Quick Trip From Abu Dhabi: Fujairah vs. Musandam

[Submerged_Stories]

Hello All!

I have a work trip taking me to Abu Dhabi in late-October. My work obligations end Thursday and I fly out on Sunday. It's tight timing but I was thinking of trying to sneak in a few dives. It seems that both Fujairah and Musandam have good diving and are within reasonable driving distance of Abu Dhabi.

So what say you, Scubaboard? What would you do with 2 free days from Abu Dhabi? Any dive shop that you would recommend? Or maybe it's not enough time for a dive and I should just explore something land based?

Appreciate your help!

 

[boqurant]

Barracuda (Barracuda Diving Center · Fujairah International Marine Club, Corniche Road - Fujairah - Vereinigte Arabische Emirate) in Fujairah are your guys: well-regarded, tight operation, plenty of day-boat dives and rental gear if you need it. The dive sites are less good than Musundam, but unless you have a well-organised dive operator running a group trip, it can be a little hit and miss - plus there's extra faff of border crossings etc.

 

[Searcaigh]

Concur with @boqurant Barracuda is the place to go.

Driving to Fujairah is fairly easy if you want to rent a car, public transport is virtually impossible

Perhaps stay overnight on the Saturday and drive back to Abu Dhabi on the Sunday morning depending on your return flight to the US.

You would need two and a half hours from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, and use Waze not Google Maps for navigation as the latter has taken me on several wild goose chases here in Dubai and I've lived here for 28 years! I wouldn't use Google Maps to get out of a wet paper bag.

I wouldn't think of driving from Abu Dhabi on Thursday night due to traffic from Abu Dhabi to Dubai / Sharjah

 

[boqurant]

Also to add: Oman dont allow rental cars across the border (nor indeed cars "owned" via bank loan - you must have full ownership), so you're unlikely to get to Khasab / Dibba easily at all! Fujairah will do the trick - easy driving and some nice desert hills to look at on the way out East

 

[Submerged_Stories]

Thanks so much for the helpful responses. I have reached out to Barracuda and will see what they say.

I don't want to rent a car so hopeful to find an operator that can offer transfers.

One extra twist -- is Deep Dive Dubai worth it? Might be simpler than a trip outside the city and could be cool to explore. I just generally prefer real natural environments to a pool

 

[Searcaigh]

I don't want to rent a car so hopeful to find an operator that can offer transfers.

Unless you are in Dubai I don't think any operator will arrange a transfer.

Al Boom usually have a bus going over at weekends, but from what I know this will be full of people usually completing their OW courses, and their east coast operation is based out of the Meridian Hotel at Al Aqah.

Divers Down (also at Al Aqah, Miramar Hotel), may be able to arrange something from Dubai. They are a better option BTW.

Other than that you will need to splurge out on a taxi for an approximate 250km journey, and will certainly be in excess of AED500 (about USD136) for a one way journey to Fujairah city. Al Aqah is further north.

Which airport are you flying out from on the Sunday?

One extra twist -- is Deep Dive Dubai worth it? Might be simpler than a trip outside the city and could be cool to explore.

It's a novelty, at a cost AED1300 (USD354) for a max depth of 30m, and AED1600 (USD435) if you are trimix qualified.