Seeking Saudi Arabia tour operator, possibly from Germany

[oira79]

A couple years ago I read, I believe on this board, of a German tour operator that was running dive trips to Saudi Arabia.

My wife and I would really like to get on one of those tours. We want to dive the Red Sea, we're not interested in going to Egypt right now (you can tell me it's safe until you run low on air, but we're still not interested), and we've always been fascinated by Saudi Arabia. Besides, we hear the Red Sea is more pristine there.

I was hoping that a tour operator could help us get the necessary visas, although maybe that's not possible.

In any case, does anyone know of a tour operator we could contact?

Thanks.

 

[Crowley]

Hi oira79...

Firstly I have to run a little bit low on air and say that at the moment, although Egypt has a lot of problems, the tourist resorts remain unaffected, and visitors should not fear for their safety. What you see on TV is not representative of what's happening throughout the country and the fighting is Egyptian vs Egyptian, not foreigners. As a resident of Egypt I would feel far more comfortable visiting here than I would visiting Saudi.... However, now I've got that out of the way:

Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state, and far less tolerant than the much more "liberal" Egypt. I have never actually visited (and have absolutely zero desire to do so) however as a Red Sea Resident I would advise that you do some careful research beforehand. If you are confined to the beaches and resorts which cater to Western visitors, then you shouldn't have too much trouble, but outside of these areas, women are required to be covered with headscarves and/or the abaya - the long black cloak worn by Muslim women - and public displays of affection (such as holding hands) are not tolerated. Symbols of other religions are likewise forbidden, for example, wearing a christian cross on a necklace is not advisable unless it is concealed. I strongly advise against visiting during the holy month of Ramadan where everybody in the country is expected to abide by the rules - i.e. no smoking, eating or drinking during daylight hours, at least in public. I know that some, but not all, hotels will cater to tourists at this time but make sure you ask up front - Ramadan in 2012 will be during the month of August (I don't know the exact dates).

It is not possible to get a tourist visa to Saudi Arabia; you need to be "sponsored" by a Saudi resident, however the tour operators themselves fulfill that obligation. With that in mind, a few minutes googling came up with the following link

Tour Operator in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia tours & round trip - Allo' Expat Saudi Arabia

Hopefully somebody with more extensive knowledge of Saudi Arabia will post and correct me - this is only what I know from others who have visited and my own personal knowledge of the region. Regardless of politics, I hope you enjoy diving in the Red Sea - it's awesome!

Cheers,

Crowley

 

[Searcaigh]

Having lived in Saudi Arabia for 11 years (86-97) I frequently reminisce of the great diving that was on my doorstep living in Jeddah. However during my frequent return trips on business I have seen a gradual degradation of the fringing reefs due to construction etc as the Saudi economy has been booming along the Red Sea. That said, it is still a damn site better than anything the Gulf region can offer.

Tourism is in its infancy and very disorganized. Obtaining a visa to visit will certainly be the biggest challenge, in particular for a female even traveling with her husband.

Saudi is an islamic state, all shops / services stop for prayer time (a friend of mine sat outside a barber shop for 30 mins with half a haircut once in Riyadh), there are religious police (Mutawa) patrolling shopping malls etc.

All that being said I have found it easier now as a non resident to get on a dive boat, when I lived there a "boat letter" was required by the coast guard and that was only available through the government relations department of one's employer. Last year I only had to hand over my passport to the CG.

Getting around is not so easy unless you drive and it is really crazy. Have an accident with a local and YOU are at fault in most cases, mainly because very few police speak English. You could end up in jail and not together because of strict separation of sexes.

The Saudi's are sitting on a gold mine as far as diving is concerned, and perhaps because the country is not so open to foreign visitors that in itself has reduced the rate of reef damage etc. Anyway I wish you luck in your search to travel there.

Contact Desert Sea Divers[FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]
Tel: (+966) 2 656 1807
Fax: (+966) 2 656 1288
[/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]info@desertseadivers.net[/FONT]
www.desertseadivers.net

[FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]Opening hours
Sat, Sun, Tue, Wed: 10am -8pm
Thu, Fri: 7am - 8pm
Mondays closed![/FONT]
[FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]
Dream Divers
[FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]Tel: (+966) 2 288 6242
Fax: (+966) 2 288 2281
Mobile Mr. Eric Mason: (+966)5 055 827 23
E-Mail: [/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]eric@dreamdiver.net[/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive] , [/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]eric_fwd@yahoo.com[/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive] (for boat trips)
Web: [/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]www.dreamdiver.net[/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive] , [/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]www.alahlam-marina.com[/FONT][FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]Opening hours:
Sat - Thu: 9 am - 11 pm
Fri: 6pm - 11pm[/FONT]
[FONT=Zapf Chancery, Comic Sans MS, cursive]
Saudi Arabia is +3 GMT[/FONT]
[/FONT]

 

[shortdivemedic]

Oira
I do the majority of my diving there now and I use the Desert Sea Divers they are a very good shop that provides a whole range of stuff for you. They will take care of your visas and transportation and can even help with housing,but send me a message about that part first. Like mentioned above it is still an Islamic country and that can provide some headaches if you do not consider that before.
Jeddah is by far the most open and fun place to be in Saudi though and you will enjoy a visit here. The food in this city is international and very cheap overall. The people here are much friendlier than you will find elsewhere in this country.
Desert Sea Divers provides a boat trip that for 75.00 usd you will spend an entire day on the boat with snacks,drinks,and lunch on board. The crews take care of your needs and are very knowledgeable of the dive sites. If your experienced divers you do not have to follow the herd and can go off on your own. But understand like it has been said you are responsible for your self and your partner. They usually have about 20 divers on a 42 ft Newton style boat so it's manageable. You have 3 tanks to use for the day and get plenty of time to enjoy your dives. There is snorkeling also in between your dives if you choose to stay wet. They have good rental equipment available and will make sure you have what you need at a reasonable price.
The diving here is very good and in my opinion the best part is the visibility and temp. Usually temps are around 26 to 30 and not much wetsuit required. The visibility is somewhere between a long way and unlimited on most days, but can get mucked up with rough seas. The coral and sea life is very good but I notice there is not much big stuff in the Jeddah area. You will see lots of rays,rock fish ,turkey fish and there are some spots with beautiful soft coral. Usually the current is very minor,but can flair up and the crew will change spots.
Dive masters here are not part of the regular crew and are provided free diving for taking that role. If your experienced you can dive on your own ,just remember you are responsible for yourself. The photo ops underwater are awesome if you like to take pics. There is some great shore diving here also so diving during the week is easy.
All in all diving in Saudi is great and if you are planning a trip over let me know as I do a six month stint there starting in May and will help out where I can with some recommendations on hotels and such.

Cheers
Michael

 

[Red Sea Leonfish]

although Egypt has a lot of problems, the tourist resorts remain unaffected, and visitors should not fear for their safety.

Until now, it (very sadly) seems:
BBC News - Two US tourists 'kidnapped in Egypt's Sinai peninsula'

 

[Alnajel]

I was hoping that a tour operator could help us get the necessary visas, although maybe that's not possible.

Regrettably, the Italian and German operators have stopped offering liveaboards in Saudi Arabia.

This is due to the suspenion of granting tourist visas to international divers, which took place 18 months ago.

Of course local diving (i.e. for all divers living/working there) is still going at full-capacity

Regards


Alnajel
Saudi Arabia