Underwater Military Museum - Aqaba Marine Park
Forget your typical wreck dive. The Underwater Military Museum in Aqaba isn’t one big ship, but an artificial reef of tanks, an ambulance, a troop carrier, and even a helicopter, all lined up like they’re waiting for inspection. We love how deliberate it feels, like swimming through a submerged parade ground. You’ll find the main attractions arranged across a sandy slope, starting around 15 metres and bottoming out at 20. Our favourite part is the helicopter, its rotors now home to small groups of damselfish, and the tanks, especially the M42 Duster with its twin anti-aircraft guns. You can actually poke your head into some of the vehicles, imagining the history before the sea claimed them. It's an intermediate dive because of the potential for slight currents and the sheer number of objects to explore, meaning you’ll want to manage your air and bottom time carefully. Look out for lionfish lurking in the shadows of the vehicle chassis and the occasional moray eel peeking from behind a turret. Go early to beat any crowds from the dive centres; it’s a popular spot for a good reason.
- Location
- Aqaba Marine Park, Jordan, Red Sea & Middle East
- Coordinates
- 29.446800, 34.964700
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 20m
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Marine Protected Area: محمية العقبة البحرية
Best Time to Dive in Aqaba Marine Park
The warmest water temperatures in Aqaba Marine Park occur in August, averaging 27.2°C. The coolest conditions are in March at 20.5°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 21.9°C
- February: 20.9°C
- March: 20.5°C
- April: 20.9°C
- May: 22.7°C
- June: 24.5°C
- July: 25.8°C
- August: 27.2°C
- September: 26.7°C
- October: 25.5°C
- November: 24.5°C
- December: 23.2°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Aqaba Marine Park
- Abdallah Reef - 5-20m (reef)
- Aquarium House Reef (reef)
- Black Rock
- Blue Coral (reef)
- Cazar reef (reef)
- CEDAR PRIDE - 27m (wreck)
- Cedar Pride Shipwreck (wreck)
- Eel Canyon
- First Bay - 5-15m (reef)
- First Bay North - 20m (reef)
- Gorgon 1
- Gorgone II III
- Gorgone One
- Japaneese garden - 5-20m (reef)
- Japanese Gardens Coral Reefs (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to Underwater Military Museum
Marine Life in Aqaba Marine Park
Home to 64 recorded species including 31 reef fish, 16 hard corals, 4 whales & dolphins, 2 clams & mussels, 2 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Marbled Spinefoot (Siganus rivulatus) - Reef Fish
- Lesser valley coral (Platygyra lamellina) - Hard Corals
- Fluorescence grass coral (Galaxea fascicularis) - Hard Corals
- Red lionfish (Pterois miles) - Reef Fish
- Staghorn coral (Acropora eurystoma) - Hard Corals
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
- Grey Dolphin (Grampus griseus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Rock Cod (Epinephelus fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Snakefish (Trachinocephalus myops) - Reef Fish
- Starflower coral (Astreopora myriophthalma) - Hard Corals
- Klunzinger's wrasse (Thalassoma rueppellii) - Reef Fish
- Red Squirrelfish (Sargocentron diadema) - Reef Fish
- Staghorn coral (Acropora pharaonis) - Hard Corals
- Banded Cleaner Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) - Reef Fish
- Staghorn coral (Acropora hyacinthus) - Hard Corals
- Blacktail Butterflyfish (Chaetodon austriacus) - Reef Fish
- Diagonal Butterflyfish (Chaetodon fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Humpbacked conch (Gibberulus gibberulus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- scad (Priacanthus hamrur) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Underwater Military Museum
Based on average water temperature of 23.7°C, currents 4 cm/s.
- Wetsuit (3-5mm) - comfortable for 24°C water
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories