 |
World | Red Sea | Diving Jordan:
Jordan overview
Wrecks:
Reefs:
Resources & Links:
Dive Centers:
Other Information Online:
Please note: we cannot
endorse the services of
companies listed. We recommend that you only dive with dive centers that are accredited by a major diving association or by their local tourist authority. |
print page | show all dive site labels | contribute site info / photo
Scuba Diving in the Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan, the Red Sea
Water temperature: |
19°C (66°F) in February - 27°C (81°F) from July to October |
Suit: |
3mm or 5mm wetsuit (November - April), shortie for rest of the year, thick wetsuit or drysuit for tec dives in the winter! |
Visibility: |
15 - 40 metres (50 - 130 feet), 25 - 35 metres (85 - 115 feet) on average |
Type of diving: |
Reefs, wrecks, walls |
Marine life: |
Turtles, blue spotted rays, jacks, snappers, barracudas, lionfish, reef fish, colourful coral |
When to go: |
Any time of year, although if you are after really warm water it is best to visit the Red Sea between June and September. Air temperatures reach 40°C (104°F) in August and fall to 20°C (68°F) in the winter, which may also dictate when you travel |
How to get there: |
From the UK - Direct five hour flights from Gatwick on Tuesdays from October until April. Transfers to hotels in Aqaba take 15 minutes. If flying to Amman there are direct daily five hour flights from Heathrow . Transfer to Aqaba takes 4 hours by road or a shuttle flight of 45 mins when available. Entry visas are not required when visiting Aqaba, Jordan. A full Jordan visa can be purchased at the airport itself at a cost of about $18 USD / £10 GBP. |
Diving in the Red Sea off the coast of Jordan is first class and to date has none of the associated crowds of the better known parts! The eastern shore of the Northern Red Sea is the deeper side and all the dive sites in Jordan are close to shore, with soft corals and filter feeders proliferating due to stronger currents than those found along the western shore. Aqaba Marine Park was established in Jordan in 2002 to protect the coral reefs for future generations of divers and has since installed mooring buoys at all the popular dive sites. Despite the relatively short distance from shore at most of the sites in the area, boat diving is becoming a necessity as shore access is being restricted by coastal tourism development.
Nitrox and technical diving (including trimix and rebreathers) are a more recent introduction and have opened up whole new areas of exploration. As well as coral reefs in good condition, Aqaba boasts five wrecks and an artificial reef project. The wreck of the Cedar Pride (10-25m) is a must for all and fantastic for photography, while the wrecks of the Taiyong (scuttled in 1999) and the Al Shorouk (scuttled in 2008) are both in the 35-55m range and ideal for technical divers breathing air. There is also the famous M42 Tank scuttled by the Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society in 1999 which has since become a symbol of diving in Jordan.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has a rich history and there are many topside attractions for visiting divers. Aqaba can be used as a base to visit the famous Nabatean stone-hewn city of Petra, as well as the desert valley of Wadi Rum, a favourite of rock climbers and scramblers.
Jordan has traditionally had close relations with the United States and the United Kingdom and has a reputation for following a pragmatic and non-confrontational foreign policy, leading to fair relations with its neighbouring countries too. Visitors will find that many Jordanians speak very good English and that its tourist infrastucture is well developed and easy to navigate.
print | contribute site info / photo | top 
Do you run a dive operation in this area?
Click here to find out more about being listed on this
page in dive site directory.
|
