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The Pools

📍 Dahab, Egypt

Pyjama Slug (Chromodoris quadricolor) - recorded at The Pools

The Pools is a dive site in Dahab, Egypt. Currents typically run at 0.6 km/h and reach 1 km/h on the strongest days. Water temperatures range from 22°C in February to 29°C in August. The typical daily tidal range is about 0.5 m. Species recorded in the area include Pyjama Slug, Tiger Cardinalfish, Tridacna squamosina, Variable Stromb and Indo-Pacific Sergeant Major.

Dive Conditions

💨
Current
0.6 km/h (1.0)
🌡️
Water Temp
22–29 °C

🐠 Marine Life at This Dive Site

Pyjama Slug — seen at this dive site
Pyjama Slug Chromodoris quadricolor no rights reserved
blotched nerite — seen at this dive site
blotched nerite Nerita albicilla (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Tiger Cardinalfish — seen at this dive site
Tiger Cardinalfish Cheilodipterus macrodon (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Tridacna squamosina — seen at this dive site
Tridacna squamosina Tridacna squamosina (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Variable Stromb — seen at this dive site
Variable Stromb Maculastrombus mutabilis (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Indo-Pacific Sergeant Major — seen at this dive site
Indo-Pacific Sergeant Major Abudefduf vaigiensis (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Species data from iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)

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Typical Current 0.6 km/h (up to 1.0)
Water Temperature 22–29 °C
Tidal Range 0.5 m (typical daily)
GPS 28.4363°, 34.4585°

Data sources: currents and water temperature from Open-Meteo Marine (CC BY 4.0), hourly model values 2024. Tidal range is the median daily range of modelled sea level from Open-Meteo Marine, hourly values 2024. Species observations from iNaturalist, checked against the World Register of Marine Species.

Conditions at The Pools through the year

Sea surface temperature at the site coordinates, averaged per month from hourly model values for 2024. The water is warmest in August at about 29 °C and coolest in February at about 22 °C, a spread of 7.8 degrees across the year.

Monthly sea surface temperature at The Pools (°C)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
22.8 21.6 22.1 23.1 24.2 26.5 28.4 29.4 27.8 26.4 25.6 23.8

Ocean current at the site runs at a typical 0.6 km/h. In the strongest tenth of the hours modelled for 2024 it reaches 1.0 km/h, which is when entries are normally timed to slack water at the turn of the tide.

The tide moves the water level by a median 0.5 m over a day, and by up to 0.7 m on the largest days of the month. That range drives how much water is exchanged over the reef and when the current turns.

Offshore wave statistics are not shown for The Pools: within 10 km of the site there is land in the directions from which 100 % of the waves in the area arrive, so open-sea values would overstate the swell at the site itself.

Satellite habitat mapping places The Pools on an outer reef slope, over a seabed mapped as coral and algae.

How The Pools compares

These comparisons use only the measured values above, set against the 351 dive sites published on findadive.com. A percentage shows the share of other sites with a lower (or higher) value, so it reads the same way wherever the site is. The Pools sits with its mean water temperature in the bottom tenth and its coolest-month water temperature in the bottom tenth of all listed sites.

The Pools compared with all listed sites
MeasureThis siteCompared with all sitesRegional median
Mean water temperature25.1 °Ccooler than 99 % of the other 350 sites–
Water temperature in the coolest month21.6 °Ccooler than 99 % of the other 350 sites–
Typical current0.6 km/hweaker than 88 % of the other 350 sites–
Current in the strongest 10 % of hours1.0 km/hweaker than 97 % of the other 350 sites–
Median daily tidal range0.5 msmaller than 99 % of the other 350 sites–

Water temperature, current and tide from Open-Meteo Marine (CC BY 4.0), hourly model values for 2024 at 28.4363°, 34.4585°. Wave statistics from ERA5-Ocean via Open-Meteo Marine (contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2015–2024), daily maximum wave height on a 0.5° grid; land shelter tested against Natural Earth coastlines. Reef structure and seabed cover from the Allen Coral Atlas © 2018–2023 Allen Coral Atlas Partnership and Arizona State University (CC BY 4.0).

Marine life recorded at this site

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist within about 12 km of these coordinates.

Pyjama Slug (Chromodoris quadricolor)
Pyjama Slug Chromodoris quadricolor no rights reserved · CC0 · observation
Tiger Cardinalfish (Cheilodipterus macrodon)
Tiger Cardinalfish Cheilodipterus macrodon (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Tridacna squamosina (Tridacna squamosina)
Tridacna squamosina Tridacna squamosina (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Variable Stromb (Maculastrombus mutabilis)
Variable Stromb Maculastrombus mutabilis (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Indo-Pacific Sergeant Major (Abudefduf vaigiensis)
Indo-Pacific Sergeant Major Abudefduf vaigiensis A pale-bodied damselfish with five dark vertical bars, often seen in large, active schools above the reef.to 20 cm · 1-12 m · by dayshallow reef flats, slopes, and piersLook for shimmering schools near the surface, especially around structures like buoys or jetty pilings. (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Klunzinger's Wrasse (Thalassoma rueppellii)
Klunzinger's Wrasse Thalassoma rueppellii (c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Chevron Butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifascialis)
Chevron Butterflyfish Chaetodon trifascialis A butterflyfish with a chevron pattern of thin black lines on a white body, a black bar through the eye, and a yellow tail.to 18 cm · 1-30 m · by daycoral-rich areas, especially around tabular AcroporaOften seen in pairs, closely inspecting coral branches. It is shy and will retreat if approached directly. (c) Slunky, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation