During their stay in Aqaba, divers’ amateurs of wrecks, or beginners looking for new underwater experiences will find many wrecks to discover. Aqaba has several wrecks easily accessible from the edge and placed on shallow bottoms. It covers the ships with beautiful concretions and serve as refuges for an ever-increasing number of faunas. You can even dive on the wrecks of a Jordanian army tank or plane.
Jordan’s wreck diving spots
The Cedar Price Wreck is Aqaba’s most popular dive and one of the most beautiful wrecks in the Red Sea.
This boat dates from 1964, built in Spain, they sold it in 1978 in Lebanon. In 1982, it arrived in Aqaba and caught fire at anchor. For 3 years, the boat remained afloat in the port, totally abandoned by its owner. In 1985, it was the King of Jordan who sank the wreck into an artificial reef.
The boat is lying in the port, completely covered with coral, and it makes divers happy. It lies 25m deep; wildlife is everywhere. The dive starts from the edge, you can go around the wreck and enter if your level allows it.
Taiyong. This boat served as a platform for unloading goods. The crane boom accidentally fell, and the boat took on water. The Taiyong was sunk in 1999. It was first dived in 2004. The wreck is next to the Japanese Garden site.
It is covered with soft corals, schools of fusiliers, jacks, and “glassfish” have colonized the place. The shallowest part is at 35m and then descend to 57m. It is a superb dive site for photographers and tech divers.
The Al Shourouk is a wreck deeper than the others. They scuttled the boat in 2008 by the marine park to turn it into an artificial reef. The wreck is lying on 2 reefs between 38 and 60m deep. This dive is for Tech divers only. Few corals for now, but the boat is in excellent condition and it is possible to enter.
The M42 Duster Tank. It is a beautiful dive, impressive, only 6m deep and 20m from the shore. The site is extremely popular with snorkelers. The Tank M42 Duster is an armored vehicle belonging to the Jordanian army. They sank it in 1999 by the Jordanian Royal Ecological Diving Society to make it into an artificial reef. It is covered with corals and inhabited by moray eels and lionfish.
The Hercules C-130 aircraft was sunk on November 16, 2017, a few meters from Tank M42. Resting at a depth of 17 meters, this new wreck has impressive dimensions: 30m long, 40m wide, and 12m high. The side doors were removed, and the rear gangway opened to allow access to the interior of the aircraft. You can walk around the cabin, and even access the cockpit where a surprise awaits divers.
The best season to dive in Jordan
Jordan’s hot and dry climate allows diving all year round, but the winter months (December to March) are cooler.
The most pleasant season to dive in Jordan is from April to November. Be careful, however, summer temperatures can rise to over 40 degrees.
Jordan’s underwater fauna
Jordanian waters are home to the traditional fauna of the Red Sea. The colorful reefs are inhabited by groupers, lionfish, scorpionfish, napoleon fish, nudibranchs, turtles, or moray eels.
Even if there are less “big” than in Egypt or Sudan, sharks and manta rays are visible off some sites.
The relentless protection of the reefs in Jordan benefits the wildlife, which thrives in abundance and peace.