Diving in Jordan

Red Sea & Middle East

2 regions

44 dive sites

Jordan’s Red Sea coast near Aqaba is a small but mighty player in the dive world, easily accessible and surprisingly varied. We love how contained it is, meaning you can really get to know the sites in a short trip. The Aqaba Marine Park is where you’ll spend all your time, with around 44 dive sites packed into a manageable stretch of coastline, from vibrant coral patches to some truly unique wreck diving. Diving here is good year-round, though the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn offer pleasant topside temperatures. What makes Jordan special, for us, is the commitment to artificial reefs, particularly the military wrecks. The *Cedar Pride* is a classic, but the M42 Duster tank and the enormous *Hercules* C-130 plane are genuinely unusual dives, often teeming with Blacktail Butterflyfish and schools of Banded Blue Sprat. The corals themselves, like the Yellow Scroll and Staghorn varieties, are doing well, and if you have a good guide, there’s plenty of macro to spot, too - keep an eye out for Rama Rao's Scorpionfish lurking in the nooks.

Jordan Dive Regions

2 diving areas in Jordan

Aqaba

Aqaba diving often gets overshadowed by its flashier Red Sea neighbours, but we think that’s a mistake. This stretch of Jordanian coastline packs a serious punch, especially when it comes to wrecks and easy reef access. We've spent weeks here, and our favourite spots consistently deliver the goods, whether you're finning over the soft corals of the Japanese Garden or exploring the sunken M42 tank. The Red Sea’s warm embrace is constant here, with visibility typically stretching 20-30 meters. What we really love are the details: the playful Anklet Cardinalfish darting through whip corals, the bold Marbled Spinefoot cruising the reef edge, and those surprisingly common Bigeye Houndsharks in the deeper sections. The Cedar Pride wreck is, of course, the star - a fantastically intact freighter now draped in hard and soft corals, home to schools of Doublebar Bream. Get there early to avoid the crowds, and descend into the engine room for that truly eerie, quiet feeling. Currents are generally mild, making it a relaxed experience even for newer divers, though we’ve seen some brisk surface chop in winter. Look out for the resident Lionfish, they’re everywhere.

19 dive sites

Aqaba Marine Park

Aqaba Marine Park might not have the big pelagic draws of other Red Sea spots, but we love it for its sheer quirkiness and the commitment to artificial reefs. Where else can you explore a C-130 Hercules plane, a M42 Duster tank, and a troop carrier, all deliberately sunk and now absolutely thriving with soft corals and schools of scad? The dive sites here are generally shallow, with visibility often pushing past 20 metres, making it a brilliant spot for newer divers or those who just want to chill out and explore without fighting currents. Our favourite time to dive here is early morning, beating the crowds and catching the yellowtail surgeonfish and marbled spinefoot just waking up, often grazing on the staghorn and lesser valley corals. You’ll frequently spot blacktail and crown butterflyfish flitting amongst the wreckage, and if you have a keen eye, look for the well-camouflaged Rama Rao’s scorpionfish tucked into crevices. The water temperature rarely dips below 22°C, even in winter, so it’s pretty comfortable year-round. It’s not about huge drop-offs here; it’s about the unique blend of military history and marine life reclaiming its territory.

25 dive sites