Diving with The Kuwait Mantas
Kuwait stands at the North Eastern end of the Arabian Gulf. There are many good coral reefs in Kuwaiti waters which support a rich and varied underwater ecosystem. The offshore islands of Kubbar, Maradim and Qaruh have extensive fringing coral reefs.
There are also a few submerged reefs, some close to shore such as Donkey Reef or Cuttlefish Reef and some more remote like Mudayarah Reef.
The reefs off Kuwait are some of the most Northerly coral reefs in the world. Considering the local conditions of high turbidity and salinity and wide temperature fluctuations of 14C in winter and 32C in summer, there are some fabulous hard and soft corals to be seen.
Generally the diving is limited to depths of between 3m - 20m as the corals disappear past 15 m and there is little to see. The exception is a small wreck lying in 36 metres close to Qaruh. Fishing nets and its more demanding nature means we rarely visit it, but we are looking for a few more interesting sites this year to add to our list.
Underwater visibility varies from less than one metre on occasions to more than 20 metres on others. Generally you can expect 6 to 10 metres. It can produce thrilling glimpses of turtles, rays and barracuda and regularly provides a fascinating kaleidoscope of submarine life. Even whale sharks have been seen on occasions!
The waters of Kuwait can be dived without a wetsuit for much of the year as the water can reach 32 or 33 degrees centigrade in the summer - but a wetsuit (or even a drysuit) is definitely needed in the winter months when the water temperature can fall to 12 degrees or less. It's not just the corals that feel the cold!
