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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


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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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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.

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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

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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

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War alles gut

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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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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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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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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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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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