Diving in Oman: An Underwater Paradise

The waters in and around Muscat offer exciting tropical Coral Sea diving. The nutrient-rich water attracts a wide variety and quantity of marine life. 85 genera of hard and soft corals are found here, enormous table corals, wonderful black coral, colorful whip and teddy-bear corals. The sea is abundant with 900 species of fishes from the wrasse to the huge whale shark. The fish population in the waters of Oman is numerous and varied and even new species are often being identified and discovered.

 

Visiting divers from around the world conclude that the Sultanate’s waters may not be as clear (on average 10-15 meters, sometimes exceeding 25-30 meters), as the Red Sea, but the size and sheer quantity of marine life in the Sultanate is without equal. Due to the high content of nutrients, which are regularly replenished by the up welling of deep oceanic waters the fish are thriving in these waters.

 

There are no strong currents in these parts of the Arabian Sea and as such diving is both fun and easy for the beginning and experienced diver alike. The diving in Oman is based on rock and coral sites with a few coral covered wrecks. The dive sites are all within easy reach of Muscat Dive Centers, the closest only 3 minutes away and the furthest a mere one and a half hours boat drive.

 

Dive Trips

Muscat Dive Centers run dive trips daily as long as a minimum of two divers are booked. For the first dives of the day, the boats leave at 9 a.m. returning to the Centre by around 1.30 p.m. after completing 2 dives at different sites. The boats leave again at 2.30 for one dive returning to the Centre by around 4.30 p.m.

 

Night dives are run once every 2 weeks for a minimum of 4 divers. The boat leaves at around 6 p.m. during the winter months and 7 p.m. for the rest of the year. Please, note that the minimum qualification for night dives is PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, or equivalent.

 

All divers are requested to be at the Dive Centre at least half an hour before boat departure.

 

When making the booking please let us know the following:-

– Number of dives to date and the date of last dive done, as we may advise either a checkout in the pool or a Scuba Tune-up.

– Level of qualification – bring along proof of qualification and a logbook.

– Equipment requirement and approximate size

 

Please note, ODC has a 24-hour no fly / altitude rule after diving)

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *