Aqaba Dive Sites - Red Sea Dive Center

Lockheed L-1011 Tristar

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Boat
Drifts: No
Has Wreck: Yes
Depth: 16-31 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Suitable for Beginners to Advanced and Tech Diving
Beach Services: No

The Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, scuttled in 2019 off Aqaba, rests on a sandy slope, offering a stunning dive site. Positioned with minimal environmental impact, it attracts underwater photographers and divers monitoring its marine colonization.

Power Station North

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Boat
Drifts: Drift Dive
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 5-40 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Suitable for Beginners to Advanced and Tech Diving
Beach Services: No

This drift dive along a coral garden slope offers vibrant marine life, including colorful fish and diverse corals. The nutrient-rich current enhances sightings, with chances to spot larger fish as you descend.

Power Station South

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Boat
Drifts: No
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 5-40 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Suitable for Beginners to Advanced and Tech Diving
Beach Services: No

This site features one of Aqaba’s most vibrant coral gardens at 5–12 meters, leading to a stunning coral wall drop-off. Deeper waters at Power Station South host larger fish like wrasses, moray eels, and groupers, with occasional shark sightings.

First Bay North

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: Available for Drift Dive
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 10-40 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Suitable for Beginners to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

With easy access, clear warm waters, and diverse marine life, First Bay North offers a captivating dive. Starting with a sandy patch, it transitions into coral formations and a gently sloping reef with vibrant pinnacles. This shallow dive covers plenty of territory, and a boat entry is recommended to maximize the experience.

First Bay South

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: Available for Drift Dive
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 5-40 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Suitable for Beginner to Advanced and Tech Diving
Beach Services: Available

First Bay South, accessible by shore or boat, boasts vibrant coral life and abundant reef fish, including damsels, parrots, butterflies, and fusiliers. Pelagic fish often patrol the outer reef, making it an exciting dive. It’s also a prime spot for technical divers seeking deeper exploration in the Red Sea.

Military Museum

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: Available for Drift Dive
Has Wreck: Wreck
Depth: 7-28 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Suitable for Beginner to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

The Military Museum, scuttled in 2019, features 21 battle relics arranged in a tactical formation on the seabed. Donated by the Jordan Armed Forces, the site includes tanks, an ambulance, a military crane, a troop carrier, and a combat helicopter. Carefully placed to minimize environmental impact, this unique dive site is perfect for underwater photography.

King Abdullah Reef North

King Abdullah Reef, one of Aqaba’s most popular dive sites, offers marine life at every depth. Featuring stunning fan corals, shoals of fish, torpedo rays, and hawksbill turtles, it’s a vibrant spot for both snorkeling and diving, showcasing a rich array of colors and species.

King Abdullah Reef South

a vibrant and diverse dive site, home to stunning coral gardens and abundant marine life. With depths ranging from 5 to 40 meters, it offers something for every diver, from colorful corals to schools of fish and occasional encounters with larger species. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, this reef provides a captivating underwater experience.

Black Rock

Black Rock offers fantastic diving for all levels, easily accessed from the beach. The vibrant coral garden starts just below the surface and extends for about 30 meters before dropping steeply. The reef is teeming with fish, and lucky divers might spot turtles, grey morays, or even seahorses near the seagrass area. The site also features plates used for coral growth research, adding an educational element to the dive.

Rainbow Reef

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Boat or Shore
Drift: Available for Drift Dive
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 12 – 40 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Yes
Experience Required: Beginner to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

This rainbow-shaped reef, with depths ranging from 6m to 18m, features a vibrant wall along its northern gulley. Telecommunication cables running towards Egypt add a unique touch to the site. Known for its fantastic night dives, the reef is home to a variety of marine life, including lobsters, Spanish dancers, moray eels, spotted eagle rays, octopuses, and a colorful array of fish.

Cedar Pride Wreck

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Boat or Shore
Drift: No
Has Wreck: Wreck
Depth: 10 – 26 meters
Experience Required: Beginner to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

The Cedar Pride, one of Aqaba’s most iconic dive sites, is a former Lebanese freighter scuttled in 1985 after sustaining fire damage. Located 150m offshore at a maximum depth of 26m, it has since become home to thriving hard and soft corals. Marked by a surface buoy, the site is accessible from shore or boat. Experienced divers can explore the wreck’s interiors, making it a top spot for underwater photographers and night diving enthusiasts.

