The Persian Gulf boasts calm waters and diverse marine life. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that people want to dive there. However, I’d expect most people to dive from the western side of the Gulf – from Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, or the UAE – not from Iran. However, the Southern beaches of in the Chabahar area – which is something of an undiscovered tourist location, a Middle Eastern diamond-in-the-rough, so to speak – are developing as a center for skin diving trainings.

According to Mohamad Nayebpour, head of the Skin Diving Club of Chabahar, the newly-formed Club has already “managed to take 500 tourists for skin diving in the waters of the Persian Gulf.” According to Nayebpour, after completing a 30-minute theory class and a 30-minute class explaining skin diving equipment, the newly-certified trainees are released into the water. Moreover, Nayebpour claims that a group of skin divers from the are coming to Chabahar in November, which he considers great international publicity. Thus far, there seems to be limited (read: no) scuba diving available in the area, but maybe Nayebpour will diversify in the coming years. That way, maybe they can run day trips to swim with Runan-Shah.

[Via X-Ray Mag]