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HOTEL BEACHES
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SHERATON BEACH
ATTENTION: ON REQUEST OF SHERATON'S BEACH MANAGER I HAD TO REMOVE ALL THE CONTACT INFORMATION, SINCE HE CONSIDERS IT A PRIVATE BEACH.
Location:
North of the Creek ("Obhur"), approx. 35 km north of Jeddah
Entry Fee:
Membership required:
Opening hours:
Sat-Fri 24 hrs,
Facilities:
- Dive shop complete set rental scuba gear incl. 1 tank SR 70,-/extra tanks SR 20,-/snorkeling gear SR 30,-/ wetsuit SR 20,-
- Night diving usually possible all week (to be on the safe side, give them a call in advance)
- emergency oxygen available at the front of the peer
- restaurant open every day
- jetty - 5 m walk across reef for easy entry/exit
- 2 showers & hose next to exit point
- toilets/showers next to restaurant
- swimming pool (sometimes empty during weekdays for cleaning)
- telephone for Jeddah calls
- beach towels are provided on request for free
- mattress for sun beds provided for free
- sun shelters for up to 4-5 persons each
- car park inside, Fridays after 10am often full (more parking space outside)
- pick-up truck transports equipment from car park to beach
- beach cabins available for rent
Visitors:
Mainly Westerners & Western-minded Arabs; Western swim clothing no problem; gets a bit crowded on Fridays after 10am
Reef:
To the North (right): lots of damage, very poor
To the South (left): quite good, very healthy areas at 5m/15ft some 30-80m South of entry point
Descending at entry point there is a 6m wide shelf at a dept of 10m/33ft, the next drop off leads down to approximately 35m/110ft from where the bottom gradually drops deeper
Fish most likely to be seen:
Anthias, Sergeant Scissortail, Soldierfish, Cornetfish, various
Butterflyfish, Turkeyfish, Scorpionfish, Unicornfish, Sohal, Titan & Yellowmargin Triggerfish, Peacock & Coral Grouper, Goatfish, Clownfish in Sea Anemones, Parrotfish, Red Sea Bannerfish, sometimes turtles, Blue-Spotted Stingrays
Rating:
From beginners to expert divers
Caution:
Often the surface current runs opposite direction (N to S) from the current under water (mostly S to N); current is most days moderate or absent, rarely strong current
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AL NAKEEL BEACH
Location: ATTENTION: New owner running it, have no reports about any changes yet - feel free to send me a report!
North of the Creek ("Obhur"), approx. 40 km north of Jeddah
(GPS: new - will be updated)
Entry Fee: (might have changed)
Thu, Fri: SR 50,-
Sat-Wed: SR 30,-
Opening hours:
all week 8am- 11pm
Phone:
(02) 656 1176, 656 1177, 656 2179
Facilities: have to be re-checked
- dive shop (Red Sea Divers): complete set rental scuba gear incl. 1 tank SR 70,-/extra tanks SR 20,-/snorkeling gear SR 30,-/ wetsuit SR 20,-
- full time PADI dive instructor available
- night diving possible all week
- food stall (burger, sandwiches SR 10-20,-) open all week till 8pm
- BBQ (chicken/beef/khofta skewers SR 15,-) Thu/Fri only
- jetty - 20 m walk across corals for entry/exit
- 4 showers at beginning of jetty
- toilets/showers behind swimming pool area
- beach cabins available for rent
- swimming pool (salt water)
- telephone for Jeddah calls at food stall
- mattress for sun beds provided for SR 10,-
- sun shelters for up to 4-5 persons each
- small clinic & medic facilities
- emergency oxygen at the dive shop & clinic
- push trolleys to transport gear from car to end of jetty (Thu
afternoon & Fri often difficult to find empty one)
Visitors:
mainly Westerners, Western-minded Arabs & Filipinos; Western swim clothing no problem; gets very full on Thursdays & especially Fridays
Reef:
To the North (right): fairly good, 250m North huge rocks, where bigger fish can be encountered (only for those good on air usage); nice Sea Anemone rock at 8m/25ft between the 2 diving platforms; garden eels at 35-40m/130-140ft
