Saturday, 19 August 2006

JEDDAH: SCUBA diving in the Red Sea has become one of the most popular recreational activities in western Saudi Arabia, both among young Saudis as well as expatriates, largely because the sea's stunning natural beauty remains untouched and largely undisturbed.

"The Red Sea close to the port of Yanbu has some of the best untouched reefs in the world," said experienced diver Shawn Nelson.

"The Coast Guard allows access by land directly into the Red Sea, and there are many small wrecks, grass beds and endless outcroppings that give you hours of diving and snorkeling."

The Red Sea is becoming a major tourist draw, and while interest is expanding, its most popular diving sites are nowhere near as crowded as those in other parts of the world.

Diving instructor Abdulrahman Al-Hakeem told The Saudi Gazette that over the last decade, the number of Saudis who scuba dive and snorkel has risen by 10-to-15 percent and he fully expects interest to continue rising in the coming years.

"Most of the time, Saudi youth dive during the summer vacation because summer is the best time for diving in the Red Sea," Al-Hakeem said. "Scuba diving is fun. It was my uncle's idea and now I think it was the best. I love diving and can stay under water for hours," said 13-year-old Saudi diver Ahmed Al-Turki. "I told my friend to come and join me and when I get my licenses, I will dive with my father as he is also a good diver."

"My two friends have already learned to scuba dive and got their licenses," said Anmar Al-Kumosani, another 13-year-old Saudi diving student. "I like swimming and found a different world underwater."

Tourists intent on diving also flock to the Kingdom in the summer.  Diving instructor Yasser Mandial told The Saudi Gazette roughly 200 to 300 divers come each week during the summer to swim and dive in the Red Sea.

The undersea world off the coast is one of the Kingdom's great natural assets, home to at least 200 species of coral and of the great displays of natural color in the world - a rival to the diving sites off the Egyptian resort of Sharm Es-Sheikh.

In addition to the coral reefs, a number of wrecked, sunken boats also provide an attractive draw because they become homes for all kinds of sea life - corals, fish and crustaceans of all kinds. Some of the wrecks are fairly deep, as far down as 45 meters, and require stamina, training and some special equipment to explore.

The Boiler Wreck, which sits on the sea bottom roughly 40 meters down, is home to numerous species of sharks, manta rays, and large carnivorous fish like bonito, blue fin jacks and kingfish may pass along the wall.

Another major draw for divers is Alas Reef, which lies at depths of 14 to 30 meters. The deeper zone hosts large schools of Black Triggerfish and giant schools of tiny sardines. The sardines, in turn, attract large numbers of mackerel, Red Snapper and other species of bigger fish.

A number of other major reefs and wrecks dot the coast, and all of them rich with sea life and breathtaking sights for the determined diver to see. However, divers wanting to explore wrecks need diving permits and letters from diving instructors before plunging below the waters off the Kingdom.

Diving began in Saudi Arabia as a serious tourist draw in 1990 when Harry Schiller, the Saudi Arabian Airlines station manager in Germany, teamed up with the Al-Bilad Hotel and Al-Saif, makers of the first purpose-built diving boat to operate in the Kingdom to provide tour packages for international divers. Since then, a number of dive shops have opened in Saudi Arabia, including nine in Jeddah. Most have certified diving instructors certified by US and international diving training agencies, such as the British Sub-Aqua Club, so Saudis who want to learn to dive have a number of options.

Private resorts all along the northern coast offer the best access to the sea for diving, with the most popular being Al-Nakheel Beach, Blue Beach, Sheraton Beach and the Al-Bilad Beach.

By Fouzia Khan

© The Saudi Gazette 2006