Diving in the Gulf of Oman
Oman or Sultanate of Oman is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea to the southeast and the Gulf of Oman to the northeast. This is above all a land or as I like to call it "Land Risen from the Sea". It is surprisingly true that this land has been at sea for a long time. Climate change has created this amazing mountainous region. The mountains are arid and Oman is actually considered a desert. But you will hardly feel it. This country is highly developed with all world-class services, schools, universities, hospitals, supermarkets, restaurants, restaurants, and shopping malls. You can easily find all international brands here.
Muscat is the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. This place has created an extraordinary adventure sport and related activity, the most famous Scuba Diving. Then you can enjoy snorkeling, sea swimming, rock climbing, canyoning, caving,
What does diving in a nature reserve look like ...
dune biking/bashing, dolphin watching, bird watching, and much more. You can choose between day trips or weekend trips. The weekends are Friday and Saturday.
Dive Area and Dive Sites
Dimaniyat Islands: a series of small rocky islands with many coral reefs. It is a nature reserve and by visiting and diving I understand why this is so. It is also an important nesting site for turtles and is about a 45-minute (18-20km) drive from the Batinah coast. It is a group of nine small uninhabited islands and has been under the protection of the Ministry of the Environment since 1996. There are about 12 dive sites here, but only a few are very famous. This place is often considered the pearl of the Gulf of Oman. It is also known as a breeding ground for migratory birds. You can easily spot them in large groups as they laze on the white sand of the beaches. It is a government-protected nature reserve. My diving experiences come mainly from this island.
Bander Khayran:
Bandar Khayran dive sites are very close to Muscat. Diving takes place here on shallower reefs, but it also offers the opportunity to dive into a very famous Al Munnassir wreck that's around 100 feet deep. It is a ship sunk by the Omani government and is therefore an artificial coral reef. I haven't had a chance to dive here but have heard that due to the reef, many schools of fish and moray eels now thrive and nest here. I was able to refer to this because I had seen an artificial reef in Pondicherry and saw many aquatic animals inhabit the place and increase in number. I think it's a great way to keep aquatic animals.
Fahal Islands:
The Fahal Islands are only 4-5 km from the coast. It is a small limestone island where you can dive well and even swim among the coral rocks. It is also called Shark Island but unfortunately, I have not seen a shark here.
Other dive sites: The other dive sites are located in Musandam and Salalah. Can't comment on this as I haven't dived here and am not aware of it.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The depths vary from 12 meters to 30 meters. Some technical diving centers reach up to 40 meters.
The general view of the Dimaniyat islands was excellent. As for the Fahal Islands, it wasn't very good. I talked to the instructor about it and he explained that dive sites have better visibility if they are farther offshore. Even for the Fahal Islands, the visibility of one dive site is completely different from the other dive site which is only 300-400 meters away.
The water temperature here ranges from 16oC to 28oC. It depends if you dive in winter (from mid-October to March) or in summer (from March to September).
In Oman, you can dive all year round.
Many divers face the dilemma of whether or not to dive in Dimaniyat. There are very few dive shops that offer diving in Dimaniyats as it requires special permits from the ministry and is a bit far from the coast. Having dived in both Dimaniyats and Fahal Island, I can say without a doubt that diving in Dimaniyats is unlike anywhere else. The kind of marine life, corals, and views you can see here is absolutely breathtaking. If you are staying in a hotel near the Fahal Islands and are short on time, you can also dive into Facials. They too have a man-made shipwreck and offer a decent diving experience.
Diving Sites On Dimaniyat Islands
Hayut
Depth: 18-21 meters
General Visibility: Very Good. Approx. 18-20 meters.
It is located at the beginning of the Dimaniyat Islands. The boat takes you to a wall that reaches up to 21 meters deep. Swim a bit towards the rocks and then go down. If you go down you will see some beautiful purple corals. I have done 3 dives here on different days.
1st Dive: It was great to see corals of other colors like pink and blue as I had only seen them in photos and films. The main highlight of this site is the purple corals. It feels like swimming in a coral garden. I also saw a sea snake for the first time. I was close enough to him and he was staring at me out of the corner of my eye and quickly swam away from me. There wasn't much fish on the first dive, but I was amazed by the corals there.
