The Middle East is fast becoming a prime destination for divers to fill up the pages of their logbooks.
Be you searching for Nemo or sunken treasure, snapping Sebastien or hoping to bump into Ariel, life really is better under the sea.
And with clear turquoise waves and glorious sunshine splitting the stones all year round, the UAE is a sweet spot to be enchanted by the ocean’s charm.
Here are some of the best places to take the plunge.
Deep Dive Dubai
Want to explore an underwater city? Deep Dive Dubai is serving up a diving experience that’s unlike any other, with a 60-metre-deep pool and a sunken city for divers of all levels to explore. With 14 million litres of water it’s the world’s deepest dive pool. Explore an abandoned seascape featuring a fully furnished apartment, garage and arcade. You can try freediving, snorkelling and scuba diving, or get certified there. The facility is designed for all ability levels for divers aged ten and older. On your dive you will be guided by a team of international diving professionals and supported by the latest equipment, technology and facilities. What are you waiting for? Dive in.
Best scuba diving spot for: Whoever wants to dive in the world’s deepest indoor pool.
Location: Nad Al Sheba, Dubai
Local Diving Company: Deep Dive Dubai specialist team. From Dhs400. Wed-Sun, noon-8pm. Nad Al Sheba, deepdivedubai.com.
Dibba Rock
Up first is one of the most popular places to don the regular and sink below the surface. Approximately 100m x 100m, the depth around Fujairah’s Dibba Rock ranges from 4m to 16m, and is brilliant for allowing divers to see all sorts of marine life. Perfect for open water divers (as well as snorkelers), catch a glimpse of parrotfish, giant pufferfish, lionfish, moray eels and turtles. Divers are more likely to see blacktip reef sharks here than anywhere else in the UAE and if their luck is really in, a whale shark too.
Best scuba diving spot for: Discovering marine life.
Location: Dibba Rock, Suwayfah Fujairah.
Local diving company: Divers Down UAE. Open daily 8am-6pm. Miramar Beach Resort and Spa, Al Aqah, Fujairah.
Zainab Wreck
If Aquaman and Indiana Jones decided to design a dive, Zanaib Wreck would probably be near the top of their lists. A deep wreck site located around 45 minutes from the Palm Jumeirah is one to really satisfy the deep sea explorers out there, and there are plenty of cool (and kinda scary) fish like barracudas and yellow snappers to add to the sense of danger and excitement of going on an unknown journey. What are you waiting for? Time to get (ship)wrecked.
Best scuba diving spot for: Feeling like an adventurer.
Location: Near JBR, Dubai.
Local diving company: Scuba Shade Diving Centre. Open daily 9am-6pm. Habtoor Grand Resort, www.scubashade.com, (04 408 4410).
Martini Rock
Divin’ by the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right… Okay, enough Toploader (for now). For those looking to do their scuba diving in Fujairah by moonlight, an aqua exploration at Martini Rock is a cracking excursion. Named after its shape, the dive is one of the deepest sites in the UAE and provides a great chance to see snoozing turtles and feeding rays.
Best scuba dive for: A night time dip.
Location: Near Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
Local diving Company: Nemo Diving Centre. Open daily Mon-Thu 9am-6pm, Fri-Sat 9am-7pm. Dukes Dubai Hotel, www.nemodivingcenter.com (056 704 4472).
Inchcape
This dive is not for the faint hearted and only advanced open water divers are advised to take on this challenge when scuba diving in Fujairah. Reaching depths of up to 30 metres, divers descend following the line to the bow of this purposely sunk wreck. There are bucket loads of marine life (it is the sea after all) but the main stars of the show are the honeycomb eels as well as sunfish and sea horses.
Best scuba diving spot for: Those in need of a deep sea challenge.
Location: Off coast, Fujairah.
Local Diving Company: Sandy Beach Diving Centre. Open Sun-Wed 8am-5pm, Thu-Fri 7am-5pm. Sandy Beach Hotel & Resort – Fujairah, www.divesandybeach.com (050 206 2440).
Dubai Aquarium
Okay, some may say we are cheating with this entry but we have never heard anyone complain about a swim through Dubai Aquarium for their scuba diving in Dubai experience. Organised by Al Boom Diving, divers can venture into the 10 million litre aquarium where they can swim with sharks (eep) and all other species of marine life once they have secured their PADI certification.
Best scuba diving spot for: who want to say they were in a shark tank. From Dhs230. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thu-Sat 10am-11pm. The Dubai Mall. www.thedubaiaquarium.com (04 3422 993).
Location: Dubai Mall.
Diving company: Dubai Aquarium. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thu-Sat 10am-11pm. www.thedubaiaquarium.com (04 3422 993).
Red Buoy
About 20km off the coast of Abu Dhabi lies the Red Buoy diving site. With a descent of 11 metres, visibility is next to perfection, meaning lots of clear shots of the marine life and a couple of yourself for the ’gram when you diving out of the capital.
Best scuba diving spot for: Those living in the capital.
Location: Off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
Diving company: Al Mahara Diving Center Al Mina Road. Open Sun-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 8am-5.30pm. Al Mina Road, www.divemahara.com (050 111 8125).
