Southern Crack - Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Southern Crack, off the Dubai coast, is a site we often visit when we’re after a relaxed dive. It’s not going to blow your mind with dramatic topography, but at a consistent 14m, it’s a good spot to hone your buoyancy or test out new gear without too much distraction. You’ll typically find plenty of snapper, bream, and the occasional batfish hanging around the small, scattered coral patches. We’ve also had some fun spotting gobies and shrimp in the sandy areas. It's a solid intermediate dive, forgiving but still engaging enough for a pleasant afternoon in the water.
- Location
- Dubai & Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Red Sea & Middle East
- Coordinates
- 26.478900, 53.982800
- Maximum Depth
- 14m
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Best Time to Dive in Dubai & Abu Dhabi
The warmest water temperatures in Dubai & Abu Dhabi occur in January, averaging 23.3°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 23.3°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 23.3°C (air: 19.5°C)
- February: 23.3°C (air: 20.6°C)
- March: 23.3°C (air: 23.4°C)
- April: 23.3°C (air: 26.5°C)
- May: 23.3°C (air: 30.3°C)
- June: 23.3°C (air: 33.5°C)
- July: 23.3°C (air: 35.4°C)
- August: 23.3°C (air: 35.1°C)
- September: 23.3°C (air: 32.9°C)
- October: 23.3°C (air: 29.8°C)
- November: 23.3°C (air: 26.2°C)
- December: 23.3°C (air: 22.1°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Dubai & Abu Dhabi
- A4-SI - 20m (wreck)
- A6.BBJ - 10m (wreck)
- ABDUL RAZAK - 25m (wreck)
- Abu dhabi Breakwater - 5-20m (reef)
- ALAMINA - 7m (wreck)
- ALEXION HOPE - 17m (wreck)
- AL JAZYA 1 - 8m (wreck)
- ANNA XYLA - 25m (wreck)
- ARIADNE - 17m (wreck)
- BARGE 201 - 43m (wreck)
- Beech Bank (reef)
- BH-19 - 21m (wreck)
- CHERRY DUKE (STERN PART) - 20m (wreck)
- CITY OF GRAZ - 25m (wreck)
- CLAUDINE - 38m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Southern Crack
- Al Boom Diving
- Al Mahara Diving Center - ["PADI"]
- Bermuda Diving - PADI
- Deep Dive Dubai - ["PADI"]
- DiveCampus Diving Club - ["PADI"]
- Divers Down Dubai - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Home to 25 recorded species including 7 reef fish, 5 hard corals, 4 other, 3 seagrass & algae, 2 crabs & lobsters, 2 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Shore crab (Metopograpsus messor) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Brain coral (Platygyra daedalea) - Hard Corals
- Pacific blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Species code: Ea (Enhalus acoroides) - Seagrass & Algae
- Stony coral (Porites solida) - Hard Corals
- Lesser star coral (Cyphastrea microphthalma) - Hard Corals
- halodule (Halodule uninervis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)
- loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
- Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) - Whales & Dolphins
- Man-of-war Fish (Nomeus gronovii) - Reef Fish
- Silver Bream (Rhabdosargus sarba) - Reef Fish
- Lesser valley coral (Platygyra lamellina) - Hard Corals
- Crescent Grunter (Terapon jarbua) - Reef Fish
- Star Blaasop (Arothron stellatus) - Reef Fish
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Feathered Cone (Conus pennaceus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
Recommended Packing List for Southern Crack
Based on average water temperature of 23.3°C.
- Wetsuit (3-5mm) - comfortable for 23°C water
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories