"Damaniyat Islands" Npacadia's photos around Damaniyat Islands, Oman

A TripAdvisorâ„¢ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Damaniyat Islands, Oman by TravelPod blogger Npacadia titled "Damaniyat Islands...." Npacadia's travel blog entry: "Hi all. Back in Muscat after 3 days in the Damaniyat Islands Nature Preserve. The islands were about a 2 hour boat trip offshore from the capital (15-20 km offshore from the mainland). We were going out to get a first hand perspective on some of the reserve's management issues and challenges and to participate with biologists from the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) on some of their scheduled coral reef and turtle monitoring/research activities. On our way out to the islands, we came across nearly 500 long beaked common dolphins feeding in and around some fisherman who evidently were fishing for yellow fin tuna. I had never observed so many dolphins in one place before. I was told that the tuna were probably "herding" the fish they were going after and the dolphins were evidently taking advantage of the tuna's behavior. In this part of the world, tuna and these dolphins are often associated with each other. There are about 9 islands that comprise the Damaniyat preserve. Except for a ranger station, there are no facilities on the islands. The total land area of the islands is less than 80 hectares and they consist of pocket white sand beaches (ground up coral as opposed to rock) and rocky, relatively flat uplands. Vegetation is very sparse, except in some low lying and overwash areas. Temperatures range ...