Looking to Dive in the UAE...Divers Down is the Best I Found

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Oldbear

Teaching Neutral Diving
Scuba Instructor
Messages
2,822
Reaction score
1,149
Location
Melbourne Florida
# of dives
2500 - 4999
I have been to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, fifty-one times on business in the last 6½ years. While I am still impressed with the architecture of its building and the impressive malls with glamorous store fronts and good restaurants, I still want something different. So I figured why not seek in a few dives after all it is on the Ocean (Persian Gulf). I have dived with several dive shops that operate out of the swankiest hotels (as seen on TV) and even did my PADI Rescue Diver course at the Atlantis Resort…but the diving is always the same…visibility of less than 2-3 meters. Don’t forget the national past time in Dubai is to dump a lot of rocks and sand into the water and create fantastically shaped islands. I did dive in the world’s largest mall’s aquarium, but after one dive there, I had enough of that too.

While Dubai and Abu Dhabi get all of the recognition in the U.A.E., it is Fujairah, on the eastern sea coast that have the best diving, not Dubai on the Western Coast. After referrals from members of my local Kuwaiti BSAC diving club and initial contact thru ScubaBoard, I finally was able to set up a few dives with Divers Down in Fujairah. And I cannot tell you just how great of a good time I had. :yeahbaby:

When I first started to look for a dive operator in U.A.E. on ScubaBoard, I was contacted by Ms. Karin Nielsen about choosing Divers Down. While I had heard many good things about Divers Down from my local BSAC club members, there was always the logistical challenge of getting from Dubai to Fujairah…about 95 km. I still had to stay my company’s hotel of choice…in Dubai. My hotel wanted AED 400 (about $125 US) to take me to Fujairah and back each day. Karin managed to strike up an agreement for AED 250 (about $75). Each morning I was met by a private chauffer in a nice sedan. After about a 1½-2 hour ride, I was greeted by Karin and a nice cup of mint tea. While it might not sound like much, those cups of mint green tea have left such a lasting impression upon me that when I got back to Kuwait after this latest trip I went out and bought some.

The best part of Divers Down was the hospitality I received from the entire staff. In the past few years, I have dived with many different dive operators in Thailand, Puerto Rico, Cozumel & Cancun, Dubai, Italy, U.S.V.I., and St. Kitts and no where have I ever been better treated by the “Entire Staff”. Usually, when I am booking or just arriving the service is exceptional, but either it is short lived or not an enduring trait for the entire staff. At Divers Down, the entire, ENTIRE, staff was great. The first day, one of the owners, Paul Sant took me out to a couple of his favorite dive sites. Not only is Paul an owner, but a true conservationist. He has helped establish wrecks in the region for artificial reefs and as one of the oldest operators in Fujairah, knows the lay of the land better than anyone I met there. The second day of diving, I dove with Karin. What a joy she is to dive with. With vast experiences in Thailand…we knew several of the same people. The entire two days of diving, I always felt like a friend of the family rather than a customer. So many times after a dive, the guides and staff disappear, but the entire time I was never abandoned. Yes they still had their responsibilities and duties to perform, but they always left you feeling apart of things. While I do not know when the next time I will be able to dive with Divers Down, I know that I have made a lifelong friend in Karin. :chicken:

So if you are ever in the United Arab Emirates and want to blow bubbles, go with Divers Down. For all of the good things that come from the sport of diving, they are the epitome of so many of them.

Thanks Karin & Paul for such a great time.

~Michael~
 
Wouw, Michael. I don't know where to start :blush: Thank you so incredibly much for this review - I'm speechless. What you mention as our qualities are the qualities we strive to achieve; we want our guests to feel welcome and appreciated, and have a great time. People spend money and valuable time to visit us, and they should have the best possible time. We can't influence the weather (as you noticed), but we can do everything within our power to make your experience a good and worthwhile one. Oh, and now I'm glad I took the wrong box of tea :biggrin:

Thanks a bunch - for visiting us, for being such a positive person (beach landing springs to mind), and for writing such a glowing review. We'll meet & dive somewhere again - that's what friends do :D

Greetings from the entire crew here on the beach
Karin :hugs:
 

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