Dubai shore excursions: Deep Dive Dubai

In addition to the tallest tower in the world and the largest mall, Dubai is also now home to the deepest dive pool in the world, located equidistant from the Dubai Cruise Terminal and the new Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal.

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Dubai is more popularly known for its pristine desert, cosmopolitan nightlife, leading shopping and dining destinations and iconic landmarks such as Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and Ain Dubai, but now it is also a leading diving destination.

In true Dubai style, what the city lacks in natural abundance (deep water diving spots), it has made up for by creating its own. Deep Dive Dubai is the deepest dive pool in the world, and offers an underwater city for intrepid divers to explore.

There are “abandoned” sunken city apartments amid lighting and sound systems that create different atmospheres. In this underwater city you can even play pool in the arcade.

The 14 million liter pool is located within a 1,500-square-meter oyster-shaped structure, a nod to the United Arab Emirates’ history as a pearl diving nation, and descends to a depth of 60 metres.

Because the entire pool is temperature controlled and maintained at 30 degrees Celsius, only a thin wet suit is necessary. Guinness awarded it the “Deepest swimming pool for diving” title on June 27.

The facility is open by invitation only for now but will open to the public later this year. There will be courses on offer for both diving beginners and certified divers, and after a tour, certified divers can explore the underwater city on their own.

There are 56 cameras around the pool to ensure the safety of divers at every corner, and it is equipped withthe region’s most advanced hyperbaric chamber, with a capacity of 12 people, in case of an emergency.

If not everyone in your group is a diver, there’s a restaurant equipped with large windows and TV screens, from which they can watch. The only draw-back to this experience is that you can’t visit the Burj Khalifa for at least 18 to 24 hours afterwards.

Deep Dive Dubai advises against going any higher than 1,000 feet for 24 hours due to the depth of the pool, but there’s no restriction on visiting the Burj Khalifa first and then going diving.