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A school of yellow-striped snappers and grey fish swims beneath a broad reddish table coral over a sandy bottom — Kish Island

Kish Island · Iran · Coral garden · Reef

Big Coral

A shore entry from Simorgh Hotel beach onto the east-coast reefs

Area photo: Hamed Saber from Tehran, Iran · CC BY 2.0

Big Coral is a shallow coral site on the east coast of Kish Island, where a variety of coral reefs stretch along the shoreline. It is one of the best sites in Iran for amateur divers, reached either by dive boat from the island's clubs or from Simorgh Hotel beach.

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Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Big Coral: typical dive to 7 m (to 23 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit7 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Kish Island and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The reef lies at about 6 to 7 m, and the water drops to roughly 4 m at low tide, so the tide state sets how much water sits over the coral. Divers coming from shore start at Simorgh Hotel beach, and the draw of the site is the variety of coral reefs along this stretch of the east coast.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Big Coral
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeFairFairFairGood

Season follows Kish Island: Clear, sunny spring and summer are best; stormy autumn and late-winter seas stop the diving on rough days.

Questions divers ask

Can Big Coral be dived from shore on Kish Island?+

Yes. Divers can drive to the Simorgh Hotel beach and enter from there, or join a dive boat from one of the island's clubs.

Sources

  1. Scuba Diving - Kish Free Zone Organization Tourism — Kish Free Zone Organization
  2. Diving in Iran for tourists — Legendary Iran

More dive sites in Kish Island

Wreck

Dama Wreck

A way in through the captain's cabin window

to 33 madvanced

Wreck

Greek Ship

The propeller of a 1943 steamship at 8 m

4–8 mbeginner

Cave & cavern

Hoor Cottage

A short cave to swim through at the entrance

to 8 mbeginner

Reef

Jurassic Park

Shallow east-coast reef, a boat ride from the Kish dive clubs

to 8 mbeginner

Reef

Southern Crack

Blacktip and nurse sharks in a gap in the reef

14–22 madvanced

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