Japanese Garden

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: Available Long Drift
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 5-40 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Beginner to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

The Japanese Garden is one of Aqaba’s most popular dive sites, known for its incredible corals and diverse marine life. Starting in shallow waters, the reef gradually slopes to a vibrant coral bed, home to large schools of colorful fish around the pinnacles. With two boat moorings, it’s ideal for both snorkelers and divers of all levels. You’ll likely encounter hawksbill turtles, barracuda, grouper, royal angelfish, moray eels, and giant clam shells during your dive.

Gorgon I

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: Yes
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 5 – 18 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Beginners to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

Gorgon I is a stunning dive site known for its diverse marine ecosystem, featuring three captivating pinnacles. The area is covered with lush corals and home to a variety of Red Sea marine life. Ideal for divers, snorkelers, and underwater photographers, you can swim with sea turtles and visit a cleaning station teeming with cleaner shrimp, emperor fish, glassfish, grouper, lionfish, and more colorful creatures.

Gorgon II

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: Yes
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 5 – 22 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Beginners to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

Gorgon II offers a similar diverse and shallow marine ecosystem as Gorgon I, with fascinating reefs to explore at every turn. As you descend, you’ll encounter moray eels, lionfish, blue tang, and surgeonfish. The area’s maze-like coral clumps provide a spectacular underwater experience, making it a must-visit spot for divers.

Seven Sisters

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Has Wreck: Yes (M42 Duster)
Depth: 5-20 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Beginners to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

The Seven Sisters reef, easily accessed from shore, starts at 5m and descends to 20m, featuring vibrant pinnacles full of sea life. It’s a great spot for underwater photoshoots, with blennies, damsels, butterflies, and barracuda thriving in its bustling ecosystem. Larger species are rare, but the corals and sponges are teeming with life.

Nearby, you’ll find the submerged M42 Duster tank, scuttled in 1999. At just 6m depth, it’s perfect for beginner divers, snorkeling, and freediving. Covered in soft corals and sponges, it’s home to schools of colorful fish and various invertebrates, including starfish, shrimp, and crabs.

C-130 Plane Wreck

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: No
Has Wreck: C-130
Depth: 12 – 40 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Beginners to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

Scuttled in 2017, the C-130 Hercules is a favorite dive site in Aqaba, easily accessed from shore or by boat. With a length of 30m and a wingspan of 40m, it’s an impressive wreck, visible from the surface. Lying flat on its belly on a sand bed at an average depth of 16m, it’s a perfect spot for divers of all levels. Located near the Cedar Pride and the Tank, this site is also ideal for advanced tech divers combining it with nearby wrecks.

Eel Canyon

Site Activities: Snorkeling, Glass-bottom Boat
Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: Yes
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 10 – 30 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Beginners to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

Garden Eel Canyon is known for its abundance of garden eels that protrude from the sand at the bottom of the canyon. Dive along vibrant coral ledges and admire the striking black coral bushes. You can explore above or within the reef’s various channels, offering a captivating experience for divers.

Al Shorouk Shipwreck

Entry Point: Boat
Drift: No
Has Wreck: Yes
Depth: 38 – 60 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Advanced and Tech Diving
Beach Services: Available

Al Shorouq is a large, well-preserved wreck located west of Kirk’s Forest Reef, named after diving pioneer Kirk Green. Scuttled in 2008, the ship lies on her starboard across two reefs, with the bow at 38m and the stern at around 60m, making it a deep and technical wreck. The slower coral growth at these depths has left the ship remarkably free from encrustation and corrosion. Originally intended for shallower waters, it drifted and could have ended up deeper than 100m.

Yello Stone Reef

Entry Point: Shore or Boat
Drift: Yes
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 5 – 20 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Beginners to Advanced
Beach Services: Available

Yellowstone Reef, named after the US’s Yellowstone National Park, is famous for its yellow-colored pinnacle visible from the surface at the shallow end. The vibrant pinnacles are home to diverse marine life, including nudibranchs, red sponges, lunar-tailed grouper, and many other fascinating species.

Kiwi Reef

Entry Point: Boat
Drift: Drift
Has Wreck: No
Depth: 15-40 meters
Is Tech Diving Spot: Beginners to Advanced
Beach Services: Not Available (for boat divers)

Kiwi Reef offers a magical experience with its coral pinnacles easily accessed from the shore. As you follow a grass slope down, you’ll encounter a vibrant garden of corals and a wide variety of fish. The coral shelf provides an excellent breeding and feeding ground, making it teeming with marine life. It’s an ideal spot for night divers and underwater photographers, and with so much to explore, you’ll be eager for another dive.