Quick Summary
Weather: Being close to the inner Red Sea, it’s often calm with no waves or currents, occasionally small waves and light currents
Buoys: Abundant floating buoys (Posts) ranging from 20m to 40m depth
Visibility: Average 15m+
Water Temperature: Around 24°C when I arrived in November 2022, 22°C when I left in January 2023, can exceed 30°C in summer
If you open Google Maps, you’ll discover that the southernmost tip of Israel is the legendary “Red Sea” – yes, the same Red Sea where “Moses parted the waters.” It’s a very landlocked sea surrounded by four countries: Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The most famous diving spot in this Red Sea is Egypt’s renowned Dahab Blue Hole, while the city where I stayed is Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city, located at the northernmost tip of the Red Sea.
Compared to the Pacific Ocean surrounding Taiwan, the environment here is completely opposite. Imagine Taiwan as the sea, and the Pacific as a vast desert. The narrow Red Sea allows you to see the magnificent mountain ranges of Jordan and Saudi Arabia from Israel. As a result, the sea conditions are extremely stable, with virtually no waves or currents year-round. Often when cycling past the seaside at dusk, I felt the Red Sea was as calm as a mirror. The combination of desert and ocean is both magnificent and romantic, making reviewing photos an endless source of nostalgia!
Photo: The Red Sea at dusk, sometimes as flat as a mirror
There are many diving clubs along the beach here. Some charge entry fees, others don’t. The beach we visited most frequently is called Aqua Sport, which is free. It’s a scuba diving center where my grandfather worked as a scuba instructor for a long time. After entering Aqua Sport, there are many tables and chairs for tourists and customers, plus a bar counter, and then you reach the beach. Israeli beaches are very artificial, with many buildings incredibly close to the shoreline. In comparison, most of Taiwan’s tourist beaches still maintain their pristine beauty.
Since we know the owner here, we store our buoys and weights in their storage warehouse. Every time we enter or exit the water, we change gear and wash equipment in their bathroom. Almost every beach has facilities for showering and cleaning equipment, which is very convenient, though hot water isn’t always guaranteed.
After surfacing, we always have a coffee or beer at the beach bar. However, since one beer costs 22 shekels (about 200 Taiwan dollars), I only had about 3 beers over two months.
Photo: Aqua Sport entry point & the must-visit bar counter after surfacing
From Aqua Sport, there are about four floating buoys in the water – red and white striped poles they call “Posts” with ropes connecting to the seabed. Besides hanging buoys, you can judge current strength by the Posts’ height. When currents are strong, the Posts get pulled underwater, showing only a little bit or becoming completely invisible.
The deepest one is 37 meters, requiring about a 10-minute swim. The shallowest is around 20 meters, just under 5 minutes away. Once you arrive, you simply attach your rope and can drop your weight – extremely convenient. During my two months in Israel, most training sessions were spent at Aqua Sport.
For the 40-meter certification dive, we went to a place called Migdalor, which means “lighthouse” in Hebrew. There’s a 40-meter Post there, and reportedly another one at 60 meters. In summary, for freediving training, this environment is incredibly friendly compared to Taiwan – countless floating buoys (Posts), no random people demanding money, and immediate shower access upon surfacing. In contrast, despite Taiwan’s thriving freediving scene, the disparity in artificial facilities (natural environment aside) makes this lack of user-friendliness truly puzzling.
Photo: Red and white striped poles (Posts) in the sea for hanging buoys
Finally, regarding marine life, this area supposedly offers frequent sightings of small cetaceans, with whale sharks, orcas, and others spotted in nearby waters. However, since I was so focused during training (?), I never saw any of them.
Because most beaches here are overdeveloped with buildings incredibly close to the shore, the beaches I visited had virtually no coral. However, they have a beach called Coral Beach, a designated coral conservation area requiring about 300 Taiwan dollars admission. I visited once and discovered that swimming isn’t allowed where there’s coral. Instead, they’ve created a circular swimming lane that lets you circle around the coral conservation area, but since you can only see the periphery, there’s hardly anything to observe. According to my grandfather, Eilat was a paradise 40 years ago, but now I feel most areas can’t even compare to Kenting.
As for water temperature, when I arrived in November it was around 24°C, and when I left in January it was about 22°C. I wore a 5mm open cell wetsuit throughout, while my training partners all wore 3mm open cell suits. Basically, I consider this a place where you can train comfortably even in winter.
Summary:
Israel’s freediving environment, both natural and artificial facilities, is really excellent! It’s just so far from Taiwan and expensive, making it unlikely for Taiwanese to consider. Plus, if you’re traveling that far, most people would probably prefer visiting Egypt’s Blue Hole! If not for Aharon, I would never have set foot on Israeli soil in my lifetime. So, if any freediving enthusiasts happen to vacation in Israel, I welcome you to visit this southern town of Eilat – a place that exists for Israelis like Kenting does for us – and experience the joy of diving in the Red Sea surrounded by desert!
