After our visit at the majestic Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, we proceeded to Marina Bandar Al Rowdha to experience the dolphin watching that is one among the many thrills being offered to the tourists who visit the marina.
We made our booking a day earlier and for today we just met with our contact who assigned us to one boat. We are among the first ones to arrive so we have the freedom to choose our seat. The boat has a capacity of about 20 persons. We took the seats near the front so we can easily go to the area near the bow (the front of the boat) once we get the permission from the captain for good sight-seeing and selfie purposes, of course.
From Marina Bandar Al Rowdha to the Blue Seas
The sea is not new to us. I grew up in a house 10m away from the shore as well as my wife. Whenever we have an opportunity, we take our Utoy to the sea. But the feeling seems always the same. We do get this feeling of excitement everytime we sail the sea.
Our captain told us to remain in our seats while we ride to the part of the sea where the dolphins can be found feeding and playing.
As we approach the dolphin watching area we noticed some small boats that go around and throwing small fishes around probably to attract the dolphins.
Then the Dolphins Started The Show…
The boat captains communicate by radio to inform each others once a pod, or a group of dolphins have been sighted. After a few minutes of waiting, our captain took us to the area where the dolphins have been spotted. Words are not enough to describe the feeling of seeing those lovely creatures in their natural habital. So we made a video of the experience so that we can share it with you.
As with all things, good or bad, everything has to end. We wrapped up our dolphin watching experience by taking selfies on the boat. We didn’t have the luck, however, to have a selfie with the dolphins by our side.
The captain told us to go back to our seats so we can head back to Marina Bandar Al Rowdha.
From Dolphin Watching to Sightseeing
It might be our captain’s way of keeping us from having withdrawal syndrome, so he did not take the route straight back to the marina. He took us on a trip along the shores so we can admire the beauty of Oman’s bays and beaches.
As we travel back to our starting point, we were greeted by views of beautiful bays and islets that adds to the beauty of the place. Our captain quizzed us on the rock formations that were moulded by the force of wind and water. Like children looking at the clouds, we saw images of an elephant, a cat, a human and others on the rocks that we passed by.
Before we knew it, we are back to Marina Bandar Al Rowdha.
Not Your Wake-Up-Like-This Photo
Here we are as the trip ended. Just like we were still in a dream.
We loved the trip and the experience it is nice to see that those dolphins are being appreciated here instead of being hunted. People come to see them in their natural habitat and it is nice to see their population thrive.
If you have any plans of taking this trip too, here are some tips for you:
- Book in advance to avoid disappointment, specially in the peak season. There are only two trips in a day because the Omanis understand that dolphins need rest too.
- Of the two trips, take the first one which goes out by 7:00am. Experts say that this is the time where the likelihood of seeing dolphins is the highest.
- Foods and drinks, as well as fruits are availalble in the boat. They sometimes forget to tell people but yes, you can get some for you.
That’s it for our dolphin watching trip at Marina Bandar Al Rowdha. Have you been there too? Please share with us in the comments section.
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