Placed in a channel of the Red Sea, Eilat is likely Israel’s largest tourist attraction, and for good reason.
From it’s gorgeous light blue water to unique and endless shopping malls, it’s no wonder so many people come to Eilat each year.
A great feature about diving in Eilat is that due to most of the site’s proximity to the shore, a boat is not always needed. Most dive charters in Eilat don’t use a boat for their daily tours.
Eilat is a great option for those wanting to dive in the Red Sea, but don’t want to go to Egypt. Israel’s culture is pretty different from other places and is highly recommended for people to see.
Best Eilat Dive Sites
Now that you have a bit of a background on Eilat, and why this is such a great place to scuba dive, let’s jump right into some of the most famous dive sites.
Northern Eilat Dive Sites
Sunboat
Sunboat was one of our favorite wrecks in Eilat due to its diverse wildlife and structure. At the site, there’s the main Sunboat wreck and then lines that connect to other smaller shipwrecks making it easier to navigate.
One issue with the site is its poor location that collects massive amounts of loose silt and sand. The boat was once used as a liveaboard but was decommissioned and sunk.
Next time any of you plan to sink your boats, please put more thought into the location.
Regardless of the poor visibility, it’s an amazing dive that we highly recommend. Having a proper scuba mask will also help out with visibility.
As far as sea life, expect to see endless lionfish, sea urchins, and reef fish.
Moses And Joshua Rock
These rocks are another popular dive site in the Coral Beach area that can be accessed by boat. Moses rock sits around 10m and is a soft coral formation with incredible visibility.
Closeby, you’ll find Joshua Rock which is covered in harder corals and wildlife.
Due to the relatively high traffic, there is a required maintenance fee for all divers. If you’d like to continue this dive site a bit deeper, you’ll make your way to the Japanese Gardens.
Japanese Gardens
Japanese Gardens are one of the largest dive sites in Eilat, covering half a mile. Throughout the dive site, you’ll notice a large amount of sea life. Due to its size, it’s key to have the right fins for the job, allowing you to see the entirety of the dive site.
One issue with this dive site is its difficulty to get to from the shore. If you’d still like to go to this site, it’s recommended to go with one of the dive charters we list later in this article.
Southern Eilat Dive Sites
Neptunes Tables
Neptunes Tables is a dive site near the border of Egypt and Israel. It’s a popular dive site from dive charters due to its range of depths, great visibility, and endless tables of acropora.
Upon entering the dive site at around 5m, you’ll notice a beautiful shallow reef formation and a large concentration of sea life. Expect to see plenty of eels, triggerfish, and more.
Due to the relatively low depth, this is a common place for open water and beginner divers to visit.
As you go deeper, to around the 20m level, you’ll notice several pinnacles with swarming sea life, beautiful meadows, and more Acropora.
Nudibranches are often spotted here, although it’s more common in the winter months.
While this dive site can be accessed from the shore, it’s recommended to do it from a boat.
Other Dive Sites
Sufa Shipwreck Dive
This is likely the most incredible dive site in Eilat. Sitting around 25m deep, the INS Sufa is a Sa’ar 3-class missile boat that has its place in world history.
The boat is part of the Cherbourg Project, an Israeli military operation that took place in 1963, in which the Mossad recovered five embargoed warships from the French.
The story behind this ship is truly fascinating, but we won’t go into too many details here.
The historical ship was sunk in 1994 in order to create a dive attraction. Similar to some other dives mentioned in this guide, the dive site is able to be visited from boat or shore.
If you’re feeling adventurous and have the proper experience, navigating through some of the wreck’s lower decks is a must.
When To Go To Eilat?
Eilat is pretty busy all year round, but that’s certainly not to say that some months aren’t better to visit in than others.
The budget also plays a pretty large role in timing your visit to Eilat. June-July is likely the cheapest due to the extreme heat in Eilat.
If the price isn’t a large factor, then Eilat can be enjoyed the most between August to September.
