The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia now offers tourism and here you can go on a fantastic liveaboard in the Red Sea. The country occupies about 80% of the Arabian Peninsula (the world's largest peninsula) and is the twelfth largest country in the world. The country has the world's largest airport today, larger than many countries in terms of area and about the same size as New York!

Most of Saudi Arabia consists of dry desert, lowlands, steppes, and mountains. The capital and largest city is Riyadh, and other major cities include Jeddah and the two holy cities, Mecca and Medina.

The 647500 km2 Rub' al Khali (“Empty Quarter”) is the world's largest continuous sandy desert.* Although there are lakes in the country, Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world by area without permanent rivers.
* Despite having plenty of sand, Saudi Arabia imports sand from Australia to use in cement and construction work.

In the southwest, the country is mountainous and here is the country's highest point, the 3002-meter-high peak Jabal Ferwa. Saudi Arabia, less known to most, has more than 2,000 dormant and extinct volcanoes.

How much does a liveaboard to Saudi Arabia cost?

A diving trip to Saudi Arabia with liveaboard normally costs from around 38 - 45,000 SEK, but it depends on a number of different factors. You can read more about why here on our page.It is difficult to give a general answer about how much it costs for a package including flights, transfers, accommodation and diving.  Contact us at Scuba Travel for a free proposal and you will receive more detailed info. 

When is the best time to go to Saudi Arabia?

The best time to dive in Saudi Arabia is during autumn, winter and spring when you have generally good conditions. Then you have comfortable  temperatures in the water and usually very good visibility and a rich marine life.
For specific experiences, September to May are normally ideal for also seeing large pelagic species. Spring and summer tend to have warmer waters and always good visibility for more general diving but somewhat less common with large sharks.

o Spring, March – May
o Summer, June – September
o Autumn, September – December
o Winter, December – March

What can I see when diving in Saudi Arabia?

The reefs of the Red Sea are home to an astonishing diversity of marine life and some of the large fish you can encounter here are incredible. The long-rumored Red Sea and diving in Egypt have made the Red Sea almost mythical for its marine life and fantastic visibility. Here you will usually see plenty of sharks and large animals. For example, the beautiful but sometimes a little too close-minded fin shark attracts many photographers. Hammerhead sharks are regularly seen but also whale sharks, thresher sharks, reef sharks and others sometimes show up if conditions are favorable. There are very beautiful coral gardens and dropoffs as well as several different wrecks along the coast. The reefs are filled with marine life, schools of fish, many different invertebrates and sometimes even dolphins and manatees.

Where is the best diving in Saudi Arabia?

The best diving in Saudi Arabia is in the Red Sea, especially around the Farasan banks. Here you have healthy, intact, pristine reefs with a rich and diverse marine life. Also in Yanbu, often called the “Pearl of the Red Sea”, you will find fantastic coral gardens, slopes and dropoffs and masses of marine life in different colors and shapes. There are also remains of wrecks from different historical eras interspersed with many large pelagic fish and sharks. 

When and where are liveaboards and safaris available in Saudi Arabia?

There is a liveaboard in Saudi Arabia that is licensed to operate. Due to specific regulations and licensing requirements, boats from other countries are not allowed to organize diving in Saudi Arabia. The liveaboard offers dive cruises year-round and typically run over seven nights. Some tours may occasionally have different days with five to ten nights on board.

For those of you who want to go on a liveaboard in Saudi Arabia or another destination or are considering alternatives for diving in Saudi Arabia, contact us with your wishes and concerns at tel: 0301-22100.

Extra nights on site

You will need at least one night on site before you go on a liveaboard in Saudi Arabia and one night is also required after your liveaboard on land. All flights landaand starts as much as possible in the late afternoon until early morning, as in most countries in the Middle East, to avoid the worst heat in the middle of the day and have better aerodynamic conditions.