable next step.

This turned out to be a pretty great strategy. Even if I hadn’t been traveling with a less experienced diver, I still would’ve wanted to spend time in Dahab. I loved the town itself. Dinner at Zanooba alone is worth the trip. And while the diving isn’t as mind-blowing as it is off Sharm, it’s still excellent, accessible, and deeply enjoyable.

We also tried to arrange a dive trip from Dahab to Ras Mohammed, and while some dive centers advertise this, in practice we couldn’t find anyone actually willing to run it. If you want to dive Ras Mohammed, you’ll likely have to base yourself in Sharm, at least for a day or two.

Bottom Line

Dahab is a relaxed, friendly town with excellent shore diving and a great travel vibe. Sharm el-Sheikh is the armpit of Egypt, but it gives you access to some of the best diving in the Red Sea/world.

If you can only pick one, your experience level and tolerance for soulless resorts should guide your decision. If you’ve got the time, do what we did: spend a few days in each. Just stay far, far away from Coral Hills Resort—unless you enjoy sleeping with bedbugs. Because travel shouldn’t result in itchy bumps.