Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Extra Divers Qantab/Shangri-La Al Waha in
Oman/Muscat

 
Other Oman reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here Subscribe Now

Extra Divers Qantab/Shangri-La Al Waha: "Good diving in Oman", Jul, 2017,

by Graham McGregor, Kilmacolm, GB (Top Contributor Top Contributor 41 reports with 24 Helpful votes). Report 9653.

Photos Submitted with this Report


Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food N/A
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments My son and I had a short dive trip to Oman. With residual concerns about security in the Red Sea, Oman is a realistic medium haul dive destination from the UK. We stayed at the Shangri-La Al Waha resort part of a 3 hotel complex, albeit a little east of Muscat. It is a comfortable resort with a variety of restaurant choices, spa, gym etc. Extra Divers have a good quality dive operation on site. We had 8 dives with them, mainly at sites close by around the surrounding coastline. They offer trips to the Daymanyiat Islands if there is enough demand (minimum 8 divers). Unfortunately they were quite quiet when we were there and did not run any trips to the Daymanyiat Islands, so we took two day trips to the Daymanyiat Islands with another dive operation Global Scuba (see separate report).

Extra Divers is a well run operation, with several boats which were roomy enough for the 3 to 7 divers on any of the trips we took. They offer two tank morning dive trips and a one tank afternoon trip. One trip was to Fahal Island, about 40 minutes away but most were at sites on the coastline close by, no more than a 10 to 20 minute boat ride. Extra Divers had good rental equipment and Nitrox is available. Most sites were on bommies on sandy bottoms or small walls. The viz was a bit variable, ranging from about 5 to 15 metres. The water temp was about 31C near the surface but there were noticeable thermoclines on most dives which dropped the temp by about 4C and reduced the viz. The diving exceeded my expectations. Plenty of schooling and other reef fish. I saw more morays than anywhere I've been, including free swimming morays on pretty much every dive. Octopus, boxfish, barracuda, clownfish. We saw several turtles and stingrays and eagle rays. Cuttlefish appeared also on several dives. Good variety and pretty relaxed diving. It was very hot (above 100F) at the surface. Only 12 litre tanks available but most dives were about an hour.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Galapagos; Palau; Sipadan; Truk; Malapascua; Komodo; Ticao Island; Maldives; Red Sea; Caribbean; Cuba; Hawaii; Florida; Cozumel; Spain, Seychelles, Mauritius, Oman
Closest Airport Muscat Getting There Straightforward from UK. Direct flights from London or easy connections at Middle East hubs

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm
Water Temp 27-32°C / 81-90°F Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 5-15 M / 16-49 Ft

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions Guided dives but pretty flexible once you demonstrated your diving experience
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 11 dive reviews of Oman and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of Oman reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.5 seconds