Oman offers cave diving and other scuba diving holiday options

After a series of successful tourism and marketing campaigns over recent years, Oman has now become a top destination for scuba diving holidays, offering numerous breathtaking underwater sites and adventure activities.

Scuba diving in Oman offers crystal clear warm waters, exquisite coral reefs and thriving marine life including angelfish, parrotfish, honeycomb morays, dolphins, sting rays, sharks and turtles. Certified diving companies and instructors can take tourist out to popular diving sites including Cat Island, Bander Khayran, Daymaniyat Islands, Cemetery Bay and Fahal Island.

Image by : melissa.fiene, on Flickr.

The turtle reserve at Ras Al Hadd provides a breathtaking experience where visitors can witness nature at its finest with mother turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs on the beaches, and baby turtles surfacing for the first time from their nests and making their way to the sea.

Tourists can experience cave diving across a number of spots including the longest cave in Oman, Kahf Hoti; numerous caves in Jebel Bani Jabir with one offering deep shafts which enter the chambers of Majlis Al Jinn, home to one of the largest underground chambers in the world; and fantastic sights throughout the caves in Jebel Akhdar Massif.

There are a number of caves suitable for beginners enjoying scuba diving holidays including Hoti Cave, which is east of Al Hamra and home to a beautiful underwater lake. Divers can explore Kitam Cave near Ibri, with its beautiful and rare crystal formations created by rainwater, and gypsum flowers.

Image by EcoColors, on Flickr

Freelance adventure guide in the United Arab Emirates, Justin Marks, said: "Oman has really positioned itself on the world map with the active promotion of its natural resources. The diverse landscape and the access to several different sporting activities in close proximity has given adventure lovers exactly what they have been missing in this region."

Travellers can enjoy a range of thrill-seeking adventures in Oman, including sea kayaking in Muscat, abseiling vertically from mountains, climbing and zip-lining with Via Ferrata, and trekking through the desert, mountains or wadis.

Oman is not yet well known as a scuba diving destination but because of this divers are able to explore the waters without the crowds which can usually be found in Red Sea or Australia's Great Barrier Reef resorts