Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

We have now arrived at the perfect time, the month of May, to go snorkeling and scuba diving… And the best place to do this is in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Oman. So, I've organized a trip there for the weekend of May 4 – 6. On the itinerary are the highly-proclaimed dive sites of Fahal Island and Bandar Khayran just off Muscat which are very convenient to local economical accommodation. However, there are two issues:

1) The shortness of this notice
2) Recent announcement of an increase of the fee – from OMR 5 to OMR 20(!) – for a short-stay Oman tourist visa. I will do some more checking to see if this increased fee is currently in effect or still pending...

Approximate cost for 3 dives on Friday (no equipment rental):
Snorkeling: OMR 40 / AED 380
Scuba Diving: OMR 54 / AED 515

Approximate cost for 2 dives on Saturday (no equipment rental):
Snorkeling: OMR 18 / AED 175
Scuba Diving: OMR 37 / AED 355

Full equipment rental:
Snorkeling: OMR 5 / AED 50
Scuba Diving: OMR 15 / AED 150

All of the costs quoted here may be further discounted once we have submitted a finalized list of participants to the dive operator. So, exact costs and other details (including suggested best location for accommodation) will be posted when I have received an adequate number of replies to this announcement.

Accommodation for the two nights of May 4 & 5 is to be arranged by each participant on his/her own behalf. Economical accommodation (AED 180 – 220/night) is plentiful in Muscat and easily made via Booking.com or Agoda.com.

So, anyone who is interested in participating in this event, please send a reply to me at spacemandc@gmail.com by Sunday, April 30, so that I may determine if we have enough interest to finalize arrangements. Please be sure to specify if you will be snorkeling or scuba diving. I look forward to hearing from you... We should enjoy some very interesting diving and have a lot of fun!

Please note that field trips are open to paid-up members of the 2016-2017 season. If you are not yet a paid-up member, or if you want to renew your membership to join the trip, you may do so by signing up at our next lecture on May 2nd 2017 at the Park Hyatt Saadiyat Hotel at 7pm. Membership is 100 Dhs for individuals and 150 Dhs for families. 

Denis Cheng
Field Trip Coordinator