ECO-DIVING PRACTICES

Every diver can do their bit towards protecting the marine environment.

• Don't remove any creatures – even if they appear to be dead.
• Don't "ride" turtles – they will panic and drown.
• Don't touch any marine creatures – they could be harmful, they could be harmed and they will certainly be scared off. It's far more satisfying to observe them going about their daily routines.
• Don't touch corals – hard corals are made up of millions of zooxanthellae which they need to grow and to form the foundation of their limestone skeleton. Soft corals consist of the delicate polyp. If you touch them, you'll kill them. In addition, coral cuts are notoriously likely to become infected and take a long time to heal.
• Don't litter or dump rubbish.
• When you're out on a dive, do your fellow divers and the marine environment a favour and collect any litter you find. Empty plastic bags, cans, old bottles, and discarded fishing nets can kill marine life (but check that there aren't any creatures inside them before removing them from the site).
• Maintain your buoyancy – this means you're less likely to crash into any delicate corals.
• Take care when anchoring.
• If you have a picnic on the beach, throw your rubbish away in the bins provided or, better still, take it away with you.

ECO-DIVING PRACTICES

The UAE offers diving that's really very special; the lower Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will satisfy all tastes and levels of experience for divers and snorkeling alike.

You can choose from over 30 wrecks in relatively shallow water, tropical coral reefs and dramatic coastlines that are virtually undived. And these are bathed in warm water all year around. Water temperatures range from a cooler 20°C in January to a warmer 35°C in July and August. Although the land temperatures can be in the high 40s in the summer months, it is rarely too hot when out at sea or dipping into the water. Rain usually falls in the early months of the year (January to March), but it is infrequent and never lasts for long.

The weather on the east coast can be very different from that in the west if the country. On the Gulf of Oman, it is slightly cooler in the summer and there may occasionally be rain in late July and August. The weather will often be calm on this coast, while the west coast is being buffeted by a "shamal" (moderate northerly winds).

If you dive on one coast is canceled because of rough seas or high winds, the chances are that the weather will be fine on the other coast. Musandam, the mountainous Omani area to the north of the UAE at the very tip of the peninsula, is very remoteness and lack of access means it is one of the least explored diving areas in the world. Many of the small fishing villages along the coast are only accessible by boat or off-road tracks.

There are many excellent diving centers and clubs operating in the region that will help you enjoy the wonderful diving, and using a boat plenty of slipways available too, and also several first-class marinas where you can permanently moor your boat. For a fee, contact Superyacht Middle East, e-mail info@jlsyachts.com for details.

Content © Department of Transport - Abu Dhabi and 3rd Edition Explorer UAE Underwater.