“Noodle” Divesite – Damaniyat Islands

   “Don’t ask me why they call it Noodle!”  That’s what the trip coordinator, Faisal, from Omanta Scuba told us as we approached “Noodle” divesite in the Damaniyat Islands.  The dive was at a depth of 17.9 meters with a bottom time of 42 minutes and viz was good!  All the pics you see posted here are courtesy of my diving buddy, Denise Boyd.    Denise took this incredible video of a sting-ray during our dive:   And here’s a 21 minute video from different clips I took during the dive:

Discover Scuba Diving Experience (DSD) – Part 1 of 2

I’m always dreamed of scuba diving, so with all the time off we’ve had recently I decided to use one of the Discover Scuba Diving Experience (DSD) coupons in Entertainer Oman to try it out.  I am SO glad I did!

In fact, there are Discover Scuba Diving Experience 2-for-1 coupons in Entertainer 2012 for Omanta, Bluezone, and Global Scuba Dive Centre but Bluezone never answered their phone and I personally found the gentlemen at Omanta more helpful with providing information and getting back to me pronto. (It’s all about customer service, folks! 😉 )

Omanta Scuba at “The Boat House”.  The easiest way to get here is to drive in Al Jawharat Mall parking (go in the parking lot back of O Sole Mio) and drive along the beach to the right where the parking meets the ocean.  The Boat House is about 200 meters up the beach.

A pic of the Intercon from the Beach House taken from the equipment room where they suited us up with all the rental gear.  In case you were wondering, the Discover Scuba Diving Experience cost us 50 rials (for 2 people!) and we also went with an additional dive on the same day for another 15 rials (again-this covered both of us!), so the whole awesome experience only cost 65 rials for 2 which gave both of us credit for “Confined Water Dive One” and “Open Water Dive One” towards PADI qualification! In addition, one person gets a discount towards the PADI qualification if they sign up within a week of the DSD, which I did!

Another great reason to sign up with Omanta Scuba is that they were the 1st Scuba Diving Academy to set up shop in Oman and they come with a wealth of knowledge, experience and professionalism.

Once we had all our gear picked out, it was a 20 minute drive to Marina Bander Al Rowdha where we got on the boat.  Our first destination was SeaHorse Cove at Bandar Al Khiran.

Gorgeous, or what?  By the way, you might naturally assume (as I did!) that there must be lots of seahorses at Seahorse Cove, right?…well, you’d be wrong.  Maybe there used to be lots of seahorses here but not anymore.

If you do decide to go out diving or snorkelling in Oman, make sure you bring a camera!

Never thought my first time scuba-diving would be with an Anglican pastor, hahah! (Pastor Chris Howitz from the PCO) How cool is that?! Can I get an “Amen”? 🙂

Ready to descend!

This great pic of the warning device (to inform boats that divers are present) and our bubbles as the instructor teaches us the basics while we’re underwater was taken by our boat captain, Zacharia.  I am not even going to try to put into words the incredible experience of diving for the first time.  This quote I found does a good job of summing up the whole experience: ”

As a diver you are weightless and can move in all directions. You approach the freedom of a bird as you move in three dimensions in a fluid environment. (Dennis Graver, Scuba Diving)

Our Captain (and part time photographer), Zacharia, as we leave SeaHorse Cove for our next dive spot.  What is our next destination?!.  Stay tuned for Part 2 to find out!

Oman Dive Center

      If you love snorkelling or scuba-diving, this is the place for you!  Located out of town between Bandar Beach and Al Bustan Palace and the Shangri-La, the area is gorgeous.  In fact, it’s one place that I frequently take people out to see due to the incredible views.  This a nice dive-site map found at the Dive Center giving you an idea of what the coast is like near Muscat.  Check out those cute Barasti (traditional Omani) style huts (35 available) situated on the beach at the Center.  Instead of getting a hotel somewhere else and making the trip everyday for diving, I strongly suggest those coming to Oman to rent a place here if you want to get a scuba-diving license.  Check out the informative Oman Dive Center website at www.omandivecenter.com .  They have info in English, German, Italian and French! (as well as other languages)  They have a restaurant (named “Odyssey”) at the center and a bar (open noon-11:30pm) which is known as the best beach bar in Muscat.  One thing to warn you about if you come out simply to hang out at the Center: they charge you for parking unless you are there for only 20 minutes or less.  Just look at the color of that water!!!  Be sure to check out their website and consider the scuba-diving courses if you’re working/living here in Oman.

*Update Nov. 29, 2011*: Read this latest post about problems at the Oman Dive Center.