Aqaba Destination Guide 2017

Aqaba PRESENTS A GUIDE TO

NATURAL

WONDER

CEDAR PRIDE THE PRIDE OF THE RED SEA

THE SCENIC SPLENDOUR OF WADI RUM

TOP 10

THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND AQABA

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FROM REC

TO TECH

WHY AQABA IS GREAT FOR ALL LEVELS OF DIVER

EXPLORE THE PAST – THE ROSE RED CITY OF PETRA

10 THINGS TO DO IN

AND AROUND AQABA

1

Go native and interact with the locals

While you are in Aqaba, it would be remiss to not interact with the very people which make this town - and the entire country of Jordan - such a delight to visit. Why not head into the down town area and explore the market, then revitalise yourself with a temporary pause in one of the many restaurants, where you can tempt yourself with sayyedeveh and other Arabic sweets.

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Aqaba bird observatory

This pilot project aims to observe and monitor the migratory birds between Eurasia and Africa through the most-important route between these continents during the spring and autumn migration seasons. You can see over 80 different species during the optimum season.

Take the next step on the diving ladder

The sheltered waters off Aqaba are the perfect natural training site for those wanting to embark on their diving passion, take a further step up the certification ladder, or maybe sample a night dive. With a wealth of experienced dive centres on hand, there is no better place to expand your diving knowledge.

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Wadi Rum protected area

Wadi Rum is a labyrinth made from monolithic rockscapes rising in the midst of the Hisma Desert. It is a dream for climbers and hikers. Whether you’d like to experience the warm hospitality of the Bedouins as a family, or have a romantic serene evening under the stars, this is a great alternative to a typical night out.

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Rose red city of Petra

When the legendary rock-cut city of ancient Petra moves into sight at the end of a deep gorge, you will barely believe your eyes. It is an educational trip steeped into 2,000-year-old history and must be on your bucket list.

Shobak Castle

This old castle, perched on a small hill some 26km away from Petra, was constructed in 1115 CE, and the ruins will hold you spellbound. Be sure to walk the 375 steps down one of the deepest wells ever cut by Crusader forces.

Al Mujib nature reserve

Wadi Mujib is referred to as the ‘Grand Canyon of Jordan’. Given the beauty of the gorges, it is advisable to hire a guide. If you wish to take it easy, ask to experience the hot springs.

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Chill and relax in the Dead Sea

Everybody has heard about the Dead Sea. If you get the chance, then take a dip, but don’t worry! Due to the high salt concentration, you will not sink. Come and appreciate the health benefits of the mineral-rich water and clean air. Very good for the skin is a salt rub, followed by a mudpack.

Madaba, Mount Nebo and Baptism site

Madaba is known for the famous Palestine Mosaic Map from the 6th Century - the oldest map of the Holy Land. Nearby Mount Nebo is a memorial to Moses and the presumed site of his burial place. Close by, you can visit the Baptism Site - where Jesus was baptised - which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wadi Feynan

This remote eco-lodge is your temporary home as you spend a day with the Bedouin shepherds, before enjoying the evening sunset and listening to the ancient stories of your hosts. You can even go for a desert hike.

FROM THE EDITOR

Located right at the very top of the Red Sea is the Gulf of Aqaba, with Israel and Eilat on one side and Jordan and Aqaba on the other. Between Aqaba and the Saudi Border is Jordan’s short 17 miles of Red Sea coastline, off which lie no less than five wrecks, three of which are suitable for recreational divers, and two which lie deeper and work perfectly for technical divers. As well as the shipwrecks, the macro life off the coast here is excellent, with plenty of frogfish, colourful wrasse and blennies.

For non-diving family members there is great snorkelling and swimming right off the beach, glass-bottom viewing submarine trips, watersports or just lovely sandy beaches to unwind on. What makes holidaying in Aqaba special are the chance of incredible land excursions to Wadi Rum and Petra. Petra is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

I first visited this area in 1999 and as well as being in awe of the beautiful Cedar Pride shipwreck, I still remember the first time I walked through Petra’s siq and came across the Treasury - it simply blew me away. Couple that with camel riding Lawrence of Arabia-style through the stunning desert scenery of Wadi Rum and floating in the Dead Sea covered in mud, I can’t think of a better all-round unforgettable holiday experience.

On a recent trip here this year, we tried something new - hiking up a river gorge near the Dead Sea (Al Mujib Nature Reserve, the lowest reserve on Earth). Some of us thought it was one of the best things we’d ever done and a real highlight - and that was saying something considering the experiences of Petra and Wadi Rum! My tip to visit here is to come in the Autumn or Spring, as during Summer it does get pretty hot!

GAVIN ANDERSON, PHOTOJOURNALIST

Aqaba on land Aqaba holds many treasures above the water line, but two of the undoubted highlights are Wadi Rum and the Rose Red City of Petra

WADI RUM

Just 37 miles east of Aqaba, the desert valley of Wadi Rum is home is some of the world’s most-incredible scenery. It runs through towering sandstone and granite mountains which seem to disappear into the distance forever. The highest of these mountains is Jabal Jum, reaching 1,734 metres above sea level and the second-highest peak in Jordan.

Known as the ‘valley of the moon’, the area is a protected reserve where controlled tourism is an important part of Jordan’s economy. Tourists are able to camel ride through the desert and imagine they were part of a favourite movie or scene from history.

During the Arab revolt of 1917-18, the famous army officer TE Lawrence wrote about his experiences here in his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Much of Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here, and other films such as The Passion in the Desert, Red Planet, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Frankincense Trail, The Last Days on Mars, The Martian and Prometheus all filmed scenes here representing either desert or surface of the moon scenes.

As well as jumping on a camel, hiring a 4x4 or just trekking through the dessert and soaking up the amazing scenery, the area has become very popular with rock climbers. In fact, the first climbing pioneers Tony Howard and Di Taylor were recently celebrated in The Face, a BBC film all about climbing in Wadi Rum. Other activities recently introduced include

hot air ballooning, which offers a great way to see the whole amazing vista in one view!

After the excursions of a trek, camel ride or even scaling up the magnificent rocks, a great way to unwind after the excitement of a Rum activity is to share a meal under the cliffs in perfect shade along with the local Bedouins.

They still cook in the traditional way, making a fire in a pit and cooking chicken, lamb or goat in this natural ‘oven’. To accompany the meat dishes, freshly baked pita bread is dipped into delicious side dishes of Tahini, Mansaf and Msabbaha, and at the end of the meal, Bedouin coffee freshly ground and brewed over the fire finishes off a great experience.

Tourism has been controlled very well so far and there are no hotels as yet in Wadi Rum, instead tourists stay at Bedouin camps, many basically well-camouflaged container blocks made to look like tented accommodation, some even with air-conditioning, but most with a ceiling fan and en-suite toilet and shower.

You don’t have to retreat inside, it is possible to sleep under the stars and drink while working out which constellation you are sleeping under!

THE ROSE RED CITY OF PETRA

Established as early as 312BC, the spectacular Rose Red City of Petra was recently voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. A complete city has been carved into the sandstone rocks and cliffs which line natural canyons where horses and donkeys once took their goods but today now carry tourists instead. UNESCO has described it as ‘one of the most-precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage’.

Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, nomadic Arabs who were commercially-minded and took advantage of Petra’s location at the crossroads of the major ancient trade routes. Countless traders have passed through it on their way along the silk, spice and incense trade routes from east to the west and north to the south. As the Nabataeans built up great wealth and Petra became a major trading hub, they built some of the most-incredible temples and houses right into the rock. Because they were part of the rock, most have survived in amazing condition.

Incredibly, the city remained undiscovered by the west until 1812, when Swiss explorer Johann Ludwick Burchardt found it. Until the 1980s, most of these ancient buildings remained homes to the local Bedouins. Today they have been relocated to a new village in the north, but many return every day to work in the ancient city, offering donkey and horse rides through the Siq, a narrow, winding canyons that leads into the city and the spectacular five-metre-high Al Khazneh, a temple with an ornate, Greek-style facade, known as The Treasury. The ancient tomb took 15 years to create, and is where the closing scenes of Indiana Jones movie The Last Crusade were filmed.

Past The Treasury, another canyon leads to the main city, which covers some three square miles! Up on the right, caved into the rock, are the three most-impressive burial chambers known as the Royal Tombs. The area is also known as the King’s Wall, but it’s not known who the kings were!

As the wadi opens up, ahead on the left is the amazing 8,000-seat Amphitheatre and further on, the main Colonnaded street, where some of the spectacular columns have been re-erected. Up high beyond, a Nabatean bath, and on the left after the Amphitheatre, a market place. There is so much to take in you really need a whole day, or even two, to explore Petra.

Many people run out of time and don’t get to see the amazing Monastery temple. To reach it you have to walk some 45 minutes up hundreds of steps carved into the sandstone rock, which wind one way, then the other.

It’s not only the amazing sight of the Monastery that’s worth the sweat and lung-bursting effort of getting there, but the fantastic views that you get looking down towards Petra and beyond.

Even today, new parts of Petra are being discovered and, in fact, there’s an area described as New Petra which can be explored. Over the years, excavations have demonstrated that it was the ability of the Nabataeans to control the water supply that led to the rise of the desert city, as they created an artificial oasis. The area is visited by flash floods, and archaeological evidence shows the Nabataeans controlled these floods by the use of dams, cisterns and water conduits. These amazing innovations led to water being able to be stored for prolonged periods of drought and enabled the city to prosper from its sale.

DIVING OVERVIEW Located right at the very top of the Red Sea, Jordan’s tiny coastline along the Gulf of Aqaba offers some amazingly good diving. There are some 21 dive sites spread along the coast 12 kilometres to the south of Aqaba town and they vary from deep technical dives on shipwrecks and walls to shallower wrecks and beautiful coral reefs well within recreational diving limits.

Nutrient-rich upwellings wash over the reefs, nourishing soft coral gardens, stunning hard coral islands and pinnacles and black coral forests which can be found in less than 25m of water. The majority of the dive sites lie within the protected Aqaba Marine Park.

Located right at the very top of the Red Sea, Jordan’s tiny coastline along the Gulf of Aqaba offers some amazingly good diving. There are some 30 dive sites spread along the coast 12 kilometres to the south of Aqaba town and they vary from deep technical dives on shipwrecks and walls to shallower wrecks and beautiful coral reefs well within recreational diving limits. Nutrient-rich upwellings wash over the reefs, nourishing soft coral gardens, stunning hard coral islands and pinnacles and black coral forests which can be found in less than 25m of water. The majority of the dive sites lie within the protected Aqaba Marine Park.

Furthermore, the authorities have been very proactive in adding to the natural attractions by sinking a number of artificial reefs, most notably the world-class shipwreck Cedar Pride, the unusual M42 Duster tank (which is shallow enough for beginners or even snorkellers to explore), and the technical wrecks Al Sharouk and the Taiyong. New wrecks are being planned for the future. All this combined makes the waters off Aqaba a veritable playground for divers of all levels.

If you’re looking for one of the best places for novice divers and children wishing to learn how to scuba dive, look no further. All equipment and instructors of the dive centres are highly qualified and regularly checked by the local authority and their participating partners, and most offer PADI, BSAC, CMAS, DIWA and SSI courses. With a plethora of shallow coral reefs and gardens, smothered in reef fish, it is the perfect place to take your first fin step into diving.

Ready to take the next step up the diving ladder? With walls, deeper coral reefs and shipwrecks like the Cedar Pride, which sits in 30m, Aqaba is also the ideal location to complete your Advanced Open Water Diver course (or equivalent) or rack up a Specialty or two.

Want to explore into the depths? Another string in Aqaba’s bow is the range of technical diving sites, both natural – there are some awesome deep walls and dropoffs – and manmade, namely the Al Shorouk and the Taiyong shipwrecks, which are perfect for those already qualified to venture below recreational depths, or those wanting to qualify as a tech diver.

Aqaba offers year-round diving in the Red Sea. There are usually two high seasons a year for tourism, the first is around April-June and the second is September-November, but even in the high season the crowds are nowhere near the size of Egypt and Israel. The winter months are usually quiet for diving, but are perfect for the other excursions around the country, such as Wadi Rum and Petra, as you don’t have the heat of the summer. The best time of year for diving is September /October, when the water is a warm 26 degrees C and the air temperature has dropped to a more-comfortable 30 degrees C .

Visibility varies from 15-30 metres throughout the year, although on very windy days, most common at the beginning of the year, the visibility drops to only a few metres in shallow water, but once you reach 10m depth, it’s still beautiful and clear. During March/April there is the plankton bloom, which also reduces the visibility slightly, but still never less than 15 metres.

Aqaba, and Jordan as a whole, is a very safe tourist destination, the locals are very friendly and welcoming, and what this country has to offer, with the Rose Red City of Petra and Wadi Rum to explore on days off diving, is quite unique.

TOP 5

DIVES

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The Cedar Pride

One of the most-famous dive sites in Aqaba is the Cedar Pride. She lies between a depth of 9m-30m and is a must in your logbook.

The Leba- nese freighter was sunk in 1985 and counts as one the best wreck dives in the Red Sea. The mast, topped by the crow’s nest, is without doubt the highlight and a perfect draw for photographers and divers. The site is populated by large grouper, scorpionfish and millions of glassfish.

Japanese Garden and Gorgon I

These two sites can be combined into a wonderful drift dive.

Japanese Garden is a magnificent reef bed smothered in colourful soft and hard corals and vibrant sponges. It starts in the shallows and then slopes off into the depths. Go with the flow and you will find yourself on Gorgon I, a site named after the wonderful, large gorgonian fan coral at a depth of 16m, although black coral is also found in the deeper portions of the dive. You don’t have to head below 20m, though, as this is an excellent shallow drift dive. It is not uncommon to come across coral-munching turtles and parrotfish roaming the reef, and even majestic eagle rays.

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The Al Shorouk

The Al Shorouk was sunk on 18 June 2008 off Kirk’s Forest with her stern in 58m and her bow in 35m. Once a vehicle ferry, she lies on her port side with her large rear door leading to a long cargo deck, and her bridge, funnel and engine room all towards her stern. She is slowly attracting more and more marine life and has plenty of soft corals, small sea fans and bushes of black coral, especially along her starboard side and around her bridge.

Totally intact and very scenic, you could dive this wreck on a weak helium mix or even air if you watch your bottom time, as the visibility is normally excellent and you can see all of the wreck staying above 50m.

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Seven Sisters and M42 Duster tank

This American M42 Duster tracked anti-aircraft gun was turned into an artificial reef during 1999. At only 5m, this unusual site - is isn’t everyday you see what is essentially a tank on the seabed! - is suitable for beginners and snorkellers. But this is not all the unique dive site has to offer. Seven large coral blocks which are found in a depth of 10m nearby are aptly named the Seven Sisters. An abundance of biodiversity is at home on these blocks, in particular stone coral, like brain and salad-leaf coral, but also colourful sponges are a true eye-catcher.

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The Taiyong

The wreck of the Taiyong was discovered by the Dive Aqaba Tec Team in 2004 and lies fully intact on its starboard side in between 35m-57m off the lovely reef dive site known as the Japanese Gardens. Used by the Aqaba Port Authority since 1974 for off-loading ships coming into Aqaba, she was scuttled in late-1999 after an accident led to the jib of the loading crane dropping through the ship's hold.

The Taiyong’s most-impressive feature is its huge A-frame crane, which stretches out over the reef almost as far as the wreck itself from bow to stern at an angle of 90 degrees.

This wreck is rich in marine growth, with soft corals, sea fans and black coral trees, which attract plenty of fish life, with shoals of glassfish, lionfish, damselfish and fusiliers. On her starboard side there are particularly dense growths of black coral, and her two rudders project upwards into the water. Deco stops among the corals and the many schooling anthias, sergeant majors and more fusiliers in the shallower depths of Japanese Gardens just help add to this fabulous wreck dive like the cherry on top of a cake.

RECREATIONAL DIVING

One of Aqaba’s most-famous dive sites is the wreck of the Cedar Pride, which sunk in November 1985.

Originally called the Mone Dos, the 74-metre-long freighter was launched in 1964 by its Spanish owners.

In 1969, she was renamed Puerto De Pasajes and then in 1978 San Bruno, before eventually - after being sold to a Lebanese company in 1982 - she became the Cedar Pride. Just a few months later, when a cargo of phosphates and potassium were being loaded on to her, a fire broke out in her engine room and burnt through the ship. Two of the crew lost their lives battling the fire, but the ship didn’t sink.

She was left abandoned on the shore for three whole years until the then-Prince Abdullah saw the chance to create an artificial reef, something that wasn’t particularly common in those days. Both he and his father, the then-King Hussain, were keen divers and with the help of the World Wildlife Fund in Jordan and the King’s backing, they hatched a plan to sink the old cargo ship within easy reach of the shore. They did their homework well, checking to find the perfect place to sink her where she would be protected against an ancient, well-established reef to stop her slipping into deeper water. The plan worked perfectly. Today, some 30 years later, the Cedar Pride remains virtually totally intact in just 30m of water.

Beginning in less than 10m, the wreck is perfect for all levels of diver to enjoy. She is resting on the reef on her port side, her surfaces festooned in soft and hard corals. Many different fish species, including parrotfish, pufferfish, lionfish, anthias and wrasse have made their home on her. Loads of light reaches the wreck and she is one of the Red Sea’s most-photogenic wrecks. Her beautiful mast and crow’s nest are particularly scenic, covered in red, pink and orange soft corals. Many divers explore here and the stern, but it’s really worth taking a look at her bow too, as it’s possibly the most-colonised area of the wreck, covered in soft corals and sponges.

Right next to the Cedar Pride is a barge, scuttled in 1996 after Alcatel had finished laying the electrical cables to Egypt. Next door to the Cedar Pride and Barge is one of Aqaba’s most-popular and scenic dives, Japanese Gardens. Japanese Gardens is possibly Aqaba’s best reef dive, it’s crammed full of stunning hard coral with ancient table corals and, deeper down, a fantastic forest of black coral. Schools of

sergeant majors, fusiliers, anthias, parrotfish, butterflyfish and free-swimming morays can be seen here. A little deeper down you may spot the start of the Taiyong shipwreck, a tech dive due to it being located between 35m-60m.

Not far from Japanese Gardens are another cluster of beautiul dive sites, Gorgonian I, Gorgonian II, Oliver’s Canyon and, in the shallows, the M42 Duster anti-aircraft tank.

The latter was sunk to create an artificial reef on 1 September 1999 with the involvement of the Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society and King Abdullah. I dived the wreck just a few months after it had originally sunk and lionfish, moray eels and anthias had already moved in to make the tank their home. Now it has whole shoals of anthias, lionfish and stunning corals.

The sites that lead to the M42 Duster tank, Oliver’s Canyon and the Seven

Sisters, are great dives in themselves, so adding the M42 tank just makes them even more special and there are other wrecks to be sunk in the future!

Gorgonian I is, as its name suggests, home to a beautiful gorgonian fan which sits proud on the reef around 18m. Nearby, a table coral sits proud of the main reef on a single coral head.

Butterflyfish and bannerfish can often be seen shoaling in the area. Gorgonian II, the neighbouring site, is home to two stunning fans, one in 22m, the other in 33m. Swimming up from the fans into the shallows, you can find a group of pinnacles known as the Seven Sisters. The pinnacles buzz with anthias, and occasionally stonefish and scorpionfish can be found here too.

To the south of the Seven Sisters is a beautiful canyon known as Oliver’s Canyon, which leads down to a drop-off at 40m.

Historically nearly all the diving in Jordan has been shore diving, but boat diving is becoming more popular and handy when diving off the south end of the drop-off at the Power Station, the site closest to Aqaba town. The wall plunges almost vertically to 40m here and then there’s a small shelf, before it plunges once more into depths well beyond sport diving limits.

Going down the south end mooring to 25m will bring you to some lovely black coral trees within which some weird anemones can be found growing. After checking them out divers normally cruise along the wall choosing a comfortable depth. In summer, sometimes a manta ray or whaleshark might pass by, which will really make your dive, but you’re more likely to see the odd barracuda, shoal of fusiliers or damselfish, and in the soft and hard corals shoaling anthias being hunted by longnose hawkish and lionfish.

Jordan is not really a place to see ‘big fish’, in summer as well as the rare sight of a whaleshark, you can encounter the odd manta as well as eagle rays, stingrays and hawksbill turtles, but what Aqaba is well known for is its fantastic macro. There are loads of shrimps, nudibranchs, pipefish, frogfish and huge stonefish often in no deeper than a few metres, like under the pier of Rainbow Reef right off the Sindbad Dive Centre. The pier is also home to schools of glassfish in the summer. If you get it right, the pier can be both a wide-angle and macro photographer’s paradise. Rainbow Reef is also a great place to photograph both the Red Sea fairy basslet and eight-lined wrasse or flasher fish.

Further down the coast, opposite one of the longer-established dive centres, the Royal Diving Centre, are the Aquarium, home to loads of fire coral and some lovely table corals over two reefs which drop from 15m-30m, and Coral Gardens, where a sloping bed of sea grass gives way to sand and some bizarre coral heads draped in soft corals. Further down the slope you’ll eventually come across black coral trees, home to loads of anthias and Red Sea bannerfish. n

TECH DIVING

We spread our equipment out carefully on the floor of the five-star PADI Sindbad. Each of us had our wings and baseplates, two main regulators and two bail outs.

We were on a last-minute trip put together by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority to introduce divers to the possibilities of technical wreck diving in Jordan.

Helium analysers in hand, we checked our gas mixes 18/40 would be more than perfect for our main tanks, and 50 and 80 percent in our bail-outs. Sindbad is located at the Bernice Beach Club a short distance out of the Red Sea coast resort of Aqaba.

Helium analysers in hand, we checked our gas mixes - 18/40 would be more than perfect for our main tanks, and 50 and 80 percent in our bail-outs. Sindbad is located at the Bernice Beach Club a short distance out of the Red Sea coast resort of Aqaba.

After a quick briefing in the office, complete with a site map and information on depths and the plans for the day, we were soon loading our gear off the jetty on to Sindbad 1144, a modern, roomy dive boat.

It was only a very short distance to the Al Shorouk wreck site, located not far from Jordan’s most-famous wrecks, the Cedar Pride and M42 Duster tank. Although in theory possible to shore dive, it would be much easier, safer and more convenient kitting up and jumping off the boat.

The Al Shorouk was scuttled by the Aqaba Marine Park on 18 June 2008. The intention was to sink it within normal recreational depths within swimming distance of the Duster tank and Seven Sisters dive sites, but she drifted into deeper water. She had been heading for depths of more than 100m before being pushed back as she went under. Resting on her starboard side to the west of Kirk’s Forest - named after Kirk Green of Aquatours, a pioneer of diving in Aqaba back in the 1980s - her bow is located in 35m and her stern in around 60m. The perfect depth for technical divers. Kirk’s Forest is a deep dive worth exploring in its own right due to the fantastic black coral trees and another small wreck yet to be identified.

Hooking on our bail outs and clambering to the edge of the boat one by one, we dropped down a line which led us conveniently straight to the bow and it was not long before we saw the huge main door flanked by two large lorry tyres. The Shorouk was once a vehicle ferry and as we swam over the main long deck, I could see the rings

and holes in the floor where they would have tied down the cars and lorries. The water was reasonably clear and the faint outline of a bridge gradually appeared in the distance. At first everything was in silhouette and looked devoid of life, but as we got closer, the textures and detail appeared and we could see that despite just nine years under the sea, the Shorouk had a healthy covering of marine life, with clumps of soft corals, small sea fans and small bushes of black coral.

The wreck is very scenic and totally intact. I hovered just past the stern and looked back, taking in the whole rear section back to the bridge. I headed along the shallower port side of the wreck and on reaching the bridge, I decided to drop down inside the wreck’s

engine room for a quick look. Swimming past a small school of damselfish, I found myself cruising past half-cut-away ventilation ducts and electrical wires and pipes presumably dealt with to make the wreck safe for divers to explore. A ladder at the far end led back up on to the deck level and I gave the engine only a quick glance as at 55m, my time was limited.

Swimming back out the way I entered, I finned up along the cargo deck, turning my camera around to frame some of large circular holes and steel rings on the deck forming a regular repetitive pattern as far as my eyes could see, only interrupted by a few tiny areas of black coral growth and red algae. In another few years, the corals will have spread and grown and helped this wreck really transform into a reef, becoming a haven for marine life and attracting many more fish than we’d seen today.

Watching my computer closely I headed up to the stern once more and started my ascent, stopping very briefly on my way to 18m to start my first three-minute stop. Here I swapped regs to start breathing 50 percent to aid my decompression.

To reach the Duster and finish my deco, I swam up through a scenic sandy canyon lined in coral islands and schooling fish before swimming out on to a seemingly vast desert with only the odd small coral head. Just when I thought I’d headed the wrong way, the outline of the anti-aircraft tank appeared.

I last dived on it late in 1999 just a few months after it had been sunk. Back then it had already attracted some lionfish, morays and colourful anthias, but corals had yet to really get hold. Now 18 years later, I could see her smooth lines were interrupted by brilliant hard corals, bushes of soft coral and vibrant red tube sponges. Down

TECH DIVING

below the tracks and wheels had sunk down into the sand considerably.

Moving round to the front, I peered inside and down on the deck, where a group of lionfish were hovering half upside-down waiting to ambush some careless anthias or glassfish.

Saying our goodbyes to Sindbad, we packed our gear and moved to Arab Divers further down the coast to dive the wreck of the Taiyong.

Discovered by the Dive Aqaba Tec Team in 2004, it lies on its starboard side in between 35m-57m off the lovely dive site known as the Japanese Gardens.

A brisk wind had put quite a chop on the sea and our transfer from our small boat to the centre’s larger one was slightly adventurous, but onboard the larger much more stable platform, we kitted up with relative ease and descended a line down to the Japanese Garden dive site. We cruised down the sloping reef as it slowly got darker and darker. Eventually, after a good seven minutes, we spotted the outline of the Taiyong.

The Taiyong had been used by the Aqaba Port Authority since 1974 for off-loading ships coming into Aqaba. An accident led to the jib of the loading crane dropping and causing damage to the ship's hold, which although initially repaired with a concrete plug, wasn’t up to the job and it was decided, due to being uneconomical to repair, the best thing to do was scuttle her, which they did in late-1999.

As we swam past her bow and down past midships, we could quickly see how much more coral and fish were on this wreck having been under

the water a good 18 years. The Taiyong’s most-impressive feature is its huge A-frame crane, which stretches out over the reef in nearly 60m of water. I swam right off the wreck as far as I could go to capture the whole crane and stern section of the wreck, which is hugely atmospheric and very scenic. Moving back in closer I swam past shoals of glassfish gently moved one way then the other by several large lionfish and along a lovely swim-through at the base of the crane where huge winches, pulleys and pipes hang off the ship’s deck. There were schools of damselfish and fusiliers and rich growths of soft and black corals.

Swimming up, I decided to have a quick look at the stern and other side of the wreck and found the ship’s two rudders and a forest of fantastic black coral. This is a classic Rea Sea wreck in pristine condition, beautiful to look at, exciting to dive on and full of colourful marine life, but sadly time is always against you when you’re down at nearly 60m. I made my deco stops among the corals and the many schooling anthias, sergeant majors and more fusiliers in the shallower depths of Japanese Gardens.

Aqaba may not have the variety and number of wrecks of some of its near-neighbours, but what it has is first class for these deep wreck dives, and they will only get better with time - and there may be yet more wrecks to discover. With afternoon dives to off-gas on the shallower wrecks, like the Duster tank, Cedar Pride and Tarmac wrecks, and beautiful reefs with fantastic marine life, it has a lot to offer technical divers. n

AQABA

DID YOU

AN INSIDE GUIDE

AQABA/JORDAN

Four states border the 100,000 sq km make up Jordan. During the last thousands of years, the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Persians, Jews, Romans, Greeks, Muslims, Crusaders and the English have all left traces at the end of their colonialism. Across the country, the tourist interested in culture will stumble across relicts from different periods of timeline.

WHERE TO EAT AND MEET

Guidebooks might tell you where to eat, however, the locals can tell you what to eat and why. Enjoy the charm of Aqaba and a wondrous mix of culture. The Souks are a perfect amalgam of colour, energy, and vibrancy.

DIVING

Aqaba offers a large spectrum of different watersport activities for the whole family, with over 21 dive sites to choose from. The good visibility and calm waters make this a paradise for photographers, families and beginners. Challenging dive sites are available for tech diving. Water temps range from 20°C in winter to 27°C in summer. During winter, a 7mm suit is recommended, during summer, a shortie or 3mm suit will suffice.

HOTEL AND ACCOMMODATION

Aqaba has a wide choice of accommodation available for every budget.

From the five-star resort, the apartment or down to the very mundane camping site, the choice is yours. If you prefer life in the city, exclusive hotels are on offer. A few kilometres outside of the city are the quieter, more

HOW TO GET THERE

There are flights from all major UK airports with Turkish Airlines to Amman or direct to Aqaba. The possibility also exists to travel via ferry or speedboat from Taba and Nuweiba in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba.

WHEN TO VISIT

It is a year-round travel destination, but ideal times are February to May and September to December.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Visitors are granted a free visa if visiting Aqaba within 48 hours of arrival into Jordan, regardless of entry point. On arrival in Aqaba, visitors must register their arrival date into the town at ASEZA Visa department within 48 hours.

KNOW?

Near the harbour you can find the Aqaba Flagpole, the sixth tallest free-standing flagpole in the world at a height of over 131 metres high.

