Lebanon
Unfortunately our time in Lebanon was very short to extensively explore both above and below the water and we just managed one dive during our stay. Although it is warm seas you should not expect great marine life and lots of fish like in the Red Sea but there are still some great dives around Lebanon.
Dive Sites
Site 1: AUB wall, Beirut
Diving Conditions:
GPS: 33.904620, 35.482804
Location: Beirut
Depth: 5-300m
Currents: Tide independent
Type of bottom: Rocks
Interests: Wildlife; boat dive: multi-level dive
Water Temperature: 15-30°C depending on the season. In May the water temperature was 20°C
Visibility: 15m
Description: There is a permanent buoy approximately 500m from the shore which marks the top of the wall at about 20m. The wall drops down to 300m so it is pretty much pick your own depth. It is not a sheer wall and there are some small ledges. Here you can find gray nurse sharks and lion-fish. Beware of ghost nets. When ascending go back up and above the wall there is a ledge at 12-15 where there are plenty of sting rays and octopus. There may be slight currents here. Moving more towards the shore there is a plateau at about 5m where turtles can often be spotted.
Site 2: Sunken City of Tyre
***Disclaimer: we have not personally dived this but got this information from a member of the Lebanon Dive Center***
Diving Conditions:
Location: Al Jamal, Tyre
Depth: 1.5-8m
Interests: Ancient ruins
Water Temperature: 17°C in the winter - 30° in summer
Visibility: 10-15m
Description: Tyre was originally a Phoenician town at the heart of Mediterranean trade with a very important port, in fact it was dubbed the 'Queen of the Seas' for its mercantile and seafaring activities. Later under Roman rule and eventually became one of the first cities to welcome Christianity. Later under the Arab rule it still flourished and its port became an important naval base for the Arab fleet. The arrival of the Crusaders, however, eventually led to the destruction of the city and its prosperity. At about 80m of the shore ancient ruins, predominantly from the Romans and crusaders may still be admired underwater. This dive mainly revolves around the ancient harbour where remains of buildings, roads and columns are visible.
Siggi V
Logistics
Diving:
Dive Centers:
In Beirut we dived with:
National Institute for Scuba Diving in Lebanon.
Solidere Beirut Marina , Beirut,
$50 per dive including equipment.
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Thoroughly recommend diving with them. If you happen to go during the summer months enquire about the off-shore dive to the War World II Vichy French submarine Le Souffleur, it is meant to be an amazing dive.
If we would have made it south to Tyre to dive the ancient ruins we would've contacted:
Youssef Jundi
tel. +9613 877854
