Diving holiday in Oman
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Description of Diving holiday in Oman
All our itineraries are tailor-made and the below is just a suggestion. We can tailor-make your diving holiday to include as much or as little as you would like – maybe a trip to a nearby Wadi or a desert camping adventure. Whether it's just a week's diving holiday you are after or a complete Oman adventure, our specialist team can guide you to your ultimate diving holiday experience.
This amazing diving holiday will show you the best diving Oman has to offer. The diving in Muscat and the diving in Salalah are very different making this an excellent twin centre trip with a good contrast in diving conditions and sea life.
You start your trip in Oman's capital, Muscat, with its golden beaches and breath-taking mountain backdrops. Here you will find a wonderful mix of the ancient with the modern and it is renowned as one of the cleanest Arab capitals.
There are over 40 dive sites to visit off the coast of Muscat to include the well-known Daymaniyat Islands, Banda Khairan, Fahal Islands. With deep drop offs, wrecks and coral flanked walls this brings a wealth of reef fish. The cool water up welling provides an abundance of plankton which, although can effect visibility, does make this area a rich feeding ground for a large variety of marine life to include dolphins, turtles, reef sharks, stingrays, whale sharks, barracuda etc.
You then fly down to Salalah which is the capital of the Dhofar region and sits on a long sandy palm fringed beach. Due to the June to September monsoon (the “khareef”) the surrounding countryside is lush and tropical offering an amazing contrast to Muscat. Explore miles of deserted white sand beaches and where the Frankincense trees can be found in the surrounding mountains.
The best time for diving is from October through to May due to the large kelp forests that can grow here in the summer months. There are numerous dive sites along a 40 km stretch of coast where the waters are extremely blue with good visibility. You can find some beautiful brain and table corals together with schooling fish, moray eels, nudibranch, turtles, large groupers and a variety of rays.
Itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly from London Heathrow to Muscat direct with Oman Air. |
| Day 2: | Early morning arrival into Muscat airport where you will be met for your private transfer directly to your hotel. The rest of the day is a free day at your hotel to relax and explore your surroundings. |
| Day 3: | First 2 x morning boat dives (B) - You will meet at the dive centre to sort out paperwork, equipment hire etc. You will then be transferred on to the boat where you will be taken to two different dive sites to complete your 2 x morning dives for that day (with the relevant surface interval). You will then return to your hotel to relax and explore your surroundings. |
| Day 4: | Second 2 x morning boat dives (B) - Itinerary as Day 3. |
| Day 5: | Third 2 x morning boat dives (B) - Itinerary as Day 3. |
| Day 6: | You will be picked up by private transfer from your hotel and taken to Muscat airport where you will fly down to Salalah. On arrival to Salalah airport you will be met by your private transfer and taken directly to your hotel. (B) |
| Day 7: | First 2 x shore or boat dives - You will be picked up at your resort where you will sort out paperwork. Equipment hire will be sorted out prior to arrival. Dependant on the weather conditions, you will then take your 2 x morning dives either by boat or by shore (with the relevant surface interval). You will then return to your hotel for the afternoon to relax and explore your surroundings. |
| Day 8: | Second 2 x shore/boat dives (B) - Itinerary as Day 3. |
| Day 9: | Third 2 x shore/boat dives (B) - Itinerary as Day 3. |
| Day 10: | As the recommended requirement is a surface interval of 24 hours from your last dive time to flying, this is a free day at your hotel to relax and explore your surroundings. |
| Day 11: | Departure (B) - To be picked up by private transfer and taken to Salalah airport to fly back to London Heathrow via Muscat. |
Price information
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Responsible Travel
Planet
Concern for the environment in Oman is a national necessity and so the Government ensures that economic growth occurs without the destruction of the environment or loss of its renewable resources. The Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) launched a campaign on the importance of saving water to make consumers more aware about water conservation, and the changing patterns in water consumption. This can be seen at a number of our chosen resorts with particular attention being made to not changing linen and towels every day but just when the guest requires.The dive centres here educate you about protecting and conserving their reefs as an integral part of everyday diving. Clients are informed of the importance of keeping your distance from sensitive environments and not touching corals or animals. They also regularly spend time cleaning up litter and plastics when found.
At Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa in Muscat they have a Turtle Care Project which aims to protect the endangered hawksbill and green turtles species native to the beaches of Oman. A dedicated turtle ranger has been appointed to ensure the nests are sheltered away from any threats and to raise awareness amongst guests and local communities alike on the plight of turtles through educational activities such as talks and viewings.
People
All our guides for our tours are all local Omani Nationals enabling you to share in their resident knowledge of their culture, way of life, history and customs. They are full of boundless knowledge and enthusiasm and this helps our guests to gain a better understanding of the local culture so that tourism can impact in a positive way.Our chosen dive centres also employ a number of locals within their centres who form an important role in the smooth running of the businesses. They are all well informed and with their local knowledge of the surrounding area and the residents they perform an essential role within the dive centres in Oman.
We can also offer tours to communities in the desert which allows our clients to purchase the local handicrafts which helps the local Bedouins to support their families. The desert camps are owned and run by local people.
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