To the South (left): fairly good;
Descending at entry point the reef drops down along a wall to approximately 35m/110ft from where the bottom gradually drops deeper, to the North are 2 diving platforms at 9m/30ft
Fish most likely to be seen:
Soldier-/Squirrelfish, Anthias, Sergeant Scissortail, various Butterflyfish, Monos & Chubs at the big rocks (North), Barracuda, Redtooth Triggerfish, Coral Grouper, Wrasses, Brown Surgeonfish, Goatfish, Clownfish in Sea Anemones, Parrotfish, Porcupinefish
Rating:
From beginners to expert divers
Caution:
Current is most days moderate or absent, rarely strong current; on days with high surf exit can be a bit tricky
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ALBILAD BEACH (former GOLDEN TULIP BEACH)
Location:
North of the Creek ("Obhur"), approx. 30 km north of Jeddah
(GPS: N21°42.487', E39°05.165')
Entry Fee: (might have increased)
Thu, Fri: SR 80,-
Sat-Wed: SR 50,-
Mon 6pm - 9pm (for night dive): SR 35,-
Thu 6pm - 9pm (incl. BBQ buffet): SR 70,-
Opening hours:
Sat-Wed 8am - 5pm Thu/Fri 8am-6pm; night dives on Mondays (till 9pm) can be arranged on previous arrangement with Desert Sea Divers (Tel: 6606368), BBQ on Thursday night (6-9pm)
Phone:
(02)
Facilities:
- dive shop (Desert See Divers): complete set of rental Scuba gear SR 70,- (incl. 1 tank)/snorkeling gear SR 30,-/tank SR 20,-
- restaurant (main courses SR 25 - 50,-) open Thu/Fri only
- jetty - 10 m walk across corals for entry/exit
- beach buggy with trailer to transport equipment to the end of the jetty (on occasions it takes some time to get the driver moving)
- 2 showers next to dive shop
- equipment assembly spots next to dive shop (equipment has to be carried by hand from car, no trolleys available because of soft sand)
- sun shelters for up to 4-5 persons each
- car park inside rather small (only for the early birds), more parking space available outside
- night diving possible on Mondays on previous arrangement
- Thursday night is BBQ night (6-9pm/SR 70,- entrance fee & BBQ)
Visitors:
Mainly Westerners & Western-minded Arabs; Western swim clothing no problem
Reef:
To the North (right): fairly good, some rubble in-between
To the South (left): quite good
Descending at entry point there is a 6-10m/20-33ft wide shelf at a depth of 12m/40ft, the next drop off leads down to approximately 35m/110ft from where the bottom gradually drops deeper
Fish most likely to be seen:
Anthias, Sergeant Scissortail, Porcupine Fish, various Butterflyfish, Cornetfish, Turkeyfish, Scorpionfish, Squid, Sohal, Titan & Yellowmargin Triggerfish, Peacock & Coral Grouper, Goatfish, Clownfish in Sea Anemones, Parrotfish
Rating:
From beginners to expert divers
Caution:
When windy surf can be high; current is most days moderate or absent,
rarely strong S to N current
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INTERCONTINENTAL BEACH
Location:
North of the Creek ("Obhur"), approx. 32 km north of Jeddah (GPS: N21°43.110', E39°04.889')
Entry Fee:
Thu, Fri: 60,- SR
Sat-Wed: 40,- SR
Opening hours:
Thu, Fri 8am-7pm, rest of the week 8am - 5pm (night diving possible on request)
Phone:
(02) 6562402, 6562403
Facilities:
- dive shop (Desert Sea Divers), open 9am - 5pm
- restaurant/BBQ (main courses SR 20 - 50) open Thu/Fri
- coffee shop (sandwiches) open all week
- jetty - entry/exit directly via ladder (or giant stride)
- push trolleys to transport equipment to the end of the jetty
- 2 showers at the end of the jetty (ground floor, near exit point)
- 1 shower at beginning of jetty
- toilets/showers next to restaurant
- beach cabins available for rent:
- swimming pool (salt water)
- sun shelters for up to 3-4 persons each
- night diving possible on previous arrangement
Visitors:
Mainly Westerners & Western-minded Arabs; Western swim clothing no problem
Reef:
To the North (right): lots of damage, very poor, lots of rubbish (barrels, iron bars, furniture, etc.)
