Experience diving like never before and discover the five best places to scuba dive in Jordan. With 17 miles of coastline between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Jordan is well-positioned for snorkeling, free diving, and scuba diving. From spectacular coral reefs to sunken shipwrecks and the tropical waters of the Red Sea at Jordan's southernmost tip, make sure to book a trip to Aqaba, to enjoy a total of 20 diving sites in Jordan! To help you plan your diving trip, here are our top 5 recommendations for diving in Jordan.
1: The Tank
If wreck diving is something that sparks your interest, we urge you to book a diving trip to the Tank, close to the Seven Sisters. Here you’ll spot starfish, shrimps, crabs, and coral as well as the famous M42 anti-aircraft vehicle. The tank now forms an artificial reef and was deliberately sunk to support and encourage diving in Jordan. More tanks are part of the country’s underwater military museum, which features combat helicopters and army cranes off the coast for Aqaba Scuba Diving.
2: Lockheed L-1011 Tristar wreck
Imagine visit an Aqaba Diving Center and explore a sunken passenger aircraft! Lockheed TriStar L-1011 was abandoned at King Hussein airport due to an unsuccessful business deal and now gives divers the opportunity to visit a remarkable diving spot located in the Red Sea. You can even enter the aircraft cabin and swim through the aisle. TriStar can be enjoyed by free divers, snorkelers, and scuba divers!
3: King Abdullah's Underwater Military Museum
Explore the artificial reefs commissioned by King Abdullah of Jordan. Passionate about diving in Jordan, King Abdullah works hard to proactively conserve marine life and has created some of the best places to scuba dive in Jordan. These artificial diving spot now attract tourists from around the world. They also provide additional habitats for marine life. As one of the most spectacular diving trips in Jordan, you are likely to see 21 wrecks in a single dive. The maximum depth is 28 m/92ft and is ideal for underwater wreck photography.
4: Cedar Pride Wreck
Not only one of the most famous diving sites in Aqaba, Cedar Pride Wreck is one of the best places to scuba dive in Jordan. Get ready to discover an 80-metre long cargo ship, which has been on the bottom of the sea for around 35 years. A former Lebanese freighter, under the request of the late King Hussein, it was sunk after sustaining fire damage in 1982. Much of the ship was destroyed in a fire, including a lifeboat which you’ll see at the stern. It now welcomes divers from every corner of the world to its underwater coral experience. Cedar Pride is reserved for confident divers and those with advanced training as there are deeper parts of the ship to visit. Although the bow sits at around 20 meters and the site can easily be reached from the shore.
5: Rainbow Reef for Turtles & Stingrays
If you’re goal is to swim with turtles and stingrays, Rainbow Reef is for you. While spotting such exquisite marine life is amazing in itself, if you bring a camera along, you’ll also be able to capture incredible underwater photography too. The start of the reef is quite lush, as it slowly slopes down. Look out for octopuses, nudibranchs, turtles, and stingrays.