ScubaBackpacker
Contributor
Recently visited Oman in the first week of October where we did three days of diving out of Muscat with MolaMola divers. We did all 6 dives on islands to the north or south of the city.
The dive center is located in Al Mouj marina just northeast of the airport. We did a 3 day package for about $60 dollars/dive. MolaMola doesn't have accommodations or a restaurant. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which had a nice full breakfast about 10 minutes away. Public transport is almost nonexistent so you will need a rental car or go and come by taxi. Restaurants were available close to the hotel.
The boats carried more or less 15 divers and snorkelers with about 6 divers in each group. This is not concierge diving. You were expected to set up your tank and frequently get into your BCD and hoist or place your tank in the holder on your own or with your buddy. The dive sites varied from 30 minutes to an hour or so from the marina. Most of the divers were there for a day or two only, and many were novice divers, but after the first day we were placed on a boat with only experienced divers.
There is a tremendous amount of upwelling in the area and the thermocline is very close to the surface, affecting both the water temperature and visibility. Temperatures varied from 75F to low/mid 80s. Visibility generally was limited to 20-40 feet, mol.
Since our diving has previously been limited to SE Asia and the Caribbean we saw what were several new species
for us: zebra and honeycomb eels, cowtail rays, green spoon worms, flower urchins, mobula or devil rays, and 3 or more cuttlefish pairs, for example. Seeing these new species made the Muscat diving worth it for us.
In sum, it seemed to both of us that if you wanted to visit Oman and make diving a part of your trip it was a great destination, particularly if you were new to the Gulf of Oman. But it's not a stand alone dive destination, IMHO. The day trips from Muscat and visiting the excellent national museum were great topside excursions.
The dive center is located in Al Mouj marina just northeast of the airport. We did a 3 day package for about $60 dollars/dive. MolaMola doesn't have accommodations or a restaurant. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which had a nice full breakfast about 10 minutes away. Public transport is almost nonexistent so you will need a rental car or go and come by taxi. Restaurants were available close to the hotel.
The boats carried more or less 15 divers and snorkelers with about 6 divers in each group. This is not concierge diving. You were expected to set up your tank and frequently get into your BCD and hoist or place your tank in the holder on your own or with your buddy. The dive sites varied from 30 minutes to an hour or so from the marina. Most of the divers were there for a day or two only, and many were novice divers, but after the first day we were placed on a boat with only experienced divers.
There is a tremendous amount of upwelling in the area and the thermocline is very close to the surface, affecting both the water temperature and visibility. Temperatures varied from 75F to low/mid 80s. Visibility generally was limited to 20-40 feet, mol.
Since our diving has previously been limited to SE Asia and the Caribbean we saw what were several new species
for us: zebra and honeycomb eels, cowtail rays, green spoon worms, flower urchins, mobula or devil rays, and 3 or more cuttlefish pairs, for example. Seeing these new species made the Muscat diving worth it for us.
In sum, it seemed to both of us that if you wanted to visit Oman and make diving a part of your trip it was a great destination, particularly if you were new to the Gulf of Oman. But it's not a stand alone dive destination, IMHO. The day trips from Muscat and visiting the excellent national museum were great topside excursions.
