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Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: York, UK
Posts: 1,227
|  Mystery, magic welcome you at Oman Dive Centre
Quote:
MUSCAT — You head out in a boat, equipped with a full range of diving gear, to an enticing blue sea. There you dive deep into the water, and for the next few moments in time, you are transported to the world of the deep, where you revel in its mystery and magic. Enchanted, you return home to a picturesque beach dotted with quaint cottages, colourful boats and excited tourists. All around you is nothing but breathtaking beauty, and an arresting sense of peace and calm. Sounds unreal? Not at Oman Dive Centre, nestled in a cosy corner in the hills, away from the din of the city. With as many as 30 huts built in the traditional Omani style, four boats that can carry 12 divers each, a restaurant which offers indoor and outdoor dining, and a beach bar, the dive centre promises a unique experience to those seeking adventure in the waters of Oman.
Diving as a pleasure sport is fast catching on in the Sultanate. Thanks to tour operators in Europe who are promoting Oman as a popular tourist and diving destination, people are gradually becoming aware of the excitement that this sport offers, and the great potential for it that the Sultanate holds. And Oman Dive Centre offers the perfect opportunity to further explore and discover diving. The centre, founded in 1989, is now being managed by Extra Divers worldwide and has been transformed into the only ‘eco dive resort’ of Oman. To Extra Divers goes the credit of running the first professional diving centre in the Sultanate.
Aldo Bertagna, general manager of Oman Dive Centre, took charge eight months ago and since then, the place has grown from strength to strength. To cope with increasing demand, the centre now has plans to acquire a bigger boat with greater capacities and facilities. The proposed 20-metre boat will be able to carry 25 divers at the same time and be equipped with a shower, toilet and other facilities to enable the divers to spend a full day, uninterrupted, on the boat.
“At the moment, we have mostly European tourists visiting us. The number of Omanis coming here is very few. But we’re not doing anything to promote diving on a larger scale, owing to our limited boat capacity. Once the bigger, better boat is here, the scene will change dramatically. We will then go in for aggressive promotion and there will be a surge in the number of visitors,” says Aldo.
“The best part about diving is that it can be done all around the year,” he says. “But if you want the weather to be perfect, then anytime between September-November and March-May would be ideal. Because in Oman, summer and winter could be rather harsh, and the water could get too hot or too cold.” So what makes Oman a popular diving destination? “It’s the fact that there is a large variety of fish in the Oman waters which you can’t find anywhere else,” quips Aldo. Oman’s lovely long coastline is another plus.
Diving is an activity that even children can indulge in. The minimum age for diving is 10 years. All children will be supervised. At the centre, the only prerequisite for diving is that one has to know how to swim.
“Divers have the option of taking the first boat that departs from the centre at 8.30am, or the next one at 9am,” says Aldo. “Here they can go for two dives. There’s another departure at 2.30 in the afternoon, where they get to go for a single dive. Three times a week, we even have a night dive. All these dives are equally popular and much sought-after,” he adds. For a two-time dive in the morning, visitors will have to shell out RO24, in addition to a dive permit fee of RO2 per day and equipment charge of RO8 per dive. The afternoon (single dive) comes at a cost of RO14, in addition to the permit fee and equipment charge.
The dive sites can be anywhere between five minutes and 45 minutes away from the centre, and include spots like Qantab Reef, Jissah Island, Mermaid Cove, Purple Haze, Cockleshell Bay, Coral Garden, Democracy Bay, Al Munnassir, Turtle City and Seahorse Haze, to name a few.
Those who are not familiar with diving could learn how to do it, depending on their level of proficiency. The centre offers a host of diving courses targeted at different learning levels.
The popular open water course is a 4-day entry-level training programme which offers divers the choice of opting for either an SSI (Scuba Schools International) or PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification. Fee for the course is RO162. Then there’s the Advanced Open Water course for RO122, which again offers a choice between PADI and SSI certification. This is a custom-made course consisting of five dives and takes place over a period of 2-3 days, depending on the learner. The Rescue Diver Course for RO172 is again a 4-day professional course.
“We have professional, multi-lingual instructors at the centre, who teach tourists from all over the world. Our courses are certified internationally as well,” says Aldo. SSI certification courses are the most popular, but the diving centre also provides, upon request, the more renowned PADI certification courses to tourists.
Tempted? Well, you don’t have to go far for a holiday of a lifetime. Decide to take on diving, head for the dive centre and get ready to get addicted!
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