no comment given

Great safari on a great boat. Although it is a bit outdated, it has aged with dignity. Everything on the boat is in very good condition.
The cabin: We had the master cabin. Very comfortable bed, small windows for fresh air, nice large bathroom. The fitted wardrobes, pictures and electrical installation could do with a refurbishment. The air conditioning and fridge were very loud and were switched off immediately - but were not needed for air conditioning.
The food is varied and always very good. Special requests were gladly fulfilled, there are always vegetarian options. The kitchen crew also make great curries for themselves which they share with the guests on request - we would have liked even more local food - but that is very individual. 4 meals, in between there's always water, tea, coffee and juices, fruit and sweets and a hot chocolate after the night dive.
Ralf not only guided us well underwater and showed us lots of "stuff", but was also available around the clock for our questions and requests. 110%
On our tour there were mainly very experienced divers on board - here you realize that Oman is not a mass destination - we dived in two groups and the guides showed us lots of highlights.
The boat has a new central smoke alarm system in all rooms, an automatic extinguishing system in the engine room and new life jackets. Satellite phone, radio and there was a good safety briefing. What could be better: Battery-powered emergency lighting in the cabins and along the gangways. The life rafts are strapped down without an automatic system and are not easily accessible.
The diving spots are fantastic. There is no crystal clear water in Oman - but there are intact reefs with fish soup, dolphins, manta & mobula (over 100 on one dive), shy sharks, guitar rays, cowries, nudis, snails, mussels, octupuses, cuttlefish... everything is possible. We dive with two good Zodiacs, both of which have good ladders for boarding. The boat crews handle the equipment with care and everyone is absolutely helpful.
The Oman Explorer is the only safari boat in Oman - you are always alone in very lonely places. The reefs are in very good condition. Every dive was a dream.
The Oman Explorer is due for a refit in the dock this year. After that, the little things that have been criticized will certainly be fixed.

Great trip. Super crew, good seaworthy boat. 100% a recommendation

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I was on the Oman Explorer from 01 - 15.02.25 with a diving team of 16 under the direction of Extra Divers Worldwide. The ship was in great condition, there was nothing to criticize during the entire trip. The cabins are bright and clean with daily service. This always takes place during the first dive. The crew of 12, including the captain and tour director, were always very helpful, polite and always up for a joke. You feel comfortable and well looked after. The two chefs in the galley conjure up several delicious meals a day in generous portions. The food was very varied and special requests were catered for.
The two guides Ralf and Ali each looked after a maximum of 8 divers and guided everyone professionally through the local underwater world on up to four dives (incl. early morning/night dives). Due to the tour duration of 2 weeks, various explorer dives at unknown dive sites were possible. These were very interesting. There was always a lot to see underwater and the diversity of species is remarkable. All the creatures here are much larger than in the Red Sea, for example.
The entire diving team worked very well together. Divers with different levels of experience were able to dive together in a relaxed atmosphere without any problems. The numerous underwater photographers also integrated well and there was no stress underwater.
All in all, this trip was a real enrichment and will always be remembered fondly.


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Especially for the macro lover absolutely recommendable waters. Lots of fish, but sometimes limited visibility.
The boat itself has been around for a few years, but is very well maintained.
The crew deserve special mention. Courteous, helpful, always friendly and concerned about the well-being of the guests.
The guys in the kitchen in particular did an incredibly good job. Varied, fresh, great selection with consideration for guests' intolerances. Simply top!!!!
The only drawback, from my point of view, is that there are only 2 guides on the ship. They do a great job, but due to the size of the group they can't cater to the different interests of the individual divers. A third guide would be useful.
Overall recommended, as the underwater world in Oman is an interesting change from the well-known dive sites in the Red Sea.

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We were on the road for 14 days, which made the tour very relaxed. I didn't miss anything at all on board. Not even the internet, which was only available from time to time near inhabited islands or the mainland. I was surprised by the consistently very good catering, which matched the energy consumption. The generous amount of space in the saloon and on the three sun decks not only offered the opportunity to sit together in large groups, but also to retreat to a corner and unwind. The surprising encounters above and below the water were so varied that I can hardly describe them. I'll just say orcas and sperm whales. An all-round perfect trip for me.

