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The closest reef to Khiran, Donkey Reef is a small circular reef sitting on a sand and coral rubble bottom at a mere 6 metres depth or so. Despite this rather inauspicious description it is home to an abundance of fish and crustaceans. Resident Turtles and Puffer Fish lurk amongst the coral and large shoals of small Barracuda hunt in the shallow waters around the reef. Rays and Flatheads are often seen on the sandy bottom which abounds with Shrimp Goby pairs and the occasional Jawfish.

The coral is mainly Porites Lutea with a large area of impressive Brain Coral growths on the more exposed Eastern side. Although very shallow, for the divers more interested in the underwater life than going deep this is a favourite site that usually has some surprises up its sleeve!

This is the closest island to Khiran - just 13 nautical miles. Once very popular with pleasure boaters now landing on the island is prohibited as a small harbour for the coastguards is being constructed. Some of the fringing reef has been dredged up for this. Maradim has some very good table corals but there is much evidence of past anchor damage. Now there are permanent mooring buoys which have reduced damage considerably. It is also a popular dive site for Kuwaiti dive operators out of Khiran but their habit of feeding fish on urchins and scallops has altered the behaviour of the fish. A diver will find himself being pestered by gangs of Blue Angels and Moon Wrasse.

Maradim is a much-visited destination. When the conditions are a bit rough it is close enough to reach in reasonable time and, once there, the island will provide some shelter from the waves. There is also a small reef around the island's North Marker which is worth diving if just to see the very large anchor that sits on the seabed just off the reef.

Qaruh boasts the best and most diverse coral colonies in Kuwait and is our favourite location for diving. Here you can see Trigger Fish and Surgeon Fish and there are also a few Moray Eels resident here. Being 22 nautical miles from Khiran conditions need to be good to get here.

Like Maradim, Qaruh has a separate reef around its North Marker but this is much better. Jacks and Needlefish, Batfish and Barracuda are regular sightings and it can make a wonderful drift dive on a falling spring tide

About 2 nautical miles South of Qaruh lies a small wreck in 36 metres. This is the only serious wreck dive in Kuwait.

Quite an extensive offshore reef this is the furthest of all the dive sites from Khiran at 24 nautical miles. The shallowest parts of the reef are around 5 metres and beyond the reef the seabed quickly shelves to 30 metres or more. However coral only grows down to about 15 metres. Its exposed situation can lead to strong currents and conditions need to be very good as the reef itself affords little protection from the weather. Hence it is seldom visited. The fish do not seem to be as numerous as around the islands but individuals tend to be larger.

Similar to Mudayarah Reef but not as extensive, Taylor's Rock rises sharply from the seabed at 35 metres. Depth on the top of the reef is about 5 metres. Its exposed position makes it prone to strong currents. Large shoals of Barracuda are often seen here. Again it is exposed and is more often visited by the dive organisations that operate out of Fahaheel.

There is more vegetation on Kubbar than on either Qaruh or Maradim. It also lacks a coastguard station. It is very popular with pleasure boaters out of Fahaheel and the coral has suffered from anchor damage over the years. We seldom visit Kubbar for diving because, at the same distance from Khiran, Qaruh is so much better!

5 Mile Reef lies not far from the coast just South of Fahaheel and is regularly visited by dive operations from there. It boasts Kuwait's second diveable wreck, an old barge lying in 12 metres alongside the reef. This makes 5 mile an interesting dive combining reef and wreck. It is also popular for night dives out of Fahaheel when Sand Sharks are sometimes found sheltering under the hull. Sea Pens can be found at night and it is here that I saw the two of the only three Octpuses I have ever seen in Kuwait. Both very small and both on night dives! The other was at Donkey Reef.

Often described as BBRs "house reef" as it's just off Bneider where BBR Divers sail from. It is similar in many ways to Donkey Reef but larger and a little deeper - 8 metres or so. Again, lots of fish life here. It is said that old bottles of whiskey can still be found here from when a boat smuggling whiskey up from Bahrain was cornered by the Coastguard and threw the evidence into the sea. It is said, though, that the contents are undrinkable as the seawater has got in.