The coast around Dubai is filled with spectacular wrecks, some of which were intentionally sunk to create new habitats for marine life. Some of the wrecks date back to the 1960s and all make for very interesting insights in to the nautical history of the area. These wrecks make for fantastic night diving conditions, where a powerful torch can bring out the incredible colours of the life that has propagated the sunken ships. At night, a whole new set of marine inhabitants appear from the wreckage to forage. The wrecks have become such a haven for life, that every hole, crevice and corner is occupied by somebody.
One of the deepest dives off the Dubai Coast, the Zainab has an illicit history. Formerly called the Seasroun Five, she used to sail under the Georgian flag. On April 14th 2001, she was deliberately sunk by her crew to avoid being boarded by the US Navy after she was found to be involved in the illegal transportation of light fuel oil from Iraq. Her sinking resulted in a major oil spill on the northern Gulf coast as 1300 tonnes of fuel oil leaked from the converted holds.
The Zainab remains intact, sitting on her port side, 30 metres down on the sea bed. The wreck can be penetrated with the bridge, engine room and accommodation areas being easily accessible. The wreck site is over 70 metres in length and around 10 metres in depth.
Despite being submerged for only a relatively short period of time, the Zainab has managed to attract a variety of marine life. Large rays can be seen resting on the sea bed around the wreck while shoals of barracudas circle the ship. Schools of yellow snappers hang over the ship while batfish congregate near the bridge and wheelhouse. Small oysters carpet the wreck and juvenile fish use it as a nursery, some of whom are quite inquisitive.
Sunk in 1998 to form an artificial wreck, it lies upside down 25 metres down on the sandy floor. By resting on her cabin and deck equipment, the open area consequently caused between the deck and the sea bed provides the perfect sanctuary for all manners of sea life. Traversing under the hull is possible, provided a powerful torch is taken.
Hydrocorals, scallops, oysters and black sea squirts cover all the surfaces. In February and March, flatworms cover the sand and rocky bottom. There is a good chance of seeing large-sized cuttlefish on this site.
Originally a Panamanian dump barge, Hopper 6 was intentionally sunk by local fishermen after damage caused by a storm in Port Khalid on 18th February 1982. Hopper Barge was later raised, towed to her present location and re-sunk. Large holes were caused in her side, from the breakwater stabits during the storm.
Hopper Barge is an easy wreck to navigate, sitting upright at 25 metres depth. It’s possible to explore the holes in her starboard side if a torch is taken and it is also possible to penetrate the machinery cabins.
Guitarsharks are known to visit the wreck and large batfish are permanent residents, often following divers, apparently completely unperturbed by them. Small colourful blennies live in the small cracks and crevices while different coloured cowries can be seen.
Sheikh Mohammed Barge (SMB)/ Derrick Barge (DB1)
Another barge that was intentionally sunk to form an artificial reef, SMB was previously a purpose-built towing barge completed in 1962. SMB was sunk by the armed forces of the UAE along with a number of other surplus vessels and wrecks that form other, separate dive sites. The barge lies upside down on a flat sandy bottom, 23 metres down
SMB is one of the most interesting wreck dives off Dubai’s coast. The site is very large, allowing several groups of divers to investigate it without even seeing each other. There are numerous holes in the wreck, allowing for penetration by the more experienced and confident divers.
Barracuda and jacks hunt over the hull, while batfish and angelfish live below
The cement barge sank in 1971 during heavy weather conditions, when en route to Dubai. It sits 12 metres down, upright and relatively intact, although deterioration is starting to occur. Large cracks and holes are appearing in her hull, allowing inspection of the inside, provided a powerful torch is taken. The ship’s cargo remains in place, the cement bags can still clearly be seen. The top of the ship’s structure starts from 5 metres depth.
There are numerous holes worth investigating along the hull and the bow has collapsed, providing an opening through to the wreck. The hatch cover of the engine room is missing and the remains of the engines can be seen.
