Golden sands and turquoise sea, southern tip of Masirah

Masirah Island

Field Trip To Masirah Island

Organized by Geo-Group

Earth Science Department

College of Science

Date: Wed 19/7/2000 to Fri 21/7/2000

Number of Students: 7 students .

Number of Stuff: 3 stuff from Earth Science Dep.

Number of Vehicels: 3 4-weel cars.

Leaving Time : Wed 19/7 at 1:00 Pm from the front of college of Science.

Arraived Time: Fri 21/7 at 5:00 Pm.

Trip Coast: 90 R.O (The cost of the ferry only).

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The Trip Discription :

* Wed 19/7/2000

By 1:00Pm every things was ready. We leave SQU at this time towards Al-Sarqyah region . We turn right from the BidBid to Sur road and travel through Al Mudaybi and Sanaw, the last two towns before turning east through Al Hij.

Camel at Iftar, Al Hij, Oman

In this photo which show apart from the garage in Al Hij village.

Three 4-wheel drive vehicle is useful to tackle the loose sand on the road. Extensive sabkha (salt flats) lie on either side. A narrow causeway strikes east to the ferry landing point.

Sabkha (salt flats) on mainland opposite Masirah

Sunset over Khawr Masirah

Sunset over Khawr al Masirah marked the end of a day we will never forget it.
We reached the beach from where the ferry leaves, around 6:00Pm just befor the sunset. There was still enough time (one houre) to enjoy the looking to the lovely beach.

At 7:00Pm it is time when the ferry will leave the land towards Masirh Island. The SQU cars take place in this large ferry and every one was waitting the moments when they gona leave. There are other vehicles will gona made the crossing with us. For more then 30 minites we was waitting.The ferry could not leave because of the low tide at that time. At 8:30Pm it is start moving and very slowlly. Every one stay in his car due to the high wind that bring the water in the top of the ferry.

The ferry boat that plies to Masirah

Masirah island

Not many people live on Masirah; most of those are in the town of Ras Hilf where the ferry docks. Sailings are dependent on the tide so there's no regular timetable.

Around 10Pm we was in Masirah, and every one don’t belive himself that he is standing on Masirah island. After the pryer in one of the mosque in Hilf we meet one of the driver brother called Haddid he was our guid in this trip. This man toke us to see one of the animals that this island famouse by them Turtles. It was really night no one will forget it . During our driving in the west costal of the island one of the car weels sink into the looses sand . For around 2 houres every one was trying to take it out but no way. Thanks to God at last we could take it out.

The weather was very cold and windy so we was looking for a place we could camp it it. Our guid take us to a nice place in Wadi Ra’siyah. During the preparation of the camping one of the tent taken away by the strong wind. Two of the guys go after it. They wakes for more then 2km. but they could not find the lost tent. It could be some where in the world, somebody say we can find it near indonesia or in the Australia beach. It was 1:00Am when every one go under his sleeping bag, some of the guys sleep outside but most of them inside their tents.

* Thr 20/7/2000

Jabal Al Shabbah

The highest point on the island is just 275 m. A small oasis with a few date palms lies in the middle of this picture, very near the shore. The high, dark rocks are ultramafic, mantle ophiolites.

Thanks to Dr. Abd Al-Rahman Al-Harthy for his explaining the nature of the contact between the Ophiolite and Terchery rocks.

"Oasis" on the western coast of Masirah

Jabal al Khuwayrat, Masirah

Most of the rocks on Masirah belong to an oceanic ophiolite sequence ranging from pillow lavas to very dark ultramafic mantle rocks. There is no well-defined sheet dyke complex. The northern end of Jabal al Khuwayrat .

The ophiolites were thrust on to the surface of the earth along with deep ocean sediments of the Hawasinah group, visible here as a lighter coloured capping on rocks in the distance.

Hawasinah sediments overlie ophiolites on Jabal al Khuwayrat

Masirah's ophiolite sequence is thought to be earlier than that exposed on the mainland in the Hajar mountain range. The age of the thrusting is reckoned to be late Jurassic to early Cretaceous. At any rate, the ophiolite sequence has been displaced from the exposures on the mainland by an old transform fault which trends parallel to the eastern coast.

Fishing is the principal economic activity on Masirah. Large fishing dhows moored off the southern beaches take in large catches which are shipped on to the mainland in large refrigerated chests and driven to the more densely populated north of Oman.

Fishing dhows moored off southern Masirah

Fishing village, Hiql, Masirah

The fishing village of Hiql on the west of Masirah is little more than a collection of shelters in a bay fringed by white sands.

This is the settlement of Sur Masirah, a Bedu village on the southeast coast of the island. Housing is adequate, but primitive. Goats are kept in stockades. The village is probably here because there is drinkable groundwater, which is abstracted from this well.

A Bedu village and well, southern Masirah

Masirah and the adjacent mainland are very arid. The guider (Hiddid) told us that temperatures in the summer are ameliorated by the on-shore monsoon winds, but the rainfall is very low. Sur Masirah probably enjoys a reasonably reliable groundwater supply because of a major geological structure which dissects the higher ground in the middle of the island. The fault acts as a line of weakness which enables the groundwater to "flow" along it to the coast.

Gulls on white sand beach, northwest Masirah

Fabulous white-sand beaches stretch along the northwest shore bordering the Indian Ocean. People are so scarce that the gulls don't even seem to take notice. You can find all sorts of birds and seashells here.

Masirah is only 65 km long and 15 km wide. It is did not take from us to much time to visit most of the island.

At 1:00Pm and close to the beach the preparation for the lanch started and every one are helpping. Playing Footbole was not in the trip programs, but we made it.

After the lanch we go crosse the island from the west to the east to a place called Dawwah in order to see the Coral Reef.

After the sunset we was in the same wadi that we camp on it last night but in different location. Different type of food we cooked vary from cheaken, meat and fish as well.

* Fri 21/7/2000

Early in the morring around 5:30Am every one was wakup. The breckfast was ready. Every one was going around to take a look for the last moment in this island. After 7:00Pm we take a shoping in the Hilf suq.

8:30Pm in the ferry we are leaving Masirah. We wait untill 9:30 when the tide is high and the ferry start move. The ferry usually took one houre and half to arrive to the other coast in Shanah.

2:00Pm Snaw was our first stop after we put our foot in shanah. In this place we prayer and take oure lanch befor we countue our trip back to SQU.

Yousuf Al-Sinani

29/7/2000