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no comment given

Very good boat with a top crew
I have never experienced better service.
Really great

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We were with a group of 16 people on a 2-week tour to the Hallaniyat Islands. To cut a long story short: it was great!
The ship is very spacious, with a large dive deck, a chilled out upper deck with comfortable seating, a huge sun deck and a large saloon.
The cabins are also quite spacious with plenty of storage space and a large bathroom.
The entire crew is sensational, always attentive, always on hand and very helpful.
The food was fantastic. Very varied. There was always something new over the 14 days. Participants with intolerances were served an extra side dish, be it fish, meat or vegetables.
We had great dives with sometimes 20-25m visibility, but also sometimes only 5-10m visibility. Nevertheless, we saw a lot on every dive and the amount of fish is incredible.
We can recommend the Oman Explorer without reservation.

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The universe was with us: dolphins, humpback whales, sperm whales and orcas! The crew is the best I have ever experienced: incredibly attentive and unobtrusively helpful. The food was delicious and special requests were catered for.

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The boat is a little older, but very spacious. Even when fully occupied, there is enough space for everyone to spread out. The cabins are also spacious and have plenty of storage space. Suitcases can be stored under the bed. Bathroom with shower cubicle. We had cabins on the upper deck. This meant we could leave the door open and didn't need air conditioning. We really appreciated that. We cannot judge the lower deck cabins.
The crew is extremely friendly and helpful. The food is amazing and there was always enough. Even if you arrived a little later.
Nitrox is offered for a fee. However, we only had about 28% in our tanks. This meant that, despite some fairly shallow dives, we accumulated quite a bit of saturation.
The captain drove us safely through the wavy nights. We did the overfishing tour from the north to the south.
The Oman Explorer seems to be the only safari boat in Oman. We were alone at all the dive sites. As you know, the visibility is not so good. Very cloudy in places. But you are rewarded with lots of schools of fish.
Unfortunately, there are often ghost nets that are entangled in the reef. They cannot be removed. But animals still get caught in them (e.g. crabs). You can also see fishing baskets laid out by fishermen, which is of course not so nice for us divers to see. As diving tourism is not so widespread, fishing is an important source of income.
The dive sites are easy to dive. Usually not too deep and no current. This means that you can drop back a little and dive in a buddy team and don't have to stay in a group. Diving is mostly from the zodiac, sometimes directly from the platform.
We really enjoyed it and wouldn't rule out doing another tour on the Oman Explorer.

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Stellungnahme von Wedive
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Ship will probably be overhauled in May, then it will probably be very good; the crew is great
The organizer needs to rethink its diving sequence and locations; the two deepest dives on the last day and twice in the same place is not possible;

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The boat and all the staff on board: top-notch and very welcoming, smiling, helpful and available.
2 guides: 1 good, but the other dives only for himself... that's the one I had during the week.
He didn't even have a spare regulator... a bit light in my opinion.

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Unfortunately, several really good diving spots were apparently not visited at all as they were a bit more challenging and beginners were included in the tour who did not match the description. What a shame for everyone else!

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All in all, the safari was good with a few exceptions. On the first day we were "forgotten" at the hotel. We were supposed to be picked up at 11:00 am. After a phone call with the safari manager, the chauffeur arrived at 1.00 pm.
Unfortunately, the water was a bit murky during many of the dives. The food was good but the composition was a bit questionable. For example, two different types of fish. For people who don't like fish, the only alternative was vegetables. The dive guides did a poor job of explaining the dive sites in the briefing, but accompanied the dives and so there were rarely any precarious situations.
The boat crew deserve special praise. They were courteous, helpful and competent and helped and supported all participants.
This was my third safari in Oman. The first two were better, but no one can be held responsible for the quality of the water. I would recommend the safari with a few reservations.
The organization of the trip by the travel agency was excellent. I would be happy to recommend it to others.
MfG Roman Jähn


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An all-round successful vacation. The boat is a bit outdated, but still clean and tidy and lots of shady spots. The food was really exceptionally good; very healthy, lots of salads, little fried food. The crew is consistently friendly and attentive. The diving in the Daymaniyat Islands area was really great; still many healthy reefs with lots of schools of fish. Only the sites on the way to the islands and back were not particularly spectacular. One deduction for the air conditioning in the cabins - it really needs to be replaced. Not individually adjustable, either on or off and if on, then it is insanely loud. But you can remedy this with earplugs when sleeping. Otherwise, really an orima week!

