Jordan

Jordan’s southwest coastline along the Gulf of Aqaba is only 27km long, but provides access to some fabulous dives.  The variety of dive sites is impressive with both wrecks and reefs to explore.  Many are diveable from shore, with boat trips out to sites within Aqaba Marine Park.  Visibility is often in excess of 30m, with slightly reduced visibility in March/ April due to the plankton bloom.  The water is above 18°C year round, warming to the mid-twenties in late summer and autumn.  Most dive centres are based in the South Beach area, 10km outside of Aqaba.

The 20+ sites include the wrecks of Cedar Pride, a Lebanese freighter sunk in 1985, The Tank, an M42 Anti-Aircraft Vehicle, C-130 Hercules aircraft, Lockheed Tristar passenger plane, a military museum including a helicopter, tanks and guns and the deeper sites of the Taiyong and the Shorouk, scuttled in 2008.  The unspoilt reefs and nutrient upwelling provide healthy reefs with lots of macro life.

The Tank

The Tank, a T42 Duster self propelled anti aircraft vehicle, was deliberately sunk in 1999 by the Jordanian Royal Ecological Diving Society as an artificial reef and is now home to lots of marine life.

Cedar Pride

The Cedar Pride is a large Lebanese cargo freighter shipwreck.  Sunk in 1982 to create a new reef, she lies on her broadside just 130m from shore in 26m of water and is considered to be one of the most beautiful wrecks in the Red Sea.

C-130 Hercules

The C-130 Hercules was donated to divers by the Royal Jordanian Airforce. The transport aircraft was sunk in November 2017 in 16m of water.  At 30x40m, it is an impressive wreck to dive and has quickly become one of the most popular sites in the area.

Lockheed L-1011 Tristar Plane

The Lockheed L-1011 Tristar Plane was sunk to create a new artificial reef in 2019 and was scuttled next to the King Abdullah Reef dive site, adjacent to the Aqaba Container Terminal. Built in the 1970’s, the craft is 50m long with a wingspan of 50m. Laying at depths between 13-28m, it’s suitable for all divers (although you must have an advanced certification to dive the deeper areas of the wreck).

Military Museum

Consisting of no less than 19 vehicles, the Military Museum is a dive site to behold. All of the vehicles have been placed in formation, and have been placed in a sandy region with no pre-existing reefs, offering corals the opportunity to thrive in an otherwise barren area. Vehicles include tanks, anti-air craft guns, transporters and even helicopters.

As well as the selection of wrecks, spectacular coral reefs provide a home for some rarer species such as the ornate ghost pipefish at Black Rock and warty frogfish at The Seven Sisters. Rainbow Reef is a great place for spotting stingrays and turtles with a lush reef full of colour.  The Power Station Drop Off offers advanced divers a stunning wall with the chance to watch the blue for passing pelagics, turtles and humphead wrasse. Whether a beginner, a more experienced diver, a tec diver or an underwater photography enthusiast, there are plenty of great options for everyone in Jordan.

The Red Sea offers year round diving, but the most pleasant times to visit Jordan are April-June and September-November when the temperatures are warm but not too hot for enjoying land based activities and sightseeing (Temperatures can soar to over 50°C in summer!).  The high season for tourism is April-June, but the best time of year for diving is arguably September / October when the water is around 26°C, fish life is abundant and the air temperature is a pleasant 35°C.