OMAN DIVING: CAP ON THE MUSANDAM IN DIBAH

Does it have the same effect on you? Certain geographical names galvanize me! Barely spoken and without even being able to really locate them, my mind wanders… Also, when Christophe Chellapermal suggested that I come and dive in the Strait of Hormuz… imagine!

HORMUZ STRAIT? OMAN? MUSSANDAM? DIBAH?

Geographically, the Mussandam lies at the level of the narrow pass, at the northeastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, in the Strait of Hormuz. Omani enclave, it is separated from the rest of the territory by the United Arab Emirates.

Interactive map - Zoom in then click on the markers to discover the area

The peninsula of 1800 m 2 of Mussandam, has a little more than 30000 inhabitants distributed in the 2 big cities of the region, Khassab and Dibah, as well as in some fishing villages accessible by boat along the coasts.

OMAN: THE VISI ...

Let's look at the map above again… As the only point of access to the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz acts like a siphon, concentrating the nutrients which come from the Indian Ocean in the gulf… Very rich in plankton , these waters attract large numbers of animals. However, on the dozen dives carried out during my stay, I was always able to benefit from at least 15 meters of visibility, to which Christophe however puts a downside. “This is not always the case”, he said, “It can also happen that you can only see it 2 meters”.

Video Khaled Sultani.

Nomad Ocean Adventures has 3 fully equipped 36-foot speed boats, each with engines of 2 x 250 HP, satellite phone, GPS, oxygen, nothing is missing, and they can each take 12 divers.

Christophe has listed more 30 dive sites, many of which are his own discoveries. Nomad Ocean Adventures is the only one able to take us there. The spots are at 40 minutes of minimum navigation, they are outings to the day during which it is possible to make up to 3 dives.

Nomad Ocean Adventures: THE DIVING CENTER

Designed for all traveler profiles, the Cbetween is very well equipped.

- It offers free nitrox to all certified nitrox divers.

- It offers PADI training, from discover scuba diving - baptism - to rescue diver, with many options of PADI specialties.

- It provides a whole range of PADi Professional courses:  training Divemaster, AI and IDC. Note that it graciously accommodates its candidates.

- The center is also equipped with Submatix rebreathers, available and for explorations and for training. The Center therefore also welcomes divers equipped with CCr Submatrix, like all the others.

Nomad Ocean Adventures: THE HOUSE OF HOSTS

The guest house consists of 3 villas, all offering 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with shared toilets. It is in the dining room that you will take your meals which are often of Indian inspiration. This is the best restaurant in town! It must be said that Christophe's mother trained the staff ... and trust me, it is a guarantee of know-how.

Nomad Ocean Adventures: The ATMOSPHERE

The basis of the activity is generated by the many expatriates who work in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and who arrive from Thursday evening to spend the weekend in Dibah, especially during the summer when the heat is so overwhelming that the only one possible activity is diving.
Indeed, we notice very quickly that the vast majority of these customers are regulars. They like to meet at Christophe Nomad's Ocean Adventure Center where they like the melting pot, where French, English and Germans exchange in a relaxed way.

A message from Christophe CHELLAPERMAL, the boss

The Nomad adventure started in 2004. Almost ten years already.
After traveling and discovered a lot of different destinations, I had in mind to settle in a little known site where dive would thrill neoprene.
I grew up in the Emirates and kept intact the memory of Dibah, this small fishing village in the wild Musandam region where time had stopped and where I had plunged 20 years ago: my best bubbles! As a matter of course, it was here that I would set up my Center, certainly innovating, but at all costs keeping the warmth of the well-watered meals, in the dunes or on the beaches, which we shared then in the small communities.

 
Chris Chellapermal - Boss of NOMAD

My first guest house had 5 rooms, 12 bottles, 6 regulators and a boat 31 feet in all and for all, but what happiness already! If the structure has quintupled today, the atmosphere of yesteryear continues. Nomad remains a simple place, where we eat well, where we laugh, between friends, and where the dives are always unexpected surprises.

Clouds of blue triggerfish, rays galore, nudibranchs for amateurs, lucky whale sharks, and trumpetfish just titanic to say everyone, what would you say? Arrive on sites with flora and fauna of rare wealth and find yourself alone in the world, what would you say? With, as a bonus, less than two hours from this virgin wilderness, fascinating and contradictory, the ultra-modern effervescence of neon Dubai nearby, what would you say?

So welcome to the Nomad Ocean Adventures Center…

Christophe never missing an opportunity to promote diving and his little corner of the desert, he suggested that I attend the “Digital online 2013” ​​awards ceremony. This photo and video competition is organized by theEmirates Diving Association (EDA). So we went to meet our “cousins” divers from the Emirates.