Umm Al Quawain

United Arab Emirates

The MV Dara was a passenger liner which sunk in 1961. The vessel caught fire following an explosion in the middle of the ship and although the fire was extinguished, the ship sank whilst under tow. 

The Dara sailed between the ports of Dubai and Muscat, and during the early hours of 8th April 1961 a bomb planted by an Omani rebel exploded. It is believed that the bomb had been timed to explode when the Dara arrived at Muscat, however due to a storm the departure and been delayed and whilst the ship was weathering the storm, the bomb exploded. The disaster has been well documented as the loss of life was so considerable the final figure was 238 deaths, the greatest number of fatalities during peacetime after the Titanic. The wreck now lies in three main sections, although the mid section is smashed beyond recognition.

During July the sea is near its hottest and there is an algae bloom which affects the visibility. However visibility has been affected all year round off the west coat, due to the levels of dredging for the Three Palm and World Island developments. Although this is not a problem for exploring a wreck dive with your buddy, to be guided around a site like this is very frustrating. We were in a small enough group but the whole dive was spent following a pair of fins rather than exploring around wherever took you fancy. Marine life was reasonable with turtles, batfish, snapper, but not in large quantities.

Words By: Jenny Pickles, BSAC Dive Leader

