This snorkeling report only covers the places I snorkeled while cycling between Jeddah and Qunfudhah. In brief, it was disappointing, not worth the effort. Maybe the snorkeling is better north of Jeddah. Maybe I didn’t find the right places — it’s very hard to find any information. Maybe you really need to get out in a boat — although I did try this once and also failed to find good snorkeling.
One difficulty you’ll have both with snorkeling and bicycle touring is dealing with the “border patrol”. They’re very active along the Red Sea and prohibit swimming in most places. They also prohibit using the coastal track in many places. However, they’re super friendly and polite, always giving me water, sometimes food, and once putting me up for the night in an air conditioned room. They usually wanted my passport and entry stamp, sometimes my visa, usually made some calls, apologized for taking my time, and welcomed me to Saudi Arabia. When I requested (which was every time I really wanted), I usually (always?) got permission to cycle their coastal track and sometimes permission to snorkel. I don’t have any photos because, well, they don’t want people taking photos. However, here’s a photo of the dinner they gave me when I spent the night at one of their merkez:
I wrote about snorkeling at Al Qattan in my last post (more photos here). I’ll mention it again because it really was good. If you like snorkeling, it’s worth a detour (in a car) from as far as Jeddah. I’ll say it again, the hard coral was stunning:
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