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We were on the tour around the Hallaniyat Islands at the end of January 2024.
Organization and transfers: Everything worked out wonderfully.
The ship is not brand new, but in good condition and clean. There is plenty of space to chill out between dives.
Nice and helpful team.
The food was delicious and ok for the price range.
The dive sites on our tour were all very pleasant to dive, there were hardly any currents or other challenges. We were able to concentrate fully on exploring the reefs, rock formations and wrecks (City of Winchester and a smaller ship off the coast in Mirbat).
Visibility was mostly good, water around 25°
Due to the weather, the route had to be changed and not all the planned spots could be visited.

All in all, a very relaxed tour.

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no comment given

It was a great vacation. Great crew...great guides...great food...and reefs worth seeing with sooooo much fish (octopuses, pickerel sharks, squids, turtles, rays, etc.).
Highly recommended!!! Gladly again!!!
Thanks to everyone involved!

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+: lots of fruit instead of the usual (sweet) desserts, the marine life in Oman is noticeably larger than the same fish in eg the Red Sea
- : visibility was much worse than we expected, the first 2 days not much better than in the Oosterschelde, so be careful not to lose the guide/group (difficult if you are taking pictures).

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The Oman-Explorer is a solid ship without excessive luxury, the cabins are functional with just enough storage space, the shower is surprisingly large and practically designed without everything being under water when showering.
The crew is very helpful, hard-working and very well coordinated. Overall, the organization was excellent, everything went like clockwork.
With regard to the food, it is amazing what the two chefs can conjure up - it always tasted good and was replenished until everyone was full.
Oman is quite an expensive country, and you can see that in the drinks prices. While water and (very artificial) juice were included, you had to fork out €2.50 for soft drinks, €5 for a can of beer (0.5 l) and €7.50 for a glass of wine. Otherwise, you had to pay around €250 for fees and permits, €55 for Nitrox and €35 for a 15-liter bottle. Some of this is included on other safari boats...
A total of 19 dives with 2 night dives were offered. While close to land you felt like you were in a quarry pond with 5 m visibility in places, this was much better on the Daymaniyat Islands - even if it cannot be compared with the beautiful blue of the Red Sea. The colors are not too spoiled either - even the fusiliers are olive-brown. On the other hand, the fish appear much larger than in the Red Sea.
The highlight was certainly a young whale shark, as well as very trusting turtles, leopard sharks and large net and other moray eels. However, vegetation and corals are rather sparse.
Conclusion: A certainly interesting diving area, but unfortunately not one of the top 10 due to the limited visibility. If you also consider the rather high costs for booking and on site as well as the often indirect flight connections with a stopover, I can only recommend a safari to the Daymaniyat Islands to a limited extent.

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It was a wonderful trip above and below the water. Unfortunately, the water was extremely green due to plankton and algae. We therefore had poor visibility. But that didn't detract from the experience and fun factor.

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All in all, it was an absolutely beautiful and relaxed trip. When evaluating the dive sites, we also took into account the visibility, which of course nobody can influence and is not always outstanding in Oman. Nevertheless, we didn't have the best conditions in this respect. And yet, thanks to Ali, we got the best out of every dive site :-). The crew is totally well-rehearsed and always very friendly and helpful. The boat and our cabin were clean, spacious and simply beautiful, so that we felt completely at ease.

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The guides' motivation was ok, but not great, as it was probably too cold for them and they wanted to get out of the water faster. Dive ascent mostly after 45 min. Then, weather change, diving canceled, onward journey. We arrived in a very calm area around 4 pm and dropped anchor. We wanted to dive but were not allowed to. We set off again the next morning at around 9.30 am. We could have done 3 more dives (2 the day before, 1 in the morning), but were not allowed to. Dissatisfaction among the divers. So fewer tips were given - our own fault.

