I dived with two dive shops in Oman, and both put the vast majority of others I've used in the Middle East to shame in terms of professionalism. Top-notch rental gear, a very nice boat, and very professional staff who clearly put an emphasis on safety and on choosing the best sites given the fickle conditions of the area. I liked being in a small group (5-6 of us, including the dive guides and various students), but I also know the dive shops here would certainly welcome more tourists. As a coral reef scientist who has dived around the world, I can definitely say that Oman is worth checking out. I was impressed by the coral diversity, and the fish life is more plentiful than in the Red Sea. I think this could simply be to the fact that few people live in Oman, and so fishing pressures are lower. We saw turtles, octopus (two), the biggest eel I’ve ever seen (honeycomb), and gobs upon gobs of reef fish. I counted at least 50 species of hard corals, including some I’ve not seen anywhere else. The topside scenery at the dive sites is absurdly gorgeous, and I’d think even a tag-along friend who doesn’t dive would welcome just being on a boat amidst the dramatic rock formations plunging into the sea.