Exploring Saudi Arabia's marine wonderland

[Ahmed Jo]

New islands created in the Red Sea yet again after volcanic eruptions​

In recent years several new volcanic islands have emerged in the Red Sea due to volcanic eruptions. More specifically in the waters close to KSA and Yemen. Most recently a few weeks ago.

This video is 3 weeks old.

This on 3 years old.

It's quite amazing really.

KAUST wrote a paper on the subject not long ago.

Plate separation births two volcanic islands | KAUST Discovery

Another article from another source.

Birth of two volcanic islands in the southern Red Sea : Nature Communications : Nature Publishing Group

Might interest you brothers.

@Full Moon @azzo @BLACKEAGLE @Ahmed Jo @JUBA @Falcon29 @Indos @Halimi @ebray @Belew_Kelew etc.

I call dibs! I want to create my own kingdom there, will need some advisors if anyone is interested..

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Some photos from Jeddah (biggest coastal city of the Red Sea) and some of the coastline there.


Colorful evening by
Ali:18 (علي الطميحي), on Flickr


Fountain & sunset! by Ali:18 (علي الطميحي), on Flickr


Blue evening! by Ali:18 (علي الطميحي), on Flickr

Another thing, although some futuristic mosques/new buildings/skyscrapers have their charm I would love to see a modern architecture based on the local Hijazi arhictecture (it's Jeddah after all) one day too. Or at least more of it.

A good example below:

@Saif al-Arab

I wish you well also, I hope you can accomplish your dream as soon as possible while having very good faith in Islam.

It is me on the picture, in case we can meet someday............


Yup, I have been to Jeddah as well...........

Insha'Allah brother. I wish you all the best in life too.

Yes, I could imagine that the gentleman in your avatar was you. I for sure will contact you here if I ever visit Indonesia which I very much would like too.

Really? I did not know that. Hopefully when a real tourism sector emerges in KSA one day you will be able to see many corners of the diverse and rich country that is KSA. It will for sure surprise. I myself have yet a lot to visit, many regions and historical provinces to discover.

I call dibs! I want to create my own kingdom there, will need some advisors if anyone is interested..

Yes, if anyone ever dreamt about wanting their own private islands the opportunity is now. Unfortunately those new islands belong to Yemen but since that country is unfortunately in chaos I guess that it's up for grabs. The question is if anyone would bother to live on a volcanic island that could erupt further any given moment. I would stick to the 800 or so uninhabited, mostly tropical islands of KSA in the Red Sea alone instead.

Good to see you around brother as well and Ramadan Mubarak. You might take a look at the Arab Section where I wished the entire gang a blessed month of Ramadan.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Tarout Island (7000 years of history)

Tarout Island - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tarout Island - Qateef - SA by Al Sughayir Mahdi, on Flickr

غابة المانجروف by Tayseer Alabyadh, on Flickr

Tarout Island by waltherhetzer1, on Flickr

Coral reefs in the Gulf:


GulfPrintFilm02-08.tif by mikee84, on Flickr

Small uninhabited island, either Karan or Kurayn:


GulfPrintFilm02-28.tif by mikee84, on Flickr

Haql in the Gulf of Aqaba.

Georgious G (Haql) K.S.A. by Donald E. Curtis, on Flickr

So much potential for tourism yet….No comment.

 

[HAIDER]

Tarout Island (7000 years of history)

Tarout Island - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tarout Island - Qateef - SA by Al Sughayir Mahdi, on Flickr

غابة المانجروف by Tayseer Alabyadh, on Flickr

Tarout Island by waltherhetzer1, on Flickr

Coral reefs in the Gulf:


GulfPrintFilm02-08.tif by mikee84, on Flickr

Small uninhabited island, either Karan or Kurayn:


GulfPrintFilm02-28.tif by mikee84, on Flickr

Haql in the Gulf of Aqaba.

Georgious G (Haql) K.S.A. by Donald E. Curtis, on Flickr

So much potential for tourism yet….No comment.

@HAIDER

Delete your utter nonsense post in that other thread before I start.

Its nice , but if I being a shia travel, what are the prospect I will get the visa ,and allow freely to roam around these spots? ....They are beautiful, but how can people cross the red tape of Suadi bureaucracy...........has many spots in my list, but few friends told that Suadi govt or cab driver discourage to go those historic places.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Its nice , but if I being a shia travel, what are the prospect I will get the visa ,and allow freely to roam around these spots? ....They are beautiful, but how can people cross the red tape of Suadi bureaucracy...........

