There is a whole other world below the waters of Lebanon, and that’s where we are going! With our gear at the ready, we dive head first to explore the wonders of the ocean. Lebanon is known as the place to be if you want a diving area that is a bit “odd” – in a good way! There are so many to choose from so let’s take a moment and find out what kind of spots would be perfect for you.
Le Souffleur
Heading south of Beirut, we hit the waters of Khalde where we reach our first spot. Would you have guessed that you would find an actual wrecked submarine there? Neither did we! The Souffleur Submarine, which was struck down in 1941, now resides at the bottom of the ocean near Khalde.
On this dive, not only will you get a chance to see this amazing beast on the sandy floor but you would also get a view of the torpedo that is sits in the hull of the submarine. Since the wreck has been there for quite some time, you can even see many fish and sting rays that now call the Souffleur home.
AUB Wall
AUB Canyon, AUB Wall this next spot is known by many names. But what we know it as is the wall that sinks all the way to the bottom where our eyes can no longer see it. Scary? Not really! The diving site facing the beach of the American University of Beirut is, oppositely, beautiful. The wall is covered with small caves that are habitats for an amazing amount of fish, Carpet Rays, Octopus, and even Lobsters!
Divers, usually, love the site at night where things get really interesting! You could even spot an old anchor somewhere by the wall, dive in and see if you could find it!
Alice B
Where is Alice? Not chasing the rabbit again, I hope. Our next spot takes us all the way to Zouk where you could find the home of the Alice B Cargo ship that mysteriously sunk during the 1975 – 1990 war of Lebanon. Luckily, the ship still sits up straight at 35 meters below sea level. This gives divers a perfect opportunity to, properly, see the wreck.
Shark Point
Feeling like a daredevil? This time you can be full out daring. The next spot gives you a chance to swim with the sharks! Located 1.5 km offshore from the Sea Rock in Raouche, the area can be explored during the warm seasons. Home to quite a few sharks such as the Sand Tiger Shark, you can even find statues that reside at the bottom of the area such as the Virgin Mary, St. Charbel, and Jesus.
With all the spots around the country, it would take quite a while to visit each and every one. But, to get straight to the point, Lebanon has an amazing diverse diving experience that you should give a try. With more to see of the land and the sea of Beirut, we can’t wait to see what other diving sites there are. How about sharing your diving experience with us?
Thank you to Alain Najem from We Dive MENA for helping on the information
Photo Credits:
- Joi Ito at Joi’s Diving Blog
- Ibrahim K. Msallam
- Simon Nadim
- Photos courtesy of the Facebook page of @ScubaLeb
- Lubna Mikati
