Diving in the UAE can be dived into 3 zones; Musandam, East Coast and the Gulf (Dubai).
At the moment, there is only limited diving to be found off the Dubai coast due to the offshore construction that is taking place, so most divers tend to dive Musandam and the East Coast.
The difference between them are that the Gulf is all wreck diving, whereas the other two offer coral reefs and prolific marine life. Both the East Coast and Musandam are easily accessible from Dubai by road - Musandam offers the best diving, but due to the distance to the dive sites and other logistic restrictions, dive operators require a minimum number of divers to go there.
Oman is situated on the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula and was until recently something of an enigma, closed off to the outside world. Over the past few years the country has opened its borders to travellers and is rapidly gaining a reputation for the quality of it’s diving. Oman enjoys great natural assets. Breathtaking mountains plunge directly into the Arabian Sea along large sections of the countries 1700 km of coastline. Once inland, the mountains give way to extensive sand dune fields and desert. The country has a rich history, much of which is visible to visitors.
Divers of all experience levels can enjoy the dive sites accessible from Muscat, the capital of Oman. The diving here is well established, with over forty recognised sites. There are few currents and dives range in depth from ten to thirty metres. Plankton rich waters attract a large amount of marine life, which includes many pelagic species. The waters surrounding Muscat provide fine 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, huge table corals, beautiful black coral, colourful whip and teddy-bear corals. The sea is abundant with 900 species of fish ranging from the little cleaner wrasse to the enormous whale shark. So numerous and varied is the fish population in the waters of Oman that new species are still being discovered and identified.
Dive boats on route to dive sites occasionally encounter both Pilot whales and Whale sharks. Five species of turtle are found in Omani waters, including sometimes the elusive Hawksbill. In addition to turtles divers often see both Devil and Eagle rays. Ultimately though, the sheer amount of life found on the reefs of Oman leaves the most lasting impressions on the memories of most divers.
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 is based on rock and coral sites with a few coral covered wrecks.
