Luxury Diving Holidays in Oman

Overview

A diving holiday to Oman offers something very different from the neighbouring Red Sea. Whilst the visibility is lower due to plankton-rich waters (generally 5-20m), emerald green in colour, marine life is abundant and fascinating ecosystems await. With around 250 species of coral and 1,000 fish species, divers can explore from the Musandam Peninsula and Muscat on beautiful coral reefs, right down to Salalah and Mirbat where kelp forests and boulders make up most of the topography. A diving holiday to Oman is suitable for all levels of diver and in particular an excellent destination for families to learn to dive. If time is of the essence for UK travellers, Oman presents a wonderful diving destination in under 10 hours flight time and a wealth of luxury hotels with phenomenal service.

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sea snail

school of sweetlips

anchor & diver

Dolphin cruise with Extra Divers

schooling snapper

manta ray

spotted stingray

whale watching

Schooling fish

In Depth

Accessed from Dubai on just a two-hour car drive and separated from the rest of Oman, the Musandam Peninsula boasts stunning fjords shadowed by the arid Hajar mountains with dive sites waiting to be explored beneath the waves. From the secluded Six Senses Zighy Bay, scuba diving can be enjoyed across 10 dive sites along this dramatic coastline whilst staying in the lap of luxury. Rarely another dive boat in sight, divers will come across eagle rays, turtles, boxfish, honeycomb eels and most notably, the reefs are cloaked in rare purple, blue and yellow soft corals. The best dive site, Octopus Rock, is well known for its resident seahorses.

Some of the best dive sites in Oman are to be found from Muscat. The Daymaniyat Islands can be reached on a day trip, where 12 dive sites are littered with healthy corals and sightings include turtles, rays, leopard sharks and very occasionally, whale sharks. The string of nine, uninhabited islands are striking against the bejewelled ocean, making for the perfect lunch spot between dives.

The better kept secret for a diving holiday in Oman is just outside of Muscat, accessed from Muscat Bay. The beautiful dive sites of Bandar Al Khairan and Fahal Island are home to a plethora of reef fish, schooling barracuda, moray eel species, rays, colourful nudibranchs and Al Munassir wreck which is overflowing with fish, rays and macro life. Snorkelling opportunities are also excellent in the region, with a great number of turtles in the shallows at Turtle Bay and even the possibility of seahorses.

Heading to Salalah in the very far south of the country, unique scuba diving awaits on the kelp forests close to the shore from Salalah to Mirbat and further afield accessed only by liveaboard, the Hallaniyat Islands are home to untouched dive sites where divers can see humpback whales, manta rays, sperm whales, large schools of dolphins, mobulas and more. This little-known region is continually being discovered and divers can expect the unexpected.

Beyond the Reef

The beauty of a diving holiday to Oman is that there is so much more to explore easily from the coast, whether on a day trip or adding on a few nights to your tailor-made itinerary. Sleep under the stars in the desert in a private luxury camp, explore the dramatic Hajar mountains from a stunning boutique hotel with awe-inspiring views. From the south, take a 4x4 trip to the Empty Quarter exploring wadis, the Land of Frankincense UNESCO site and the russet red sand dunes of the Rub al Khali. Families, couples, honeymooners, friends, solo travellers...adventures in Oman can be designed to suit any traveller and at Reefscape, we know exactly how to do just that.

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