DIVING IN SALALAH ABT Dive Center is based in The Hilton Resort Hotel, West Salalah.and crown plaza hotel . Salalah itself has no reefs or diving from the beaches but is ideally placed to access the two diving areas, which offer a wonderful contrast in diving. At Mirbat, about 1 hour drive to the east with the Jebel Mountains to the left and the coast line to the right, the dive sites are situated off the beaches only accessible by 4x4 vehicles along a track which continues for about 50kms. It is true wilderness, safari diving. Whilst conditions are perfect for beginners (DSDs and Open Water courses) with calm, shallow, sandy bays and dive sites between 5 and 18m depth, all the dive sites offer enough life and variety to keep the more experienced diver happy. We generally dive 6 different sites, with each site having very different characteristics and, due to the close proximity of each site to the others, we can easily do 2 different dive sites in the day. The Aquarium: a small, very sheltered bay with a fairly narrow entrance protected by a rocky outcrop. The dive site is between 5 and 15m, beds of soft orange leather coral together with many coral banks, large shoals of squirrelfish, soldierfish, snapper, fusiliers, goatfish and sweepers. Cuttlefish, Reef Squid, Turtles and a couple of good size Potato Groupers are regularly encountered, the rare Dragon Moray can be found hiding in the coral and many shrimp gobies can be seen guarding their holes. Eagle Bay: Another beautiful, sheltered beach, large sandy patch in the center with a long sloping coral bank on the south side of the bay and numerous rock and coral outcrops on the north side, 5-15m, this is an excellent site for Turtles, Eagle rays, large Batfish and Boxfish. Rocky Beach: A large bay with many different routes to dive. Like Turtle Alley, it can be difficult to access early in the season due to the kelp, but also has many alleys, rock and coral outcrops and sandy patches. Many different varieties of Moray Eel are seen at this site, from the small Grey Moray, Yellow mouth and Yellow margin Morays, the rare Dragon Moray to the huge, 2m + Honeycomb Morays. There is also a small Island to the west of the bay, known as Shark Land although it is now very rare to encounter sharks there. Most dives here will be between 5 and 15m, although for divers who are very conservative on air depths 20+m can be achieved further out in the bay. The China Wreck: A stunning dive site, approximately 60m off the beach in depths of between 4 and 10m. The wreck is a 19th century Portuguese ship, possibly one of the first steel steam boats due to the fact that the anchors are of the type that had been used on wooden boats. The wreck is in pieces although many features still stand out, in particular the anchors, the boilers in the center section, the propeller shaft and parts of the hull itself. It is not possible to penetrate, but there are a few small rooms that huge Honeycomb Morays and Parrot fish hide in and the boilers make for nice, easy swim throughs. Very large Porcupine fish are regularly encountered hanging around the anchors, reef squid and cuttlefish can be seen on the swim to and from the wreck, and octopus are regularly found. We have also been joined by Dolphins on occasions. With such a shallow dive, many divers are able to stay underwater for 60 minutes plus and this can also be a fantastic night dive. For a complete contrast to the shore diving from Mirbat we take the boat out of the local fishing marina next to the main Port of Salalah and head for the cliffs approximately half an hour west. Two headlands in particular offer numerous wall dives, with depths up to 25m and rock falls over the years have made a maze of large outcrops, many small caves and swim throughs. The bay between the headlands is large, sheltered and very beautiful and is an ideal location for introducing new divers to boat diving. There is very little coral growth here, but the amount and size of life is fantastic, with large shoals of Trevally, Jacks, Pompanos, many Rays and Morays, huge Parrotfish and, if we are very lucky, Guitarfish and large groups of Pharaoh Cuttlefish. We are often followed by schools of between 20 and 50 1.5-2m Barracuda and I have been in the water once with a Whale Shark along this stretch of coast. Dolphins are also regularly spotted. An early start is recommended for these dives as conditions can get quite rough as the wind picks up during the day. 800m off the first headland is another wreck, an old cement ship which had foundered in the Port. It was subsequently taken out to open water and sunk in 30+m and is an excellent dive for the Advanced Diver, with the possibility of full penetration in three different parts of the wreck. Large shoals of Trevally, Barracuda and Jacks congregate here, with many Batfish following divers around the wreck. This year we have seen 2 huge Groupers, approximately 200 kgs, and there is also a large Bull Ray who seems to have made the wreck his home. On one occasion we found one of the groupers and the bull ray swimming along together. Although the whole dive is over 30m it is possible see the complete wreck in the course of one dive. Strong currents can be encountered on this dive. Whether you choose to dive from the shore or the boat, one of the outstanding features of diving in Southern Oman is the fact that you are diving alone. Unlike many popular dive spots around the world, there are no other boats circling around the dive sites (apart from a few local fishermen) and no other groups of divers. With spectacular scenery, empty beaches, fantastic diving and a very relaxed way of life, the southern coast is truly the “Hidden Jewel of Oman”.