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Diving the Arabian Gulf
Dive trips in the Arabian Gulf can be undertaken from a number of places between Abu Dhabi in the south and Ras Al Khaimah in the north (including off course Dubai).
The seabed in the Gulf consists of mainly of sand, so diving is focused on a number of shipwrecks submerged in the Gulf as well as a few artificial reefs.
In other words, Gulf diving is Wreck diving!
There are wrecks in the Gulf at depths as shallow as 10 metres, but the better wreck sites are generally a long way offshore in waterdepths of 20 m + and diving in the Gulf tends to cater for the more experienced diver.
There are a handful of dive operators offering dives in the Gulf, mainly on the UAE weekend, which from September 2006 will be Fridays and Saturdays. But beware - most of the dives are far from being cruisy holiday dives. If that is what you want, the East Coast is the place for you.
Here are some of the most popular sites
Sites suitable for novice divers:
Cement Barge
Used primarely as a training wreck, this barge sits in 10 metres of water (at low tide) a couple of miles off the coast of Dubai. This used to be a very popular dive site packed with marine life, but offshore construction around Dubai has taken its toll - the visibility is also affected by the dredging taking place. It still has its good days and can still be a nice little dive.
The following dive sites are generally for advanced or experienced divers only:
Sheih Mohammeds Barge
Approx 11 miles off Dubai, the derrick barge is sitting in approx 20 metres of water. Again, it has been affected by the dredging, but is still nice on a good day. A huge wreck.
Zainab
A coastal oil tanker, scuttled by its own crew to avoid the US Coast Guard checking its cargo of illegal oil, this wreck sits in approx 30 metres of water around 20 miles off Dubai. The wreck is fairly new and mostly still intact. In winther, dont be alarmed if you find yourself surrounded by hundreds of barracuda's on this wreck.
Ludwig, Lion City and Jassim
Three wrecks claimed by dive clubs in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi to be "their wrecks", the reason being their position almost halfway between the two. Generally awesome diving here, but since the wrecks are a long way offshore, you really need good weather conditions to go there. If you get the change, dive them !!!
Dara
Off the coast of Ajman, Dara makes a very dramatic wreck dive; Dara was a cruiseliner, who went down following an bomb explotion with a number of lives lost. Sitting in around 20 metres of water, this site is subject to strong currents at times, but it is awesome. Alledgedly, divers still stumble upon human remains every now and again!!
Energy Determination
ED is a supertanker, who went down following a fire. The loss of the ED was one of the biggest maritime losses in the Gulf region in all times. This is for Tech divers only - the top of the wreck is at 35 metres and the max depth of the dive is 80 metres !! Serious planning must preceed dives on this wreck.
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Ascend lines are always used
Strong currents around Dara
Schooling barracuda on Zainab
Turlet on Ludwig
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