Oman Al Daymaniyat

[HJ]

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of doing Red Sea liveaboard in August, and wondered whether I should tack on a few more days and go to Oman to dive Al Daymaniyat. I have never been to Oman but I've been to nearby countries and I know it will be very hot so I don't think we'll do much other than dive.

A couple of questions:

1. Is there any nicer resorts that we can stay in instead of Al Sawadi resort which seems to be where everyone stays? It's our honeymoon so we're willing to spend.

2. How many days is it worth diving at Al Daymaniyat?

Thanks!

Hj

 

[Searcaigh]

I have probably done around 30 dives at the Damaniyats, and you can easily dive for a week with two different dive sites per day. It is unlikely you will have more than two dives, although once I did a 3 tank dive.

The dive operator at Al Sawadi Beach Resort, Extra Divers, is well organized and their boats are good.

Options for hotel, well Al Sawadi is convenient, and they used to do two nights for the price of one during summer months, expect air temperatures around 45C.

The next nearest hotel is Al Nahda Resort, looks nicer, cheaper but you are going to need transport, I have not stayed there so can't comment on how good it is.

 

[Abdullah]

All the Oman capital area dive shops go to Daminyat. The only difference is the length of the boat ride. Sawadi Beach is an OK operator, but the hotel is shaggy and much better lodging can be found in the Muscat area. You will likely be flying into Muscat, so staying there in a much better quality hotel is probably a better honeymoon option.

You can have a 5 star stay at the InterCon or Hyatt in Muscat proper, or Shangri La Resort on it's own private land in the wilderness, and still dive Daminyat from the Bandar al Rowda marina that all the Muscat dive shops use. All these hotels serve alcohol and have a western (liberal) acceptance of bikini's and similar beach wear.

The Al Husn at Shangri La is a fabulous 7 star luxury adults only resort hotel with private pool and private beach. The prices are normally discounted about 50% in the summer months. There are several great restaraunts in the Shangri La resort complex. They will pick you up at the airport (for a few extra bucks they'll pick you up in their Bentley). I stay there for my wedding anniversary every summer. And no, I don't work for them.

Contact Ruby or Karin at EuroDivers Oman. They have a website, but if you PM me I'll give you their office phone number. They dive Daminyats frequently and can also pick you up at your hotel. They also have the best maintenance program for their compressor and dive gear, which can be an issue in Oman. I get my air fills there and occasionally dive with them if I'm looking for someplace deep or otherwise really cool (like Daminyat). They will go to Fahal Island which offers bull sharks, great corals, and large schooling fish. They will also go to Bandar Khayran, Sifah, and the Quryat area which offer some very nice reefs, abundant fish and eels, hard and soft corals, guitar sharks, and black tips. My avatar is a honeycomb moray I photographed at Bandar Khayran.

I would avoid Oman Dive Center (ODC, near the Shangri La), Daminyat Divers (Shatti Mall, near the InterCon), and Omanta (in the InterCon). ODC is affiliated with the Sawadi Beach Resort. All have significant quality of service issues and some safety concerns. ODC sank one of their boats at Bandar Khayran last year and their staff is just plain rude.

 

[Maples]

The diving there is amazing though, much better than the GBR here in Australia.

 

[kheldz]

Daimaniyat is hands down the best dive spot within 5-6 hour radius ...depending on time of the year you may get whale sharks (summer)


https://vimeo.com/46575669

https://vimeo.com/47919464


cuttlefish mating season (https://vimeo.com/32685160) towards winter ...where by the macro tends also to be seasonal ..at times not much to see where as others cant get ur head out of the bottom

here's a video that covers most of what you'll probably end up seeing from smaller stuff...
https://vimeo.com/28586195

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of doing Red Sea liveaboard in August, and wondered whether I should tack on a few more days and go to Oman to dive Al Daymaniyat. I have never been to Oman but I've been to nearby countries and I know it will be very hot so I don't think we'll do much other than dive.

A couple of questions:

1. Is there any nicer resorts that we can stay in instead of Al Sawadi resort which seems to be where everyone stays? It's our honeymoon so we're willing to spend.

2. How many days is it worth diving at Al Daymaniyat?

Thanks!

Hj