The cement barge is an excellent site for training dives of many certifications and one of the best night diving sites. There is always plenty of fish on this site. Hammour and snapper shelter under the propeller shaft while resident clownfish can be seen defending their anemones. The surfaces are covered with clams, scallops, sponges, thorny oysters, sea squirts and barnacles – even the cement bags play home to some of these creatures. A variety of fishlife resides among the holes, cracks and crevices of the wreck including anglefish, batfish and sergeant majors, many of whom are quite brazen with approaching divers. The remarkable symbiotic partnerships of gobies and shrimps can be seen across the sand around the hull. Blennies hide in the small holes and several species of small colourful dottybacks scavenge over the area. Large shoals of yellow snapper surround the wreck while juvenile barracuda form schools to patrol the outskirts. Stingrays can be seen resting in the sand, although difficult to spot as they bury themselves, with only the smallest amount of tail showing through.
The Neptune was a drill rig tender barge, accompanying the WD Kent drilling rig. The Neptune pulled off in bad weather, dragged her anchor and collided with the WD Kent, resulting in the sinking of the rig. Neptune capsized while being towed to Sharjah and now lays upside-down at 25 metres depth on the sea floor. The drilling equipment, crane boom and wreckage from the accommodation lie along the port side. The wreck is deteriorating and access can be accomplished from both port and starboard side, making it possible to swim right through.
Stingrays can be found on the sand beyond the wreckage and the crane structure has been propagated by white soft coral. Shrimps, blennies and octocorals cover the surface of the wreck. The octocorals are tiny yet come in many colours and there pulsing motions when they feed is almost hypnotic to observe.
Thinking of training in Dubai?
Our dive centre at Atlantis The Palm is uniquely placed in having access to such a variety of dive sites that an entire Advanced Open Water course can be completed, right off the beach! The centre can accommodate adventure and speciality dives including:
- Deep dives
- Wreck dives
- Underwater navigation
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Night dives
- Diver propulsion vehicle
- Project AWARE Fish Identification
- Project AWARE Shark speciality
- Underwater Naturalist
Russian Beach is the resident beach dive for training at Atlantis. The site offers easy entrance in to the water, with conditions appropriate for all open water dives for the Open Water scuba Diver certification. It provides the perfect environment for underwater navigation skills and certifications.
With the addition of the dive centre at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, Al Boom Diving is the best place in the UAE to take your SCUBA diving experience up a level. Al Boom Diving is uniquely placed to offer all PADI courses, dependent on environment, as well as offering our own distinctive specialities and experiences unavailable elsewhere in the U.A.E.
Booking your Dives with Al Boom Diving
If you’re ready to take the plunge on the East Coast please call our contact centre on 04 3422 993 or email email@example.com and let them know when you want to dive!
Before booking your dives with us, please take in to consideration that safe diving and flying procedures stipulate a minimum surface interval of 12 hours after a single dive and 18 hours after multiple dives before flying. This also applies for trips up the Burj Khalifa due to the height at its top.
Al Boom Diving adheres to the PADI recommendation that if Open Water certified divers haven’t dived within 6 months or Advance Open Water divers haven’t dived within 8 months they should complete a SCUBA Tune-up. Al Boom Diving offers SCUBA Tune-ups at our Atlantis dive centre as well as the centre at Le Meridien Al Aqah. Please inform the contact centre at the time of booking if you require a SCUBA Tune-up so a session can be arranged prior to your dive trip.
The dive sites listed are the most popular sites Al Boom Diving runs trips to on the West Coast. Please be aware that other sites may be used depending on weather conditions, boat capacity and diver needs. Diving sites are decided the night before the trips are due to run and may be subject to change on the day, depending on weather and sea conditions.
Telephone : + (9714) 342 – 2993
Fax No: + (9714) 342 – 2995
Fax No: + (9714) 342 – 2995
Aquaventure Car Park, The Atlantis Hotel, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE