Scuba Diving in United Arab Emirates, Middle East

Dubai is situated on the coast of the Arabian Gulf, in the United Arab Emirates, and is NOT the place to dive if you wish to experience the splendour that the Middle East has to offer. The construction around the Palm & the World artificial islands has substantially decreased visibility in the area.

The Arabian Gulf does not really offer outstanding dives, largely because it is flat, sandy & aside from heading out to some of the wrecks offshore, there is not too much to see. If you're lucky, you'll see schools of Barracuda, jacks & tunneys, but nothing that leaves you with that WOW! factor after a dive.

However, for the sake of a short (ish) car journey across the United Arab Emirates towards Fujairah, there are some incredible opportunities for diving. You can go offshore for about twenty / thirty minutes & get to places like Martini Island and Dibba Rock. Alternatively, you can go north from Fujairah & head through to northern Oman. From here, you can get a boat to take you about 45 minutes to the mighty Mussandam.

The deep drop offs and cool water upwelling provides an abundance of plankton, making this area a rich feeding ground for a large variety of marine life. Dolphins, Turtles, Reef sharks, Stingrays, Whale sharks, Barracuda & Sunfish plus all the usual reef fish and soft corals of the Indian Ocean have been seen. The visibility does not extend as much as in the Red Sea, but you will enjoy the abundance of sea life and the numerous species.

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