Saudi Arabia (Red Sea)
The Red Sea, but not as you know it…
For divers wishing to discover a relatively unknown dive destination with added adventure, Saudi Arabia may be just the place. Around 6 hours flight time from the UK, this stretch of the Arabian Peninsula’s coastline has the major advantage of skirting a sea that divers know and understand; the instant you put your face underwater, you know you are in the Red Sea.
Diving has been established here for a good number of years by visiting local Saudis and a strong ex-pat community looking for relaxation at the weekend. The resort and liveaboard team is built of a worldwide mix of Saudi, British, Filipino, Indian and Egyptian (to name but a few) nationals, whose crew and resort staff are excited at the prospect of the slow growing numbers of tourist divers waiting to discover the delights of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea underwater world.
Where are all the boats?
There is, among others, one major advantage. Whether you choose the liveaboard or day diving option, you will encounter very few other vessels and certainly no divers other than your fellow travellers. If you do, it is likely to be another boat from the dive centre or a local fisherman in a small, handcrafted dhow. This extends to having the dive sites to yourself – it instantly relaxes the pace of your holiday on your first day in the water, without the frenetic activity of a busy port or dive boats bustling for mooring space.
Unexplored Reefs and Spectacular Corals
Saudi Arabia’s western coastline stretches for around 1,600 km and the diving concentrates around the embarkation points of Al Lith, just over 3 hours drive south of Jeddah and Yanbu, around 4 hours north of Jeddah. In these areas there remain countless unexplored reefs. Unexplored can be an overused word, but given the enormity of the country of Saudi Arabia and its dominance of the eastern side of the Red Sea, the variety and number of reef systems cannot be underestimated.
Growing Favourites – Farasan Banks
For those who already have regular access to these reefs, there are many dive sites that are becoming firm favourites and are already well mapped. A prevailing feature of the Farasan Banks dive sites in the south is exposed, small, sanded islands with graded drops offs of several steps, ending in large underwater sandy plateaus on the leeside of the current before dropping into the blue. This provides great opportunities for exhilarating dives at the current point and exposed plateau of the reef or more gentle dives behind the protection of the wall. The islands also act as stopping off points for sea and migrating birds, as well as some protected areas for turtle nesting.
Tailormade Holidays and Twin Centres
We offer tailormade holidays for the majority of the destinations we feature, giving the option to stay for as many nights as you choose. Although we display the prices as 7 nights, these are sample package prices; we can offer you more flexibility.
Many of the destinations featured outside of Egypt are based on flights using scheduled airlines with daily departures. Most fly from the main London airports and some airlines also offer regional UK departures.
Our small, specialised team can also suggest twin centre options for many destinations. Please enquire about the possibilities for a given destination so you can enjoy more than one area during your holiday. Experience contrasting diving as well as varying above water attractions.
