After one day of exploring the khors and landscape of Musandam, it was time to explore the water.
Through word of mouth I found Extra Divers, a company which not only offered a snorkeling/diving day trip but also offered housing at very reasonable prices.
Some of you might wonder why I went snorkeling. Unfortunately, I didn’t use my PADI Open Water certificate since I got it in Panama in 2010, and without a refresher I didn’t feel comfortable diving into the deep so to say. That’s why I chose to go snorkeling. After this snorkeling experience though, I have set my mind to refreshing my PADI knowledge and to go on a diving trip as fast as possible to get some dives under my belt, because I’ve really missed the underwater experience.
Dive 1 – Barracuda Ride, Musandam Island
In the morning, we all gathered together at the Atana Khasab hotel where we had the delicious Hamour dinner the night before. That’s where the small Extra Divers shop is settled. We tried on our wetsuits, because we were told the water could be slightly chilly and we gathered our snorkeling equipment. Then we were divided into groups and taken to the harbour by car.
We had a nice group of people on our boat; some Americans, some Fins and some Lebanese people. It wasn’t very busy, and only around five people would be snorkeling and the other five would be diving. Unfortunately, the moment we arrived at the first location it started to drizzle and the sky was cloudy. I had just bought my underwater camera, but I could tell straightaway it wouldn’t be a success due to the weather conditions. How unlucky, to be in the Middle East and experience rain on a day trip when it only rains two days a year!
It was nice to swim around an explore a bit, but the fact that I was only snorkeling restricted me from finding the bigger fish and nicer corals because they would be further down. The area was OK but not what I expected it to be. When the divers got back on the boat it was clear they had the better experience.
Dive 2 – Abu Sir Island, Eagle Bay
We had a little lunch break with cookies and fruits Extra Divers brought on board for us. Then we went to the next diving spot. Actually the mountainous landscape by the sea was more beautiful than anything I saw underwater, so that was really a plus.
The second dive spot was called Eagle Bay. It’s known for its strong currents. Even near the surface we were constantly swimming against the current so I can imagine how much the divers must have been struggling. This spot was even less beautiful than the previous one, but I really think it’s because of the snorkeling. You simply can’t reach the beautiful spots and when you ship out with a dive crew they will take you to areas that are nice deeper.
Conclusion
All in all the organization of the day was perfect. The two owners and their UK employee were really professional and knowledgeable and it was a very fun day. I just lament the fact that I didn’t refresh my PADI beforehand so I could’ve gone diving. In addition to that, the weather conditions weren’t great so I couldn’t really test my new underwater camera (Fujifilm XP80).
I am leaving the UAE on the 2nd of September, which is two weeks from the moment I’m writing this blog post. If I would’ve stayed longer I would’ve definitely gone back to Extra Divers to refresh my knowledge on my PADI Open Water and to do some extra dives. One of my dreams is to dive with whale sharks and they stay around Musandam in Summer. Missed opportunity, but I’m sure I’ll get my chance. The snorkeling and sightseeing trip in Musandam was really worth the journey!
