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Dive Review of Scuba Dubai in
United Arab Emirates/Dubai

 
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Scuba Dubai, Jun, 2002,

by Phil Hamilton, Texas, USA . Report 26.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A

Overall Rating
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Thursday and Friday are the weekend here. Scuba Dubai is located at the Meridian Hotel. Like most dive shops in the
region, Scuba Dubai has a couple of 28-foot boats with bimini tops. We dove the SMB Barge wreck.

The SMB is a barge of over 150 feet in length, which sank 2 miles offshore of Dubai. The vessel is upside down
on the bottom, with a gaping hole in the port side, and several other holes have appeared as the craft decays in
the highly saline environment. The barge is broken in the center, and one can penetrate all the way through the
boat here, as well as make limited penetrations in several other locations. There are crab traps, and fishing line,
as well as ropes and lines left over from her working days all around the wreck, so one has to be mindful. The water
is quite salty due to the incredible heat and evaporation.

We descended down the line right into the hole in the barge's hull. All around us swarmed a huge school of
snapper. We kept going down to the sand, turned to our right, and headed for the stern. Most of the fish either
were a totally different hue, or were altogether different species than one sees in the Caribbean. The water is quite
warm, and rich in plankton, cutting visibility somewhat. Approaching the stern, we found the first of several crab
traps scattered around the wreck. We had to do quite a bit of rehydrating on our surface interval. The weather report
for Dubai that day indicated 122 f. Several of us decided to do our surface interval in the water, where it was 90 degrees.

Second dive was to the stern, and swimming through the wreck. The stern of the barge is smashed as well, and we came
up through the wreckage on her starboard quarter, and ascended to the bottom of the hull, looking into the many holes being
eaten into the plates by the salty seawater. . We descended down into the wreck, seeing daylight on the other side. There is
a virtual tunnel through the center bulkhead area in this wreck, and is an easy swim through. Down in the hold, we spotted a
school of whitish goatfish, and more angels.

Dive 1: 74ft 25 min
Dive 2: 77ft 26 min




Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience 51-100 dives
Where else diving [Unspecified]
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions
Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 88-91°F / 31-33°C Wetsuit Thickness 0
Water Visibility 35-40 Ft/ 11-12 M

Dive Policy
Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Back on board with 500 psi
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw
Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Corals 1 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments Water is hot in the Persian Gulf, and makes for murky conditions in the summer.
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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.

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