Qaruh Island Reef

Qaruh is an uninhabited limestone island 60 km south of Kuwait City that serves as a seabird nesting colony above water and a productive reef dive below. The island's sheltered northern lagoon drops gradually to 12 metres over mixed hard coral and rubble, while the exposed southern face has undercuts and small overhangs hosting sleeping nurse sharks and large Napoleon wrasse. The water here is noticeably clearer than inshore sites because the island sits away from the main river-freshwater and sediment inputs of the northwest Gulf.