If you find yourself working in Saudi Arabia, and you enjoy scuba diving, then you'd be foolish not to make a trip to the western coast to check out some of the largely untouched wonders of the Red Sea. For most globe trotters, this underwater marine habitat is largely inaccessible unless you are a visting Muslim or Saudi expat, although there are a few sneaky ways to get a research visa if you're really determined.
I made the trip with James* 'Absoluut Shaarrrr' Hackett (work buddy) during December and the temperature was fantastic both in and out of the water. Armed with some of the biggest packed lunches known to man, we took a taxi from the hotel to the port and set out on a three-tank dive with local operators Desert Sea Divers.
Underwater scenery was varied and colourful, but not quite as impressive as I was expecting given the exclusivity of the location. It seems a shame to think that Eilat may have better Red Sea visuals, despite it being beaten up by mass tourism. That said, it was a fun weekend and definitely glad we made the trip.
*Thanks to James for most of the decent underwater photos in the slideshow.
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By Darrell Grundy - visited on 10 December 2003