The Daymaniyat Islands are a cluster of small rocky uninhabited islands that lie about 10 miles off the coast and a little west of Oman's capital, Muscat. They are the countries main attraction for scuba diving as they are also the lone marine nature reserve.
Lying in a chain paralleling the mainland, these small islands have rocky and barren landscapes, often with tortuous coasts broken by delightful white sand beaches in tiny coves. There is a beauty in their stark geography, which is reflected underwater. The terrain below the waves often follows the patterns above, especially on the northern sides with pinnacles that create swim-throughs, tiny caves and sharp rocky walls. Sites on the south of the islands are flatter and are covered in rich hard coral gardens.
The defining feature of these dives has to be the prolific fish life. There are large pelagic fish, dense schools of small colourful ones and a good array of localised species. There are frequent encounters with cuttlefish, plus turtles, leopard sharks and (so they say) whale sharks if you happen to be there at the right time.