Last Novemeber we spent a absolutely fantastic weekend on a Dhow cruise in Musamdam, which is in the neighbouring Sultanate of Oman. The Musandam peninsula is an enclave of Oman that juts out into the Strait of Hormuz and is famed for it's great diving and pristine fjords.
Our friend Hartty who goes annually, organised a great bunch of people for a weekend of sun, sea, diving, snorkelling and superb scenery.
As we were a large group of 16 we booked a 75ft triple decked Dhow for exclusive use with Sheesa Beach this cost 14,000Dhs (approx £2,400) departing Thursday eve and coming back early Saturday eve.
Our cruise left from Dibba port in Oman, which is about a 2.5 hour drive from Dubai taking into account Thursday evening traffic. You'll also need your passoprt as you cross the U.A.E/Oman broader.
After you set off, you sail about 3 hours along the Oman coast to Musandam where you moor for the night in a secluded fjord.
Total cost including crew & catering was 1,000Dhs pp (£170) for non-divers and 1,400Dhs (£238) for divers inc x 4 dives. Each price includes x 2 nights stay, breakfast, lunch, dinner, water and soft drinks. You can also take your own alcoholic drinks, snacks and other food you may want.
Considering the price of a nice dinner out in Dubai, the whole cruise is really good value for a brilliant weekend away experience.
Considering the price of a nice dinner out in Dubai, the whole cruise is really good value for a brilliant weekend away experience.
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| This way to the shower |
This particular Dhow was brand new, literally we were it's forth voyage and it had all mod cons A/C, in room showers and a communal flushing toilet.
However the Air con generator was very noisy, in addition our cabin was on top of the engine so when I lay in my bunk my whole body completely vibrated.
This mean't I couldn't sleep in the cabin so we opted for al fresco slumber on deck, which was amazing in itself.
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| Johan enjoying a misty morning swim |
Falling asleep watching shooting stars and being gently rocked by the motion of the ocean, then waking to a misty mountain vista, perfect!
The food was OK, obviously as you're on a boat it's not going to be nuevo cuisine as they have to cater for generic tastes, so it was basic stodge food.
Typical breakfast is coffee, fruit, cereal, juice, toast and eggs .
Lunch, was fresh salads, potatoes, rice, bread, 2 hot choices like curry or fish.
Similar for dinner with hearty lasagne or grilled shrimp, whilst for dessert we got apple pie and ice cream.
The crew and our dive instructor were fantastic throughout, as such on top of the trip costs we left a big tip for them.
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| Fresh clams! |
In particular, our twenty something instructor Dillon who is mature beyond his years, a consummate dive master and all round lovely guy. His passion for diving and marine preservation was infectious, he's like a real life Merman.
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| Morning dive briefing |
The divers got in two dives per day, the first day wasn't great visibility but the second was excellent.
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| Top deck Yoga |
Those not diving can instead, snorkel, kayak, swim, sunbathe, read, fish, snooze, Yoga - literally whatever you fancy it's very relaxed.
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| The girls off Kayaking |
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| Glamorous fishing darlings! |
Instead we settled on watching the amazing sunset whilst supping ice cold beers.
The next morning the divers headed off early, and as the boat moved location to meet them we were followed by a playful pod of dolphins.
As I discovered, frolicking dolphins are quite difficult to photograph!
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| The only snap I managed to get - shan't wait on David Attenborough calling! |
Then once moored a shoal of rays passed by, the snorkelling was amazing, beautiful coral, Parrot fish, Eels, Nemo-Clown fish and even Turtles were spotted.
One infamous sea creature, marked by it's absence from our trip was a Shark sighting of any variety. Apparently, there are hardly any Sharks left in these waters due to excessive over fishing.
We eventually did see the sharks as we returned to Dibba port, however the Sharks were all dead and lined up on the harbour ready to trade. Officially, Shark fishing is illegal or at least quanity controlled here, however as it's poorly policed the black market thrives driven by the Far Eastern demand for Shark fins.
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| I couldn't get photos so these are from the investigation by The National |
A kilo of shark fins sells for upwards of 300 Dhs approx £60 and goes on to fetch almost six times that amount at the Hong Kong
markets.
Demand drives a worldwide black-market trade in sharks, with up to 100 million killed each year.
No species is safe, hammer heads, grey reef sharks, lemon sharks, carpet sharks, even the majestic Whale shark the largest fish in existence is indiscriminately fished for it's fins.
Most, including Whale sharks and Hammerheads are caught so young that they haven't even had chance to reproduce, thus depleting long term stocks further.
Witnessing this first hand was the only down of the whole trip, although good in away as it drew our attention to the scale at which this is happening everyday.
On a happier note, we'd thoroughly recommend a Dhow trip to Musandam and there are lots of options for Dhow cruises. You don't have to hire a whole Dhow exclusively like we did, if you're a couple or a smaller group you can join a pre-organised trip and if you don't want to stay on-board overnight you can just do a day cruise which runs from 11am-6pm.
We were really pleased with the pricing, staff and service so can recommend going with http://sheesabeach.com/ - which will upset other 'Dhow cruise companies' (you know who you are!!), who keep relentlessly spamming our blog comments!
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