Haider, have you forgot that 15-20% of KSA's population is Shia Muslim (Twelver, Zaydi and Ismaili) and that millions upon millions of Shia Muslims visit KSA yearly due to Hajj and Umrah, business and work?

I don't know if I should laugh or cry about your comment. You are basically fearing that foreign Shia's cannot obtain a VISA without knowing about the ground realities.

We don't know when it will end but I personally hope that it will end soon so KSA can open up to tourism and that some of the silly laws can be changed.

Anyway this thread has nothing to do with religion.

Some more photos:

IMG_4165 by Amani Samad, on Flickr

Al Wadj Bank, Saudi Arabia (NASA, International Space Station Science, 12/30/07) by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, on Flickr

فرسان by jazan2013, on Flickr

 

[HAIDER]

This is number one prime location in my traveling list, but there is no detail for foreign tourist to get this spot...Because its not only historic but place is mention in Quran...

Mada'in Saleh

 

[Mabs]

To Saudi members here: I recently moved to Riyadh and was wondering if there're any must-see sights/activities to do here. I also wouldn't mind driving to any place (coastal town) between Riyadh and Dammam.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

@HAIDER

That is Mada'in Saleh. A World UNESCO Heritage Site and the complex is very big. Built by the ancient Semitic Nabateans (Hijazi Arabs basically) in Northern Hijaz some 2000 years ago. The Nabateans built many World UNESCO Heritage Sites in 4 different countries of today (KSA, Jordan, Israel and Syria). Petra in Jordan, Shivta in Israel, Avdat in Israel, Bosra in Syria etc. for instance They were present in Egypt too (Sinai mostly).

Mada'in Saleh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nabataeans - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You can see more of Mada'in Saleh and those other World UNESCO Heritage Sites in those two threads below:

Saudi Arabia in Pictures | Page 82

The Arabian Peninsula and Arab world in photos | Page 43

Anyway let's try to stick to the topic. Please use the other threads for questions and I or some other Arab member might answer them.

More photos:

Farasan island - Saudi Arabia by Eric Lafforgue, on Flickr

​

P.S:

I really don't want to "insult" you (or anyone else for that matter) but sometimes when you are ignorant about a topic it's better to do some research or at least ask knowledgeable people before writing silly claims or making bombastic statements. On the internet everyone is an expert about everything that's just not how the real world looks like.

To Saudi members here: I recently moved to Riyadh and was wondering if there're any must-see sights/activities to do here. I also wouldn't mind driving to any place (coastal town) between Riyadh and Dammam.

Ask your questions in those 3 threads below and I am sure that natives of Riyadh/Najd/people living there can help you out.

Saudi Arabia in Pictures | Page 82

The Arabian Peninsula and Arab world in photos | Page 43

Arab affairs News and Discussion Thread | Page 2

Users such as @azzo @JUBA @Frosty @Full Moon should be able to help you out here better than me although I can give you my advice but I am not from Riyadh or Najd so I am less familiar with that region of KSA.

This thread is about the marine life, coastline, beaches, islands etc. of KSA.

 

[Mabs]

@HAIDER

That is Mada'in Saleh. A World UNESCO Heritage Site and the complex is very big. Built by the ancient Semitic Nabateans (Hijazi Arabs basically) in Northern Hijaz some 2000 years ago. The Nabateans built many World UNESCO Heritage Sites in 4 different countries of today (KSA, Jordan, Israel and Syria). Petra in Jordan, Shivta in Israel, Avdat in Israel, Bosra in Syria etc. for instance They were present in Egypt too (Sinai mostly).

Mada'in Saleh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nabataeans - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You can see more of Mada'in Saleh and those other World UNESCO Heritage Sites in those two threads below:

Saudi Arabia in Pictures | Page 82

The Arabian Peninsula and Arab world in photos | Page 43

Anyway let's try to stick to the topic. Please use the other threads for questions and I or some other Arab member might answer them.

More photos:

Farasan island - Saudi Arabia by Eric Lafforgue, on Flickr

​

P.S:

I really don't want to "insult" you (or anyone else for that matter) but sometimes when you are ignorant about a topic it's better to do some research or at least ask knowledgeable people before writing silly claims or making bombastic statements. On the internet everyone is an expert about everything that's just not how the real world looks like.