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Very competent crew
Unfortunately visibility not so good
Report in the link
https://www.kirchberg-divers.at/tauchsafari-oman-explorer/

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I recovered very well with good food and great dives. The dive guides and crew are totally friendly and helpful. The boat is well maintained and very clean.
The "dive - eat - sleep -..." schedule is well planned ;-)

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Great ship, delicious food and all-round catering, very well organized. The lower deck cabins were not for me, but the upper cabins were and the master cabin was great! The dive site "Aquarium" was really as the name suggests and the anchorages were always nice. I would love to go again.

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Good diving week, lots of fish, beautiful reefs with good coral growth, visibility partly good, partly just under 10m
The boat is run professionally, everything runs smoothly, thank goodness no shows and no jingling.
The level of divers was good and balanced
Any time again

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It was my first time in Oman on a diving vacation, the dive boat was good, the crew was great and very helpful. The water temperatures and visibility varied greatly at times.
What was not so great, however, was that the Sultan went on vacation for a week at short notice and thus the Damaniat nature reserve was closed, this was only communicated on the boat. Unfortunately, you don't have a plan B for such an eventuality, we were always close to the coast and certain diving spots were dived several times.
You don't have to book a stay on a diving boat for this. Too bad


(Automatically translated from German)

Stellungnahme von WeDive
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We really enjoyed the trip. Unfortunately, as usual in Oman, the visibility under water was not always optimal, but we still enjoyed the dives. We also met the leopard sharks, crocodile fish, cuttlefish and calamari for the first time. For the future, however, we would appreciate it if harbor fees, splash surcharge, etc. were already included in the price and we didn't have to pay them on site. Nevertheless, we were very satisfied.

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no comment given

Dive guides gave very brief briefings that added little. They didn't always adhere to them either. Level of the guides was really substandard. In terms of safety, they didn't always keep a close eye on the group either. 2 guides to 20 divers is probably also too brief.

(Automatically translated from Dutch)

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Positives:
- Pick up / schedule has everything fit
- Dive spots are nice and easy to reach without long crossings
- Briefings tiptop
- Ship in order
- Crew very helpful
- cleanliness
- food

Negatives:
- No air conditioning in the salon, only fans
- air conditioning in the rooms not adjustable, only on / off
- no beanbags available

(Automatically translated from German)

Stellungnahme von WeDive
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no comment given

As usual in Oman, the visibility and also temperatures vary greatly.
Not so great was the fact that at short notice the permit for the nature reserve Damaniat was withdrawn, because the Qaboos traveled there. Can happen, however, for such cases a plan B (e.g. drive in the sins) should be ready. So we had dived some dive sites several times and all in all we were always close to the coast. For this you do not necessarily book a liveaboard

(Automatically translated from German)

Stellungnahme von WeDive
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no comment given

War alles gut

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no comment given

The week on the Hallaniyat Islands was basically a really nice week and I am glad to have seen it. Whether I would do the tour again, I can not say. The Oman Explorer is a comfortable boat, the cabins are clean and spacious, the wet rooms with separate shower, so everything is not constantly under water. The air conditioning works perfectly. Staff and dive guides are very friendly and very eager, the food sensational! However, it is assumed that everyone can and does look after themselves!
Since the Oman Explorer is the only liveaboard, you enjoy the luxury of being alone at every dive spot! The experience is somewhat clouded by poor visibility. But the underwater world is great!
All in all a trip worth and the longer I write about it, the sooner I would go again!

(Automatically translated from German)

Very nice, lots of space and everything clean. With a dive guide I was very satisfied, the other, however, has behaved above and under water absolutely unprofessional. After I had criticized him because he and his group had touched a turtle, I was first told I just wanted to make myself important and it was quite normal to touch turtles and dolphins, he had done nothing wrong, a few minutes later he claimed he had not touched them, I would lie and put myself on the coral and still later he said he had only wanted to push the turtle away because it had come too close to him. Overall, more emphasis should be placed on environmentally friendly measures. No attention is paid to appropriate behavior of the divers. The boat caused a colorful oil slick on the water. No environmentally friendly rinsing or cleaning agents are used and the waste water is discharged unfiltered into the sea. The food is very westernized, extremely meat- and fish-heavy and the vegetarian options are not very balanced.

