Dhofar & Hallaniyat Islands – Oman
Southern Oman faces the Arabian Sea, where the summer khareef monsoon churns the water and the sea is effectively closed to normal diving from about June to September. In the calm season, Mirbat (about 45 minutes by road from Salalah) offers shallow shore and short boat dives on reefs and old wrecks, and Salalah has boat dives from the fishermen's port. Some 40–70 km offshore lie the Hallaniyat (Kuria Muria) Islands, a protected nature reserve that is mainly dived on winter liveaboards from Mirbat or Salalah: rocky ridges, boulders, soft and hard corals, big fish schools and, with luck, humpback whales and dolphins. Upwelling makes the water cooler and plankton-rich, so visibility is moderate and a thicker wetsuit is worth packing.
Facts
- Best season: About October to April/May; Hallaniyat liveaboards mainly Dec–Mar
- Khareef closure: The monsoon (roughly June–September) closes the sea; one dive centre reports closing from the end of May to 1 October
- Water temperature: About 26 °C at the surface and 22 °C below the thermocline (liveaboard operator); upwelling can make it colder
- Visibility: 5–20 m at the Hallaniyat sites (plankton, thermocline)
- Getting there: Fly to Salalah (SLL), usually via Muscat; Mirbat is about 45 minutes by road; Hallaniyat liveaboards board at Mirbat harbour or Salalah
- Permit: Since 2026 the Hallaniyat reserve needs prior authorisation from the Environment Authority for visits and diving; liveaboard operators normally arrange it
- Experience: Hallaniyat diving is exploratory; the main liveaboard asks for 50 dives, depths 15–30 m, thick wetsuit and hood
Season
- Best months: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
- Acceptable: Oct, Apr, May
- Poor: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
- Water temperature: 22–29 °C
The khareef monsoon closes the sea from about June to September (one centre closes from the end of May to 1 October); the water is churned and cold, nutrient-rich water wells up (PADI reports kelp forests around Salalah). Sources give the Hallaniyat liveaboard season differently (Dec–Mar at the operator, Nov–May, Oct–Apr). Water is about 26 °C at the surface and 22 °C below the thermocline; the 29 °C upper figure is from a secondary source.
Dive sites (8)
Al Hallaniyat (Kuria Muria) Islands
- Al Hasikiyah – 10–30 m, advanced
- Al Qibliyah Rock – 10–30 m, advanced
- Schmies (Angry Grouper) – 10–30 m, advanced
Mirbat
- China Wreck (Mirbat) – 6–12 m, beginner
- Eagle Bay (Mirbat) – 5–12 m, beginner
- Marriott Wreck – 15–25 m, intermediate
- Ras Mirbat – 10–25 m, intermediate
Salalah
- Raysut Point – 7–30 m, intermediate
Operators (3)
- MY Oman Explorer (Extra Divers Worldwide) – liveaboard, Mirbat harbour (winter), Sifah (summer)
- Extra Divers Mirbat – dive centre, Alila Hinu Bay Resort / Wyndham Garden, Mirbat
- Oman Aggressor – liveaboard, Salalah (Juweira marina / Salalah Beach)
Routes (2)
Site positions are approximate (several Mirbat and island sites have no published coordinates and are placed by estimate) and are for orientation only, never for navigation. Conditions are exposed and remote; the Hallaniyat sites are only dived with a local operator and permit.