MV Dara

The MV Dara was a British India Steam Navigation Company passenger and cargo liner that suffered an explosion in April 1961 while anchored off the coast near Dubai, in what became one of the worst maritime disasters in the Gulf during that era, with heavy loss of life. The wreck eventually sank and now lies broken on the seabed off the Sharjah/Dubai coastline in the Persian Gulf. It sits in relatively deep water for the region, and visibility in the Gulf here tends to be limited, so it is generally treated as a dive for those with wreck experience rather than beginners. Divers visiting the site are drawn mainly by its history and the scale of the broken structure rather than by reef life, and much of the hull is now encrusted and colonized by fish typical of Gulf wrecks. Because of the depth and often poor visibility, boat operators running trips out to the Dara typically require advanced certification.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Green Sea TurtleChelonia mydasReported here · unconfirmed