The United Arab Emirates has a lot to offer to its residents and tourists, and scuba diving is definitely one of them. Dubai, the glamorous emirate of the UAE, has practically everything – from the world largest mall and tallest building to the bling streets and shops to the beautiful cultural heritage souks. Within the world’s largest shopping mall, The Dubai Mall, lies the enormous shark and ray-filled Dubai Aquarium. Filled with bull sharks, tiger sharks, sting-rays and many more exotic aquatic animals, this is a literal paradise for any diver. And that’s not it! At Atlantis The Palm, divers can have all the fun and adventure in The Lost Chambers Aquarium too!
I have completed PADI’s open water and advanced open water diver’s courses in the UAE, and plan to complete the rescue diver’s course too. Although I have been scuba diving for 5 years and live in Dubai, I have actually never been to either of these immense aquariums, and it’s probably because have never been able to stop myself from going for a mesmerizing dive to my favourite diving destination: Fujairah.
My first scuba experience in Fujairah was about 5 years ago, when I was 12 years old. Ever since that dive at Dibba Rock, I made it a point to dive at every single dive site in Fujairah. Normally, it is a two hours drive from Dubai to Fujairah, amidst the vast stretches of golden sand deserts and Al Hajar Mountains (which mostly lies on the eastern side of the United Arab Emirates). We leave our house at around 6:30am to avoid any rush or traffic, and to make sure we have plenty of time to relax and get ourselves ready before setting off to our dive at 9am. At Al Boom Diving Centre Al Aqah, they provide divers with all kinds of equipment, from dry and wet dive suits of all sizes to the essentials like BCD and regulator. After signing in with my instructors, getting to know my dive buddies and learning a bit about the dive sites, we put on our sunblock creams (very important!) and make our way to the dive boat, where we assemble our scuba kit and get to know each other, before reaching our dive site.
So far, I have dived at Sharm Rock, Martini Rock, Dibba Rock, Inch-cape I and II, and Hole in the Wall (I’ll be explaining the name here). Each site has a wide and unique range of marine life, and the visibility is mostly quite good which means that you can really enjoy here to the fullest. It is really an injustice to talk about all of these wonderful dive sites at the same time as they all have something inimitable to offer, so I will try to go into the details of each of these dive sites here.
Dibba Rock
One of my favourite sites, I did my first night dive here. I have been here quite a few times (4 times?) and least to say, it’s a whole new place at night.
During the day, every diver is sure to see at least one green turtle. That’s like an everyday thing here. I have seen no less than 3 turtles on all my daytime dives to Dibba Rock. Occasionally, divers can also get to see black-tip sharks (make sure to have your cameras ready because I didn’t), and if you’re lucky you will get to see a shoal of majestic devil rays. Like most dive sites in Fujairah, it has an abundance of colourful corals and fish. This area is prone to a lot of strong currents, so at high tide it is recommended to explore the shore side of the island.
Dibba Rock makes a perfect destination for a night dive. It’s quite (very) dark, so of course we have to carry our diving flashlights with us underwater, but while navigating it’s best to rely on your dive compass because unlike daytime diving, it’s not possible to use the direction of the sunlight. Now to the interesting part: you can occasionally get to see sleeping turtles and bioluminescent octopuses. You will spot a variety of squids and cuttlefish, and sometimes black-tip sharks. The true beauty of the corals are revealed at night, when they fluoresce and provide a kaleidoscopic experience to scuba divers with their considerably heavy flashlights.
Inch-cape I
This ship wreck site is only available for divers who are certified Advanced and beyond, and for divers who are over the age of 15. Inch-cape I lies at a depth of 30 to 35 metres, with a profusion of marine life such as boxfish, pufferfish, yellow snapper fish, angelfish and many more all around the wreck. A school of cardinalfish prefer to remain within the wheelhouse to hide from predators, while rays are nearly camouflaged under the wreck. The tires of the ship are a great spot to find moray eels, while the seahorses get comfortable on the stern of the wreck.
With a lot to offer to all enthusiastic divers, Inch-cape I is bliss for underwater photographers and videographers.
Martini Rock
Definitely one of my favourite sites: this dive site is the furthest from Al Boom Dive Centre, and is somewhat shaped like a martini glass with two rocks on each side and a tunnel-like path for divers to explore. Martini Rock is another wonderful place to spot exotic marine life and appreciate the beauty of the life underwater.
Along with a variety of corals, you will find plenty of damselfish and mackerels, along with shrimps and crabs. Divers have often spotted jaw fish, lionfish, scorpionfish, barracudas, hawksbill and green turtles, pufferfish, butterfly fish, angel fish, guitarfish, moray eels and many more.
If you’re lucky, you might get to see some black-tip sharks, zebra sharks, batfish and sea pens, and at times, a whale shark.
Hole in the Wall
This underwater tunnel has a maximum depth of 15 metres, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful and vivid diving sites in the UAE. Along with a large variety of fish, divers often spot turtles, rays, and if you explore further you might get to see nudibranchs and seahorses.
Sharm Rock
With low currents and high visibility, Sharm Rock is quite a relaxing dive. It is comparatively shallow, reaching a maximum depth of about 15 metres. You will always find plenty of turtles and anemones with clownfish, along with parrotfish, pipefish, puffers and many more. There are a lot of urchins and stonefish so it is advised to be aware of your surroundings to avoid any injury. A dive at Sharm Rock is a great way to end the day, and is a wonderful place for night diving too!
31˚C/88˚F
Water temperatures in Summer
24˚C/75˚F
Water temperatures in Winter
26˚C/79˚F
Water temperatures in Spring
29˚C/84˚F
Water temperatures in Autumn
Usually after a dive, we have lunch at Subway and then drive further into Fujairah’s desert. Before making our way back to Dubai, we make sure to drop by the Kalba Mangroves to grab our favourite Emirati delicacy – Harees.
It’s not just all about going underwater! As scuba divers, we are very passionate about marine life conservation and eliminating or reducing the threats that some species face. As a part of Project AWARE, divers and non-divers alike help to clean up the beaches and sea beds, and create a better, plastic-free life that the aquatic animals deserve. Anyone is free to become a part of this initiative.
Just as most divers all around the world right now, I’m looking forward to more underwater adventures in the times to come!
Penning On The Way 