Ask your questions in those 3 threads below and I am sure that natives of Riyadh/Najd/people living there can help you out.

Saudi Arabia in Pictures | Page 82

The Arabian Peninsula and Arab world in photos | Page 43

Arab affairs News and Discussion Thread | Page 2

Users such as @azzo @JUBA @Frosty @Full Moon should be able to help you out here better than me although I can give you my advice but I am not from Riyadh or Najd so I am less familiar with that region of KSA.

This thread is about the marine life, coastline, beaches, islands etc. of KSA.

Thanks man. Do you have any suggestions for the eastern province since a lot of it has a coastline and i don't mean your normal everyday beaches because I used to live in Khobar as well and i have pretty much seen your usual beaches. Are there any hidden gems that people don't know about?

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Thanks man. Do you have any suggestions for the eastern province since a lot of it has a coastline and i don't mean your normal everyday beaches because I used to live in Khobar as well and i have pretty much seen your usual beaches. Are there any hidden gems that people don't know about?

Please kindly use those 3 threads that I have linked to where people, including myself, might be able to answer you.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

 

[Saif al-Arab]

44 different shark species can be found in the waters of the tropical Red Sea
​

List of sharks in the Red Sea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photo taken by Tane Sinclair-Taylor

Photo taken by Tane Sinclair-Taylor​

Photo taken by Tane Sinclair-Taylor


Diving Holidays to Saudi Arabia, Red Sea​

During his first exploration of the Red Sea the legendary underwater explorer Jacques Yves Cousteau observed about the shorelines of Saudi Arabia and Sudan - "Life abounds in bank after bank of exuberant coral structures, second only to those of the Great Barrier Reef in extent and exceeding it perhaps in splendour. Here there is deep clarity, blazing colour, and active fauna living under the most arid and least populated of coasts". For years cloaked in secrecy, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has exploded on to the tourist track. International Cultural Tourism has been evident for many years with groups coming from Japan, America and Europe. Saudi Arabia is now realising a national heritage and opening sustained dive tourism. Our Saudi Arabia dive trips are from Liveaboards and proving to be a great success. This is as a result of spectacular diving with newly discovered dive sites and an abundance of large pelagic activity both on our Yanbu and Farasan Banks itineraries, with several species of sharks including silkies, oceanics and tigers, as well as giant mantas.

It has been said that Saudi Arabia is one of diving's last frontiers, and it is a fact that very few westerners have ever been able to dive here. The appeal of diving almost untouched, barely explored reefs is undeniable. With an incredible variety of marine life and some of the most flourishing coral reefs to be found anywhere in the world - it is no wonder that so many famous explorers have dived here.

The Red Sea is rated as one of the top ten diving destinations in the world. Egypt, Sudan and Jordan offer fantastic diving, but how many of you have dived the Saudi Arabian Red Sea? How many of you know anyone who has? Without question, many if not most of the outer reefs in that region have never been dived. The diversity of marine life and fauna along the reefs really are quite exquisite and offer the diver a high quality and extremely memorable diving experience.

Diving holidays to Saudi Arabia | Red Sea Diving Holidays | Liveaboards in Saudi Arabia | Yabul and Farasan Banks are Saudi Arabia's top dive sites

Jacques Cousteau - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Saif al-Arab]

من رجال جزر فرسان by owyed alowyed, on Flickr

... by Fahad Almazyad, on Flickr

 

[Saif al-Arab]

mosque by the sea by edward musiak, on Flickr

meditation moment by sultan alghamdi, on Flickr


briman 01 by Bam Lagdameo, on Flickr

Sunset by Justin Minns, on Flickr

shoots from my life ♥ by Abdulellah Al-Mahdali, on Flickr
من رحلة املج شمال غرب المملكة عام ١٤٣٤هـ شهر ٥ by ابو ريان, on Flickr

DSC00933 by Aiwaah Dot Com, on Flickr


Tabuk area منطقة تبوك by tabuk تبوك, on Flickr

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Change the VISA policy currently in place, invest heavily in tourism (religious and non-religious), ease some of the domestic laws and KSA WILL easily be in the top 10 of most visited countries on the planet very quickly. It already is in the top 15 with the most hostile VISA rules second only to North Korea in place.

World Tourism rankings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Endless potential but the regime fears rapid changes that could potentially lead to their downfall quicker than foreseen. Wasting potential has been the modus operandi for the Arab world in the past many decades so nothing new on this front, sadly.