Southern Kuwait Islands

Before the Dive

• Obtain an exact boarding pin and named operator for your departure, not the dive-center office address.
• Check Kuwait Meteorological Department marine conditions at Qaruh and Umm Al Maradim, winds, currents, dust alerts and the captain's cancellation authority.
• Ask whether the vessel carries working oxygen, first aid, communication equipment, life jackets and a seaworthy recovery ladder. The research did not verify every boat's safety inventory.
• Use the correct certification and experience for the actual site. Royal Marine labels Qaruh and Umm Al Maradim intermediate, Buniya beginner and the Qaruh Wreck advanced at about 35 m. Do not treat wreck penetration as a standard recreational objective.
• Plan conservative depth, surface intervals, buddy procedures and no-decompression limits, especially if the schedule changes. Check for lost fishing line around wrecks and strong current at Umm Daira.
• Do not freedive after scuba without a qualified site-specific plan; apnea trips need a trained in-water safety buddy, not just a buoy.
• Swimming and snorkeling should remain inside crew-designated areas and respect boat traffic, flotation needs and reef protection.
• Follow current Coast Guard exclusion zones and skipper/AIS/navigation rules; do not treat older daylight-hour articles as current policy.

For a suspected dive injury, drowning or major illness, activate 112, arrange local ambulance/hospital assessment and notify the captain or Coast Guard. Give appropriate first aid and oxygen if supplied by a trained responder; do not delay medical evaluation to locate a chamber independently. DAN's published 24-hour international medical assistance number is +1 919 684 9111; DAN Europe also publishes a Middle East/Persian Gulf emergency line at +39 06 4211 5685. An August 2026 news report describes an accredited hyperbaric facility at Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, but this research cannot verify its immediate acceptance of recreational decompression illness cases, availability or direct evacuation route. Ask the operator which emergency department, pickup point and communication method its rescue plan uses, and whether your insurer covers Kuwaiti offshore dive treatment and evacuation.

Protected Area Responsibilities

The Kuwait Environment Public Authority records Kubbar, Qaruh and Umm Al Maradim as nature reserves. EPA statements identify sensitive coral habitat and nesting terns on Kubbar during May to August. EPA inspection reports at Qaruh include enforcement for anchors damaging coral and waste disposal, with an instruction to use established moorings. Never throw anchors onto reefs, walk on coral, chase marine wildlife, remove shells or coral, or leave waste. Do not enter tern nesting sites, land, barbecue, camp, fish or spearfish on protected islands without clear and current site-specific legal authorization. The existence of a boat-trip or fishing advertisement does not resolve reserve rules. The EPA's eMISK environmental warnings service can identify waters to avoid for pollution or other hazards; these advisories and island access restrictions must be checked afresh. No universal, current dive-site seasonal closure list or separate individual marine tag price was verified.