As UAE National days meant 4 days off, we decided to head over to Muscat for some diving, just wanted to post a review here about the conditions of especially Daymaniyat Islands. Might be helpful to others
We were a group of 8 divers - AOW-Instructor level, on our first 2 days we were alone as a group, on the last day 5 other divers and 3 snorkelers joined us (very crowded on the boat). All dives were booked with Omanta dive center. Their boat leaves from the Waves Marina - meaning: no easy access to changing facilities or toilets and you have to cover shoulders/knees (women) while in the marina. Would rather dive from a resort.... On top of this, they were late on 2 out of 3 days diving, so will find someone else, next time we go.
The weather was fantastic: sea was the calmest I've ever seen, lots of sun, I was a bit cold, when you get out of the water, but not too bad. Water temperature 25-26 C - some in the group was diving without any suit, I was surprised, that my rash and shortie along with a hood was enough for me.
Viz: In general good to very good - certainly better, than in the UAE.
Dive sites: Daymaniyat islands: Police Run and Coral Gardens, dusk/night and night dive. Mostly dead corals, not a lot of fish although I did manage to find a small frog fish (that I lost in my triumph, trying to get my husband (buddy) to see it, I must have drifted off), and Coral Gardens had the largest amount of little coral crabs (porcelain crabs) I've ever seen, along with tiny lobsters.
Jun Island: morning and early noon dives: Doc's wall and Gargoyle cliff - beautiful reef! Lots of colorful corals, an abundance of fishes, rays and nudies, so much to see, loved this place!
Fahal island: morning and early noon dives: Burgur Reef and Fahal Island (on the "back side" starting from the lagoon) First one was utterly boring (could have been good, but we had been told, the first dive site would be a deep dive to 40 m to possible see sharks, and the dive guide did not do any briefing to tell us, they changed the dive site, so we ended up trying to find the 40 m, very confused) but the dive from the lagoon was amazing! Beautiful corals, teeming with life including some small yellow fish with a white stripe, that I have never seen before, on almost every coral (one of the other divers told me it's a guppy, but I've not been able to find any pictures to confirm), rays, nudies etc.
All in all: if you go to Muscat, maybe focus on Jun and Fahal Islands before Daymaniyat.
We were a group of 8 divers - AOW-Instructor level, on our first 2 days we were alone as a group, on the last day 5 other divers and 3 snorkelers joined us (very crowded on the boat). All dives were booked with Omanta dive center. Their boat leaves from the Waves Marina - meaning: no easy access to changing facilities or toilets and you have to cover shoulders/knees (women) while in the marina. Would rather dive from a resort.... On top of this, they were late on 2 out of 3 days diving, so will find someone else, next time we go.
The weather was fantastic: sea was the calmest I've ever seen, lots of sun, I was a bit cold, when you get out of the water, but not too bad. Water temperature 25-26 C - some in the group was diving without any suit, I was surprised, that my rash and shortie along with a hood was enough for me.
Viz: In general good to very good - certainly better, than in the UAE.
Dive sites: Daymaniyat islands: Police Run and Coral Gardens, dusk/night and night dive. Mostly dead corals, not a lot of fish although I did manage to find a small frog fish (that I lost in my triumph, trying to get my husband (buddy) to see it, I must have drifted off), and Coral Gardens had the largest amount of little coral crabs (porcelain crabs) I've ever seen, along with tiny lobsters.
Jun Island: morning and early noon dives: Doc's wall and Gargoyle cliff - beautiful reef! Lots of colorful corals, an abundance of fishes, rays and nudies, so much to see, loved this place!
Fahal island: morning and early noon dives: Burgur Reef and Fahal Island (on the "back side" starting from the lagoon) First one was utterly boring (could have been good, but we had been told, the first dive site would be a deep dive to 40 m to possible see sharks, and the dive guide did not do any briefing to tell us, they changed the dive site, so we ended up trying to find the 40 m, very confused) but the dive from the lagoon was amazing! Beautiful corals, teeming with life including some small yellow fish with a white stripe, that I have never seen before, on almost every coral (one of the other divers told me it's a guppy, but I've not been able to find any pictures to confirm), rays, nudies etc.
All in all: if you go to Muscat, maybe focus on Jun and Fahal Islands before Daymaniyat.