To the South (left): reef fairly good, less rubbish
Fish most likely to be seen:
Anthias, Sergeant Scissortail, Cornetfish, various Butterflyfish, Turkeyfish, Scorpionfish, Unicornfish, Sohal, Titan & Yellowmargin Triggerfish, Peacock & Coral Grouper, Goatfish, Clownfish in Sea Anemones, Parrotfish
Rating:
From beginners to expert divers
Caution:
Exit can be tricky with extra equipment (e.g. camera) because a ladder has to be climbed up; sometimes under-current pulling you out into the open
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OPEN BEACH AREAS
The following dive spots lack of any facilities (except if diving from boats), so everything - especially drinking water and sun shelter - has to brought along. To reach the reef it requires a walk across the reef for 10 to 30 minutes. If water level is high enough, the equipment can be dragged behind being afloat, otherwise (especially in summer) it can be quite a strenuous walk, which is only recommended for reasonable fit people. Carry a small bottle of water in your BCD-pocket, put on an old baseball cap during the walk and leave the wet-suit unzipped if possible! When you arrive at below mentioned sites for the first time, you will be shocked about the amount of garbage on the beach area.
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PINNACLES
Nice dive spot another 15-20 km north of the hotel beaches; 4 huge pinnacles covered with soft corals; not easy to find without someone who has been there before. Takes a 15 minutes walk across the reef.
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SOUTH CORNICHE
Unspoiled reefs about 80 km south of Jeddah; start from little parking lot about 500m past the last coast guard station before the tarmac road ends. There are 2 to 3 spots along the road, where the reef doesn't seem to be that far away, which might be worth exploring.
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SHOAIBA BEACH
Beautiful reefs with huge table corals about 150 km south of Jeddah; take the new road towards the south until you see the Shoaiba desalination plant, turn right at the checkpoint and follow the power lines till the desalination plant. Diving on eather side of the plant is possible. It is required to register at the coastguard station (along the beach, south of the desalination plant) before diving. Camping is possible.
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FARASAN BANKS
Fantastic dive spots some 200km south of Jeddah, only accessible by boat. Dream Divers organizes 3-7 days trips. Usually people drive down by car until Al Lith and get on board at Dream Diver's own marina in Al Lith. Reefs are in pristine conditions and rays, huge green turtles and sharks are common. Dream Divers opened a resort from where now day trips are conducted too. Resort with 60 rooms, swimming pool, dive shop, supermarket, recreation area etc.
From abroad trips can be booked e.g. through www.belugareisen.de, www.magictours.at, www.barakuda.de, www.drop-off.de, www.extradive.de, starting from approximately 1300 Euro.
Note: This place must not be mixed up with the Farasan Islands which are near the Yemeni border (but which are great for diving too, but very difficult to arrange a trip). Highly recommended!
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RABIGH
Beautiful reefs with huge table corals about 150 km south of Jeddah; take the new Yanbu road towards the north until you see the Rabigh desalination plant, turn left and follow the power lines till the desalination plant. Diving on the northern side of the plant is possible. It is required to register at the coast guard station (just north of the desalination plant, when you reach the coast line) before diving. Camping is possible.
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YANBU
Fantastic dive spots with lots of little reef atolls, only accessible by boat. Dream Divers organizes 3-7 days trips (Liveabord, max. 20 passengers, hire from SR 10.000,-- per day). Departure from their own marina. It is possible too to hire smaller (fishing) boats from the southern marina (near Royal Commission). There are 3-4 fishermen used to take out divers. Best to arrange the day before. There is a Holiday Inn Hotel where one could stay overnight between day-trips (which are much cheaper - like SR 1000,-/day for the whole boat which fits 4-6 people - than the Dream Diver Liveaboard - which of course is 10times more comfortable). Reefs are in very good conditions and rays, green turtles and a variety of (oceanic) sharks (especially hammerheads) are common. Some tiger sharks on my last trip (June 2009). Highly recommended!
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