Seeking Jeddah Jedis.... you're my only hope

[BoundForElsewhere]

Greetings to everyone at ScubaBoard. I am new here so thank you for taking the time to check out my post.

I will be traveling to Jeddah at the end of November for Umrah but plan on getting as much diving in as I can Monday through Friday.

Everyone speaks highly of Desert Sea Divers, but they only go out Fridays and Saturdays. Beach dives from the Sheraton sounds cool for a day but I am looking for some good boat wreck and reef dives in the mornings during the week and maybe some night dives, too.

Can anyone recommend somewhere / one and provide contact information? I know this is a ways out, but you know how it is. I'm already watching videos of Red Sea diving and going over all my gear. I've had my BCD out twice this past weekend. My wife is going to kill me.

If you are in Jeddah during that same time, I would love to meet with some locals / expats.

Ok, I'm really sorry about that thread title. It seemed eye-catching at the time and now I realize I just embarrassed myself.

 

[Sbiriguda]

Just for my curiosity
Boat Diving | Desert Sea Divers
Where do they dive? Are there nice diving spots in the sea close to Jeddah, or the city of Jeddah is just the place where they take the boat to go on liveboards?

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Hi Sbiriguda,

So I was actually able to hook up with the house dive instructor at the Sheraton who explained things to me. You can dive off the beach from the Sheraton but you have to buy a day pass for around $25. Apparently the house reef is awesome with lots of odd critters we don't get in the Atlantic.

Dive boats are a little different in that they leave from the north end of the city and have to be chartered. My impression is that they are not going to go out with just one diver. It seems like more of a tour package thing in that they include lunch and dinner with the fee.

My impression is that diving is not as inexpensive in Jeddah as it is in Maya Riviera or South East Asia. Those are the only other two placed I have dived so I am limited in my comparison. Supposedly, since KSA does not have any tourism, many of the reef sites are completely untouched and pristine. No catamarans with drunken snorkelers and whatnot.

Regardless, I am totally psyched about diving in the Red Sea whether from the shore or in a boat. I am going to do my Rescue Diver in water certification there, too.

 

[Sbiriguda]

Supposedly, since KSA does not have any tourism, many of the reef sites are completely untouched and pristine. No catamarans with drunken snorkelers and whatnot.

And that's also very important... Well, when you will dive there give us a feedback on the dives in KSA

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Two months away and its all I can think about. I wish I had a bigger tub.

 

[Adr1an]

Egypt Air has direct flights from Jeddah to Sharm and return. You may want to check the dates/prices and compare diving offers and sites (Thistelgorm and so on)

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Unfortunately we are only going to be in the Kingdom for five days. My wife is going to be uber pissed but I'm diving four of those. Apparently the house reef at the Sheraton has a decent reef with nudibranchs and I can do sunrise dives.

I'm still looking for suggestions on deeper dive and wreck locations if anyone is holding out.

 

[RainPilot]

Tagging @Dave Bevan here, he dives and trains out of KSA. Solid, safe operation AFAICT.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Tagging @Dave Bevan here, he dives and trains out of KSA. Solid, safe operation AFAICT.

Thank you, Rain.

 

[Dave Bevan]

Hi Sbiriguda,

So I was actually able to hook up with the house dive instructor at the Sheraton who explained things to me. You can dive off the beach from the Sheraton but you have to buy a day pass for around $25. Apparently the house reef is awesome with lots of odd critters we don't get in the Atlantic.

Dive boats are a little different in that they leave from the north end of the city and have to be chartered. My impression is that they are not going to go out with just one diver. It seems like more of a tour package thing in that they include lunch and dinner with the fee.

My impression is that diving is not as inexpensive in Jeddah as it is in Maya Riviera or South East Asia. Those are the only other two placed I have dived so I am limited in my comparison. Supposedly, since KSA does not have any tourism, many of the reef sites are completely untouched and pristine. No catamarans with drunken snorkelers and whatnot.

Regardless, I am totally psyched about diving in the Red Sea whether from the shore or in a boat. I am going to do my Rescue Diver in water certification there, too.

For weekday diving you will mostly be limited to shore dives. Tourism hasn't picked up enough that boats are going out during the week yet. The place I use (la plage) is 150SAR entry then 30SAR per tank. There is also equipment you can rent. Desert sea divers have a shore diving place as well so might be your best bet that you email them and see whats available. No harm in asking about the boats at the same time. The boats from desert usually visit 1 wreck and 1 reef dive and cost 315SAR for two dives including food and soft drinks.

The other major operator to try is dream divers. They have a lot of boats but usually groups will charter the whole boat and its not cheap as you need a Saudi captain to go out of the creek. Around 1600SAR for 8 hours. Plus you will need your own tanks.

Also don't think of the entry fee as a entry fee to a place to dive. Its a full resort and private club.

Dave B