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Visibility very poor max. 7 meters... Few fish. no macro animals.

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Mega nice crew and guides, delicious food and great dive sites, what more could you want.
The visibility in Oman is a bit of a crapshoot because of the thermoclines. But the abundance of fish and the fact that you are the only boat at the spot, weighs more.

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Dear Aqua Active Team
Thank you very much for your perfect service.
I was the first time with you on tour, on the recommendation of Uwe (best buddy).
I think you have won a new customer

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A great safari week thanks to whale shark.
The dive sites are beautiful. Sprugschichten with up to 5 degrees difference.
But would not go there twice for diving.

(Automatically translated from German)

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Dive spots: extremely many small fish and very beautiful coral forests (various colors).
Visibility: rather poor to very poor.
The crew on the boat I have experienced as extremely service-oriented and friendly!

(Automatically translated from German)

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no comment given

Air conditioning in cabin makes a huge noise.
Food good and ample.
Guide too long at depth, forcing divers to abort dive earlier while guide had 2 bottles at deeper dive. No control over the group. Made 1 solo dive myself because the agreed plan was not kept.

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no comment given

Nice boat with plenty of space, helpful and friendly crew, food could use a little more variety and convenience products were used, this should be improved. We had the master cabin with double bed and plenty of space. At the edge of the cabin would be still a storage area good.
You should be prepared for diving in Oman - great is that you are 95% alone at the sites and it is very untouched. I was thrilled by the soft corals. Otherwise, with a little luck you can see leopard sharks, we also had very large rays and turtles, nudibranchs, (rather few) shrimps, several boxfish, hundreds of hedgehog fish etc.
Quite worth seeing, visibility once 2-3 meters, otherwise about 7-20m. Many nice morays and very big net morays.
Unfortunately there were no guided night dives. From the safety point of view one can improve that the boat or Zodiac stays near the divers - was often not the case. Unfortunately Nitrox cost extra. Please include this in the price.

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no comment given

Tour: Best of Daymaniat - Fahal and Bandar Khayran

Diving in Oman is different than e.g. in Egypt, where I have been about 20 times. But still worthwhile.
- Friendly and helpful crew on a comfortably equipped boat that is very well maintained.
- Most of the dive sites are reached by Zodiacs. Very pleasant, a Zodia has a boarding ladder :-)
- The guides pay attention to safety, but also do not overdo it by asking experienced divers for air every 10 minutes.
- Under water there are hardly any coral reefs, but interesting rock formations partly with hard and soft corals. I have never seen so many and so many different moray eels.
- Big stingrays and feathertail rays, nudibranchs and various species of scorpion fish.
- If you want to do deep dives, you need a shovel :-). Usually the dive ends at 25 meters.
- Only that you are on Friday already around 10 o'clock in the port of Sifah, makes the day very long, because you can hardly do anything in Sifah.

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Stellungnahme von WeDive
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A beautiful trip with lots of fish. Now only the visibility under water should be even better ;-)

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One of the best diving trips in a long time. Excellent crew, extremely friendly and very helpful!!!!

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Super diving tour, everything perfect. Not the perfect reefs but lots of fish life/action on several dives. You have to expect that in November travel time in about 25% of the dives plankton blocks the view (5 meters). Would love to do the return trip sometime in the spring.

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no comment given

Beautiful safari, Oman south tour Halaniyat Islands. Great dive spots and great dives. Visibility not always good, but that doesn't spoil the fun. The night dives and the biodiversity are incredible. We even saw a humpback whale :-)
The crew always very nice and helpful, the food delicious and varied.
The ship was not fully booked and it was a very relaxed week in small diving groups.
Conclusion: for the first time Oman, but certainly not for the last time!

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no comment given