Baby Fishes
2nd dive: Just like the previous one, I dived along the wall and swam among the purple corals. I saw some fish and identified a lionfish and an angelfish. I also saw a turtle and swam with it for a few minutes. Somehow I have a knack for following sea creatures wherever they go. I saw many moray eels during this dive. Later I swam along the wall and was lucky enough to see a leopard shark resting on the seabed (21 meters) with a small school of fish underneath. Unfortunately, the camera I rented only shot up to 60 feet. I was close enough to the shark, but my camera gave up. So I got up a little and took a picture.
Leopard Shark
3rd dive: I dived along the wall and swam among the beautiful corals. While swimming through it, I saw a small cave in which 3 rays rested. Later in the same dive, we saw some fish and a turtle. I also saw 2 stingrays mating in another small cave. It appears to be the mating season as I have also seen many turtle matings.
Aquarium
Depth: 16-21 meters
General Visibility: Quite Good, Approx. 15-18 meters.
It is very close to Hayut. It only takes 7-8 minutes by boat to get to this place from Hayut. For this dive site, the boat must first anchor at the dive site. It also serves as a good reference line for divers. This is one of the most amazing dive sites in Oman. Sometimes you see huge schools of fish and it is difficult to determine the path. Swimming with them as part of their group is a wonderful feeling. I have done 5 dives here on different days.
This dive site has two faces. One is where you swim a bit away from the boat to rock and see seahorses. The other is near the boat where you swim with different types of fish.
1st Dive: was a relatively shallow dive. During the dive, I saw corals gargle and among them were moral eels in their relaxed mood. We saw a lot of them on this dive. We saw a lot of fish and swam around the place. I wish the dive could have been longer.
2nd Dive: After anchoring we dived and were greeted by many small fish. As I said before, this dive site has a lot of marine life and you can't get enough of it. I swam through many schools of fish. I also saw the turtles and followed them for a few minutes. The variety of species is great. Sometimes you will see a whole herd of snappers, scorpion fish, etc. There are so many moray eels and rays that it's hard to count!
3rd dive: in addition to swimming with fish, during this dive, I saw 2 huge eagle ray mats. We were a group of 7-8 divers and some of them took pictures. We were quite far from them, but I think one of them got annoyed and literally ran toward us. We all got up a little and had a good laugh while we were back on the boat.
4th dive: this time I dived to visit the other side. We swam away from the boat and saw a huge rock with large cracks. There were a lot of plants in these cracks. The diving instructor removed some of them so he could spot the seahorses. They were cute little brown creatures and seemed to bother them while we slept. Most of them had half-closed eyes and were looking at us curiously.
5th dive: This dive was one of the most amazing dives I have done so far. It's hard to believe, but I've seen schools of eternal fish. At some point, it became a bit difficult to imagine the landscape. I just followed them and didn't think much. It was an exciting experience. Later I left and swam around the boat for a while.
Gordon Street
Depth: 18-21 meters
Visibility: Good, Approx. 18 meters.
I only did 1 dive on this site. It wasn't a very spectacular place compared to Hayut and Aquarium. It is close enough to a snorkeling spot. Because divers were outnumbered by snorkelers. We took a dip there.
The boat dropped us off at the dive site. As we descended, we spotted a leopard shark right below us. We swam with the mortal for a while and then moved on
Garden of Eden
Depth: 19 meters
Visibility: good. about 15 meters.
This dive site is beautifully landscaped and has huge blocks of rocks and coral. It was a pleasure to swim through such rock formations. Since I only did 1 dive, I can't say much about it. During this special dive, I saw many schools of fish and many moray eels. I thought it was an interesting dive site and would love to dive here again.
3 Sister Dimaniyat
Depth: 17-21 meters
Visibility: excellent. about 15-20 meters.
It is a beautiful and colorful dive site. Corals are beautiful and multicolored. There is also an island near this dive site of the same name. I've only done 2 dives here.
1st Dive: Visibility during the dive was great and we saw some fish. After a while, the visibility got worse and you couldn't see much anymore. During this dive, my dive buddy did not feel well. The diving instructor asked me if I agreed that he would take her to leave her on the boat and I agreed. While she was away, I swam around and saw multicolored rocks. At first, I couldn't believe it, but then I realized they had to be corals. When the instructor joined me after a few minutes, we went to the bottom and saw a cave there. We tried to enter the cave but were surprised by the darkness on the muzzle itself. My instructor indicated that it is not safe to enter such dark areas without the help of a flashlight and a knife. That's why we dropped the idea. He took me to another area within the same dive site and saw many multicolored corals and moray eels again.
2nd Dive: This was one of the most rewarding dives he has ever done. Going down a bit, we saw 3 leopard sharks resting on the sandy bottom. Visibility was excellent today. Because we could see 20 meters below us and see sharks from afar. We floated high above the sharks for a while and enjoyed the show. It was difficult to leave them behind, but we had to continue our dive. We later saw a turtle nesting in its rock house. We also saw many moray eels and rays on this dive. It is very difficult to get such a beautiful view and so many leopard sharks and rays at the same time.
The Beaches Of The Dimaniyat Islands
There are many small beaches on the Dimaniyat Islands. Like islands, the beaches are remote and inaccessible to non-divers and the general public. Except for divers and snorkelers, very few people visit these islands. That is why you will find pristine and untouched beauty here. All the islands are covered with white sand which adds to the beauty of this beautiful place.
Amazing white sand beaches
Dive sites at the fahal islands
The boat trip to the Fahal Islands was short and they gave us insight into the beautiful limestone area. I have only visited these islands once and therefore only saw 2 dive sites. The dive sites are pretty average, but the islands' scenery is breathtaking.
Fahal Wreck
Depth: 26-28 meters
Wreck length: 32 meters
Visibility: good. about 15-18 meters.
Dive in and get out with ease. The wreck is a bit far from where you dive. It is a small man-made wreck that was sunk by the Ministry to allow for the growth of marine life. I've seen man-made sites before and think it's a good idea. There is a lot of fish here. We swam the length and breadth of the wreck. I thought it was a pretty ordinary dive with not much to see. The bottom of the wreck is 28 meters and there we dived deep.
FAHAL WEST BAY
Depth: 21 meters
Visibility: medium. About 12-15 meters.
There are a lot of algae in the waters of this island. The instructor told us that downward visibility will improve and it definitely does. This is a much better place than the Fahal wreck. There are huge boulders and coral rocks. We swam a lot and saw many turtles. I believe there is a turtle hatchery nearby which is why we have
seen many turtles here. Instructors told me this is commonly known as Shark Island, but I haven't seen any. Maybe today wasn't the day to meet them.
After these 14 dives, I completely fell in love with Oman. It has great diving to offer and many other adventure activities. The people here are very helpful and make you feel comfortable and safe at all times. I would like to thank the owners of Mountain Valley Holidays for me so well and for helping me in any way they can. I really appreciate the professionalism shown to me on the last day of my dive.
In the end, I would like to conclude that Oman is believed to have originated from the sea and after doing many dives here I could imagine how it all became possible. Rock formations and boulders in the sea are known in the mountains of Oman
Mountain Valley Holidays: Travel & Tourism is a young and dynamic travel company based in Muscat, Oman. We specialize in providing a full range of travel services and provide you all kinds of sea tours activities in the Sultanate of Oman. With qualified and professional captains and crews in the boat, the best quality equipment, and services, you will have the best memories and experiences! We operate dolphin-watching tours every day, Snorkeling in Al Khiran and Dimaniyat. We Are Specialist in Turning Your Holiday Wishes into Reality. Pickup and Drop. Payment on Arrival. Free Reservation
Click for more information:+
COASTAL TRIP (Duration 2 hours)
SNORKELING IN BANDAR KARAN ( 02 Hours Tour )
DOLPHINS AND SNORKELING TRIP (03 Hours Tour)
DOLPHIN WATCHING (02 Hours Tour)
