Diving: the Red Sea is well known as an excellent diving and snorkelling destination due to its clear waters and abundant coral. Much of the coastline close to Jeddah makes for good scuba diving; or head north along the coast for better areas which run up to Yanbu. For more details about diving and snorkelling in and around Jeddah, contact a local tour operator once you arrive. Go on a pilgrimage: holiday activities don’t get much holier than this. For many visitors to Jeddah, a pilgrimage to Mecca that may also include a visit to Medina is the number one activity given that every good Muslim is expected to visit at least once in his or her lifetime. Remember to have your papers ready proving your faith otherwise you won’t be allowed in. Smoke a hookah: in the absence of alcohol and just about any other vice going, the humble Middle Eastern hookah represents an oasis of pleasure in a desert of propriety. These traditional pipes come with different flavoured tobacco and make an excellent post-dinner activity albeit one that is almost always exclusively enjoyed by men. Smokers hold the long, flexible pipe and gently inhale the smoke, creating a crackle as the tobacco burns in the main bowl. | 
