2019 Musandam Liveaboard

Last weekend (3-5 January 2019) the girls and I joined a liveaboard dhow diving trip in Musandam, Oman with Al Marsa Musandam.

Musandam, Oman

Musandam is a govern ate of the Sultanate of Oman. It is separated from Oman by UAE. Musandam is the pointy tip of the Arabian Peninsula at the Strait of Hormuz. Rocky mountains and valleys create waterways similar to the fjords. Musandam is known as the home of the Arabian Fjords. The West coast has a road following the coast all the way to Khasab, but on the East Coast, the road pretty much ends just across the border outside Dibba. There are some fishing villages along the East Coast, but they are mainly accessible only by boat.

The Dhow Trip

Reaching Dibba Port, the home of Al Marsa Musandam and their dhows is about a 3.5-hour journey from Abu Dhabi. The road travels through the city then skirts Dubai with the Burj Khalifa featuring prominently on the western skyline. Then it’s through the desert of Sharjah and across the Hajar Mountains of Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah.

The East Coast side of Musandam doesn’t have a real border with customs etc. You are given an entry permit as a tourist if booked in a hotel or other tourism activity, and then proceed through a security checkpoint. Note: Transportation of alcohol accross the boredr is not allowed and there are hefty penalties.

We arrived at the Corniche border checkpoint in Dibba where Rico from Al Marsa met us with our border crossing papers. In no time, we were through the checkpoint and at Al Marsa’s office to fit our wetsuits. This was a struggle as no one wants to believe me when I tell them my 12-year-old daughter is taller and has bigger feet than most men!

All of the staff are very friendly and helpful and once we had our equipment sorted, they loaded everything on a truck to take to the dhow. We walked around the break wall and walked across several dhows to get to the Red Dhow, our home for the next 2 nights.

Back on the Water

Shortly after getting all our gear stowed, the crew tossed the lines and we headed out to sea. After a briefing about the safety on board and the planned schedule for the next few days, we all sat down to dinner on the upper deck. Delicious food as always! We had a great group on the boat with South Africa, Germany, America, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Yemen represented in the group of divers.

I love being at sea at night! As soon as the lights on land fell below the horizon, we could see stars lighting up the night sky and bioluminescence in our wake. Flying fish skipped away from the bow, landing in splashes of light. Nikki and Izzy even saw a ray glowing just below the surface next to the boat.

The fresh air, full bellies, and motion of the ocean, soon had me heading to bed. I love hearing the water rush past the hull next to my head, and even the motor couldn’t keep me awake as I fell asleep after only reading a few pages of my book. I only briefly woke up at 1 am when we reached our anchorage for the night.

Diving and Teaching

I love diving in Musandam and don’t need any other reason to go. But we dive mostly in the shallow waters of Abu Dhabi, so Musandam is a great place to complete all the dives for the PADI Advanced Openwater Diver Course. That was my plan for my daughter Izzy! I finally had a chance to put my instructor skills to use and Izzy was able to complete the four remaining adventure dives over the weekend. She is now a PADI Jr Advanced Openwater Diver! You can read more details about our dives by clicking on the links below.

Izzy and Pieter - PADI Jr AOW Completed — Izzy and Pieter – PADI Jr AOW Completed

Surface Intervals

During the surface intervals, we had a meal or a snack, Izzy and I debriefed the previous dive, or we discussed the requirements for the next adventure dive. Otherwise, we were free to lounge around, relaxing on the loungers on the upper deck, snorkel, or kayak around the bay. The kids all loved the kayaking!

Nikki geared up fo DSD — Izzy kayaking in the bay

Nikki, who is not a fan of the water, even tried some scuba diving with me. We tried to do a Discover Scuba Diving experience, but the visibility was not good. After a brief panic attack when she got in the water, we spent about 45 minutes floating around with our faces in the water, with full scuba to get used to being in the water and breathing from a regulator. I am very proud of her for facing one of her greatest fears and trying it out. Hopefully, we can try again in a place with better visibility.

Heading Home

All too soon, our final dive was done and we were heading back to port. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day for lounging on the upper deck. Izzy completed all of her knowledge reviews and we discussed her answers. I am very proud to have been able to certify my daughter as a PADI Jr Advanced Open Water Diver and look forward to many more dives with my favorite dive buddy!

Back in port, the crew offloaded all of our equipment and we were on our way back across the border, mountains, desert, and cities, back home to Abu Dhabi. The visibility wasn’t great and we still didn’t get to see any whale sharks or Mola Molas (sunfish), but we had a great time. The crew from Al Marsa Musandam were amazing as always! We did find a seahorse and experienced some great diving!

Dibba Fishing Harbour at low tide — Arriving back at Dibba, Oman

Our weekend by the numbers:

KM’s driven: 650km
Ocean Miles: 90nm
Nights on Board: 2
Meals on Board: 6
Dives: 6
Sharks: 0
Courses completed: 1 PADI Jr AOW, 1 almost DSD

Thank you to Al Marsa Musandam, Nilo and the crew of the Red Dhow for an awesome weekend. Thanks to all the new friends we met who made the trip even more fun. And a special thanks to Izzy for being an awesome student and my favorite dive buddy! The biggest thanks to Nikki for joining us and indulging us as we dive and sail. I am so proud of her for giving SCUBA diving a try and facing her fear of the monsters in the water!

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