Gorgon 1 - Dahab
Gorgon 1 is often overlooked for its flashier neighbours, but we think that’s a mistake. This site gives you a proper taste of Red Sea reef diving, focusing on the small wonders rather than just the big pelagics. You start with a gentle slope, maybe 10 to 15 metres, before it eases into a more vertical wall. We love drifting along this edge, eyes peeled for the subtle stuff. We’ve spent entire dives here just watching honeycomb filefish pick their way across the corals, or spotting Arabian blennies darting into their bolt holes. Look closely, and you might find the intricate patterns of a Lesser Valley coral, or a Miry's Demoiselle fiercely guarding its territory. It’s a site for the patient diver, for those who get a kick out of discovering a Spottail Coris foraging among the polyps. Visibility is usually good, which makes finding those smaller species a lot easier. We’d suggest going in the morning; the light catches the reef just right. It’s a great option if you want to avoid the crowds you sometimes find elsewhere around Dahab.
- Location
- Dahab, Egypt, Red Sea & Middle East
- Coordinates
- 29.426193, 34.972122
- Type
- wall
- Maximum Depth
- 20-40m
Marine Protected Area: محمية أبو جالوم
Best Time to Dive in Dahab
The warmest water temperatures in Dahab occur in August, averaging 27.9°C. The coolest conditions are in March at 20.9°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 22.0°C
- February: 21.1°C
- March: 20.9°C
- April: 21.8°C
- May: 24.0°C
- June: 25.6°C
- July: 26.5°C
- August: 27.9°C
- September: 27.3°C
- October: 26.1°C
- November: 25.4°C
- December: 23.8°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Dahab
- 3 Pools - 5-18m (shore)
- 7 Pinnacles - 15-30m (pinnacle)
- ABOUL FAWARES - 6m (wreck)
- Abu Helal - 10-25m (reef)
- Abu Talha - 30m
- ADRIANA - 20m (wreck)
- Aqua Sport
- BLUE FISH - 3m (wreck)
- Blue Hole - 100 (cenote)
- BOREALIS - 0m (wreck)
- Canyon (cave)
- Cedar Pride (wreck)
- Cedar Pride Shipwreck (wreck)
- Circle Divers Dahab House Reef (reef)
- Confined Water Training Area - 5-10m (lagoon)
Nearest Dive Centres to Gorgon 1
Marine Life in Dahab
Home to 27 recorded species including 12 reef fish, 6 hard corals, 5 whales & dolphins, 1 clams & mussels, 1 sharks & rays, 1 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- Marbled Spinefoot (Siganus rivulatus) - Reef Fish
- Lesser valley coral (Platygyra lamellina) - Hard Corals
- Fluorescence grass coral (Galaxea fascicularis) - Hard Corals
- Grey Dolphin (Grampus griseus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Red lionfish (Pterois miles) - Reef Fish
- Bridled Dolphin (Stenella attenuata) - Whales & Dolphins
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
- Staghorn coral (Acropora eurystoma) - Hard Corals
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) - Sharks & Rays
- Rock Cod (Epinephelus fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Blacktail Butterflyfish (Chaetodon austriacus) - Reef Fish
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Red Squirrelfish (Sargocentron diadema) - Reef Fish
- Snakefish (Trachinocephalus myops) - Reef Fish
- Long-beaked Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) - Whales & Dolphins
- Klunzinger's wrasse (Thalassoma rueppellii) - Reef Fish
- Starflower coral (Astreopora myriophthalma) - Hard Corals
- Humpbacked conch (Gibberulus gibberulus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- scad (Priacanthus hamrur) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Gorgon 1
Based on average water temperature of 24.4°C, currents 5 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 24°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories