In my first four months living in Saudi, I never associated the Kingdom as a “colorful” country. In fact, I was starting to get concerned when by December, everything I saw took on the color white, black, or tan (a side effect of ‘Saudization’ maybe?). Needless to say, my PADI Open Water certification training this past weekend couldn’t have come at a better time.
Setting out with five equally driven compadres, we headed to a private beach in North Obhur to get a taste of yet another piece of the Saudi ‘high life.’
As could only be expected given my past track record of scuba diving (a Discover Scuba course in Mozambique), the weather was freakishly off the beaten path during the entirety of the training. It may have been poor timing on our end, but it was definitely ironic that in a country where we beg for cooler weather constantly, the only days that we wanted sun, we got wind and rain.
Putting all of the weather’s incongruencies aside, the class proved extremely enjoyable and almost mundane in terms of skills required. Eager explore the depths of the ‘Sea’ (not to be mistaken with an ‘Ocean’), there’s no way any of us could have expected to see what we saw upon submersion.
Set against the back drop of a 110’ vertical coral wall teamed with visibility levels exceeding fifty feet, we found ourselves entering a new world.
After getting used to the routine equalizing and mask clearings (which doubled as sinus-clearing efforts for me), I was finally able to embrace the beauty before my eyes; living coral, fish EVERYWHERE (of all colors and sizes), and a sense of calm and adventure that I had yet to experience living in the Kingdom.
With a serious case of the travel bug and this new certificate in my wallet, there’s no telling where I’ll find myself next in this never-ending journey. I can guarantee that if every private beach in Saudi provides this same deadly combination of clear waters, marine life, beach volleyball, and cold drinks; I won’t be leaving the country for my next vacation anytime soon. (I say that now…)
(pics to come soon)
which beach did you go to?
palm beach.
Oh I haven’t been there yet. I go to salhia beach and thats a really nice resort but I also hear that there is a coral reef about an hour or so by boat into the red sea which is astonishing, you should check it out if you have a chance.
I’m glad you’re getting to experience this part of Saudi Arabia. I would love to do something like that, but being married to a Saudi, I’m not able to! Just discovered your blog and finding it quite entertaining. Good job!
Right on man!!! that’s rad you got to dive in the Middle East. Pretty unique experience as far as dive locations go. Don’t know if I’ll ever get that one checked off my list!
guys can anyone tell me where salhia is? and is it a resort? or just a private beach? can anyone go there? also, wats the crowd like? are there always alota ppl there? wat r the workers like? thx
Salhiya is out in Obhur. Saudis are not allowed – it is by private membership only and there is a waiting list. Just on the weekends is it crowded. The crowd is mixed – families, singles. The workers are helpful and nonobtrusive. During the week it is not crowded and very peaceful. I did a post about it a while back if you want to see some pics:
http://susiesbigadventure.blogspot.com/2008/04/paradise-found.html
wat i mean by can anyone go there is with regards to nationality
hey man, idk where salhia is… but i think it’s in Obhur (just north of Jeddah). some beaches allow Saudis, others don’t. really depends where you go!
mahmood, one of the nicer beaches that i’ve enjoyed is silver sands… but no saudis are allowed there (unless you have a villa/connections). it’s super concealed from the outside too, no signs, etc. definitely north obhur.
as far as I know, salhia allows saudi’s inside but it’s a private beach, so you either have to have a chalet inside or a cabin. People who live on lotus compounds get free access to lockers.
As to location, its on the open sea so further north than the creek. It’s after the inter-continental beach by about 3 mins. You can’t miss it if you’re looking for it, it’s got a barracade of barrels outside and large green netting on either side of the resort stretching its length into the sea. It’s also got a mini market right next to it. Hope that helps!
if i dont have a chalet there, can i still enter with family? maybe on the basis of an entry fee? like in al-bilad beach or silver sands
I’m not sure if their policies have changed but I’m pretty sure that they won’t accept. You can try calling them and asking them yourself if you can get a telephone number
are you sure they won’t take an entry fee ? :S
is renting a chalet/cabin absoloutly required if you want to enter?