Diving in the UAE/Oman

[MartinS]

Hi all,

I haven't posted my u/w photos here before but I've occasionally dropped in to see what's been happening. Having been posted to the UAE for work I've now had a chance to dive the UAE east coast and Oman (all Indian ocean side). I must say that I was pretty impressed. Marine life is actually more prolific and better than aur or tioman however I have yet to see an extensive variety of Nudis..

Therefore here are some u/w shots from over here,

All taken with Canon powershot A620 in Ikelite housing, Inon UCL and Inon D2000 strobe.

Martin

 

[swee sin]

good shot ..
please post more ...

 

[diver-hloc]

good shot ..
please post more ...

Agree.... MORE PLEASE :thumbsup:

 

[eudon]

Great shots from quite an exotic dive destination! nice!

 

[MartinS]

Thanks for the kind comment guys. Ok more photos from UAE/Oman.

 

[cyrzk]

nice catch on the moray.:thumbsup:

 

[howeikwok]

The moray looks 'bo geh' (toothless) though... :bsmilie:

 

[antacid]

i like the last nudi shot. somehow the background motif helps accentuate the patterns on the nudibranchs

 

[diver-hloc]

Bro MartinS....

Since you have dive locally (SE Asia) and now in UAE/Oman..... what would you said to be the biggest difference between the 2 ?? :think:

In terms of -

1) Marine Life
2) Diving Condition (current, weather, Water VIS... etc)
3) State of the Dive Centre (Run by Pros ? Condition of equipment... etc)
4) Any other things on your mind......

Thxs :thumbsup:

 

[freonmind]

I did some diving at Khor Fakkan over which is on the East coast of the UAE. Absolutely no comparison, in my opinion, compared with the sites here in SEA. Somehow get the feeling that there isn't as much diversity but then again I've been spoilt rotten by Sipadan.
June last year Cyclone Gonu took a swipe at the area. Would be interesting to know the impact on the reefs there.

 

[MartinS]

Bro MartinS....

Since you have dive locally (SE Asia) and now in UAE/Oman..... what would you said to be the biggest difference between the 2 ?? :think:

In terms of -

1) Marine Life
2) Diving Condition (current, weather, Water VIS... etc)
3) State of the Dive Centre (Run by Pros ? Condition of equipment... etc)
4) Any other things on your mind......

Thxs :thumbsup:

Hi diver hloc,

Very sorry for the late reply. I have only had 4 dives so far so it may still be too early to give a proper comparision but here is what I feel. I went in with very low expectations (what is generally required here in the UAE!) and my first impression of Musandam was good with lots of marine life. But I believe Musandam is better done on a liveaboard trip coz all the other numerous sites are way up north.
I dived 2 wrecks and one of them was typical of most wreck dives. Strong surface currents, poor viz, lots of divers doing safety stop on the descend line, not fun. But the second wreck dive closer to shore was better and more fun.

Level of service? Hmm...the operator I went with generally seemed ok but I think they may have an issue with their level of equipment maintenance. There was this American guy on the boat who's second stage regulator came off when he was gearing up! Thinking I was one of the Filipino dive staff he looked at me and said "I just had this regulator serviced by you guys!" I replied "Sorry, I don't work here".

Anyway I am planning another dive this Friday (our weekends here are Fri and Sat) so will be able to provide more info. After diving Pulau Aur/Dayang for so many quick weekend getaway trips, I am glad to finally have somewhere else to dive and explore.

Martin

 

[diver-hloc]

Hi diver hloc,

Very sorry for the late reply. I have only had 4 dives so far so it may still be too early to give a proper comparision but here is what I feel. I went in with very low expectations (what is generally required here in the UAE!) and my first impression of Musandam was good with lots of marine life. But I believe Musandam is better done on a liveaboard trip coz all the other numerous sites are way up north.
I dived 2 wrecks and one of them was typical of most wreck dives. Strong surface currents, poor viz, lots of divers doing safety stop on the descend line, not fun. But the second wreck dive closer to shore was better and more fun.

Level of service? Hmm...the operator I went with generally seemed ok but I think they may have an issue with their level of equipment maintenance. There was this American guy on the boat who's second stage regulator came off when he was gearing up! Thinking I was one of the Filipino dive staff he looked at me and said "I just had this regulator serviced by you guys!" I replied "Sorry, I don't work here".

Anyway I am planning another dive this Friday (our weekends here are Fri and Sat) so will be able to provide more info. After diving Pulau Aur/Dayang for so many quick weekend getaway trips, I am glad to finally have somewhere else to dive and explore.

Martin

Thxs for the reply..... better late than never :bsmilie:

I believe that most ppl here have little to no information on Scuba Diving in & around mideast..... except maybe for the 'Red Sea'. I'm alittle surpise that the service of the DC is lacking.... but since I'm not there personally.... I've have to take your words for it. Maybe even in UAE.... there are 'IN' and 'OFF' season diving, which explain the poor viz :bsmilie:

But may I know why you said this - :think:

I went in with very low expectations (what is generally required here in the UAE!)

 

[MartinS]

Well I know the general perception of Dubai is that it is this fun, exciting and modern place to be in. In reality, poor levels of service, bad attitudes, numerous construction projects, frequent road diversions, bad city planning, sky rocketing inflation and questionable government policies make this place a major test of ones patience. If this wasn't a company posting I would not be here on my own accord.

Thankfully one of the joys I've found to alleviate all these is scuba diving here, though not great but at least still something.

 

[MartinS]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd upload some more underwater shots from the UAE again...This time I am finally using my Nikon D80 underwater with a Nexus housing.

Crinoid Cling fish

Don't know the name nudibranch

Crinoid shrimp with pointer to scale..yes I know this shot ain't terribly exciting what with the clutter background..

Some other nudibranch...I really should make an effort to get to know these nudis.

All shots taken with Nikkor 60mm micro lens. I just obtained the 105mm and port and I can't wait to get into the water with this.

Cheers all.

 

[MartinS]

Hi all,

Thought I'd share again some new U/W shots from the UAE this time taken with a 105mm macro.

Was trying to aim for a head on shot but lost patience after awhile..

Will be going to Lembeh early next year so I need all the practice I can get! Please feel free to critic (but be gentle okay?)

Martin

 

[madmartian]

Nice series!