DIVE ABU DHABI JAZIRAT SIR BU NA’AIR
OLD CEMENT BARGE (OCB)
Location: 70km offshore between Dubai and Abu Dhabi Charted Depth: up to 36m
Dimensions: L: 25m, B: 4m Date Sunk: Unknown Depth: 12m
Jazirat Sir Bu Na’air is an island off the Gulf coast of the Emirates. It is just over 1km long by 0.5km and is used by the UAE as a military outpost and coastguard station.There are no restrictions on sailing or diving near the island but as it is a sensitive military base, it is advisable not to land… Towards the northern end of the island, there is a large area of table and staghorn coral in magnificent condition. The coral runs north to the 20 metre mark, then the seabed shelves down to 30 metres plus.The north-eastern side has large flat rocks and coral, and there are more extensive areas of coral to the north-west… Although a long journey, diving at Jazirat Sir Bu Na’air is definitely well worth it. The island is rarely visited by divers or fishermen and the resulting lack of disturbance encourages prolific shoals of fish. There are numerous large pelagic fish, spotted eagle rays, barracuda and large rays… HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, issued Administrative Order No. 3 for the year 2000, banning all activities considered harmful to the environment of Jazirat Sir Bu Na’air island… The order bans the fishing of all species of sea turtle, collection of their eggs or damage of their nesting beaches along the island’s coastline…
OCB, as it’s fondly called by Abu Dhabi divers, is located 20 minutes from the heart of Abu Dhabi. It’s a cement barge that lies upright on the sandy bottom with cement bags intact on the stern side of the boat. There is a plethora of marine life that can be found here. There are Hammours hiding throughout the wreck, some Arabian Angelfish, large schools of Yellow Snappers and schools of Batfish who are not diver-shy. Occasionally, you will also see Stingrays looking out from the sandy bottom. Avid photographers, on closer look, can also find several species of nudibranchs along the wreck, a few of which, cannot be found in other dive sites. Visibility is generally around 5 to 15 metres. Diver precaution: the wreck is slowly collapsing so it is not advisable to penetrate any overhead environment. Watch out too for those pesky sea urchins and stinging hydroids on the wreck.
Text courtesy of Al Masaood
‘The above information is taken from one of Explorer Publishing’s best-selling guides. Look out for the UAE Underwater Explorer, 3rd Edition due out in late 2006.’ All Explorer products are available from leading bookstores, supermarkets, hotels and airports. For more information on any Explorer Publishing titles visit www. Exlorer-Publishing.com, email enquiries to info@Explorer-Publishing.com or call +971 4 3353520.
Photo courtesy of Peter Mainka
Photo courtesy of Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club 26 EMIRATES DIVING ASSOCIATION, AUGUST 2006
Photo courtesy of Peter Mainka