Nov. 19 Khasab Dhow Trip

Nov. 19 Khasab dhow trip




We rose early as we had paid for a full day on a dhow for snorkeling and seeing the picturesque fjord-like coastline east of Khasab, where the stark mountains rise vertically from the clear sea. We boarded our boat, which was the largest one there and even had a second deck, and found seats at the front. The boat even had some toilets and showers below, and a room that had air conditioning. Probably 50 passengers were on board, including an American family of four from Dubai, about ten Germans, a few other Europeans, and the rest mostly Indians working in the UAE.



On our way to the first stop we saw a fisherman pull out and gaff a 5-foot long Black Tipped Reef Shark, which made people a bit worried about getting in the water! We saw small coastal villages and stopped at Telegraph Island, where the British had an observation post for shipping passing through the Hormuz Straits, and where we now snorkeled. The water was a bit cloudy and had small jellyfish, so we were not too impressed with the diving. The next stop was more of a swimming place, with less fish life. But it was fun to also see many dolphins, which the boats would drive to and try to get them to ride the bow wave. It became a bit crowded, with sometimes up to 8 boats trying to get close to the same pod of dolphins. We returned by 4 PM, about an hour before sunset, had supper at a local Indian place, and went back to our hotel.