It carries the flag of the Arab Revolt, commemorating the Battle of Aqaba that too k place in 1917.

low-key hotels and the larger, all-inclusive resorts, each with their own charming ambience. Close by are the local dive centres with comfortable, family friendly and childcare accommodation. A regular shuttle-bus service is on constant offer, and taxis are very reasonable.

THE DIVE CENTRES

For divers, Aqaba is a paradise. There are over 15 dive centres available.

The local dive schools are mainly under the guideline of PADI, or are accredited by BSAC, CMAS, SSI, or IAC. It is a perfect place to continue your diver training to all levels. Divers who have started their certifications at home can finish their courses in Aqaba. Dive spots are reached by boat, or from the beach.

HYPERBARIC CHAMBER

A large, state-of-the-art multi-place hyperbaric chamber is situated at the Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II Hospital in Aqaba. Doctor Fawzi Mohammed Khawaldeh does not only treat divers with decompression illness, but other medically related problems.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Marketing & Tourism Directorate: www.aqaba.jo Make sure you stop at Aqaba Tourist Information Centre, located at South Al Hammamat al Tuniseyieh Street to collect free guidebooks about Aqaba and its surroundings. Open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Tel: +962 (0)3 203 53 60 Email: infoaqaba@aseza.jo

CURRENCY

Dinar (roughly £1 = 1 JD).

WHERE TO EAT AND MEET

A wealth of good restaurants and cafes in the city offer fresh local cuisine, but when you are out in the desert, be sure to eat with the Bedouin for a true taste of Jordan.

VERDICT

Aqaba is the ideal place for a complete holiday. With its laidback atmosphere, culture, rich history, duty-free shopping and diving, the city of Aqaba is a must on the holiday list. It is a perfect base from which to dive and visit Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, the Bird Sanctuary, nature reserves and much more.

DIVE CENTRES

AHLAN AQABA SCUBA DIVING CENTER

SINAI DIVERS AQABA

AQABA ANCHOR DIVING CENTER

SINDBAD DIVE CLUB

Al-Nahda St. (Front the cazar hotel) 00962 (0) 3 206 2242 info@diveinaqaba.com | www.diveinaqaba.com

Ishbilya St. (Behind the post office) 00962 (0) 796122120 aqabasanchordivingcentre@gmail.com | www.aqabasanchor.com

ARAB DIVERS

Southern beach 00962 (03) 2031808 info@aqabadive.com; go@arabdivers.jo | www.aqabadive.com

BARRACUDA DIVING CLUB

Al-Nakhil area 00962 (0) 795881170 barracuda.aqaba@gmail.com | www.barracudamarineservice.com

Southern beach - Movenpick Resort 00962 (03) 205 0030 sdaqaba@sinaidivers.com | www.sinaidivers.com

Southern beach +962 (0)79 610 1629 divingmanager@sindbadjo.com; thaer@sindbadjo.com www.sindbadjo.com

BEDOUIN GARDEN VILLAGE

Southern beach 00962 795857544 aqababedouindiver@gmail.com | www.aqaba-hotels.com

DEEP BLUE DIVE CENTER

EXTRA DIVERS AQABA

Al-Sa'ada St (Aleman building) 00962 (03) 203 5006 operation@deepbluedivecenter.com www.deepbluedivecenter.com

RED SEA DIVE CENTER

Al-Sa'ada St (Front the cazar hotel) 0096 795104050 eid_sea@yahoo.com | www.aqabaseadiving.com

Southern beach - Tala Bay Resort 00962(0) 777887034 aqaba@extradivers.org | www.extradivers-worldwide.com

Southern beach 00962 (03) 2018969 info@aqabascubadiving.com; abdullah@aqabascubadiving.com www.aqabascubadiving.com

AQABA BEACH ACADEMY FOR DIVING

AQABA PRO DIVERS

00962 791435930 Aqabaprodivers@gmail.com | www.aqabaprodivers.com

HOTEL GUIDE MOEVENPICK RESORT & RESIDENCES AQABA 00962 (03) 2034020 resort.aqaba.reservation@moevenpick.com; shamel.droubi@moevenpick.com www.moevenpick-hotels.com/aqaba

MOEVENPICK RESORT & SPA TALA BAY AQABA 00962 (03) 2090300 resort.talabay.reservation@moevenpick.com www.moevenpick-hotels.com

ORYX HOTEL 00962 (03) 2051111 reservation@oryx-hotel.com www.oryx-hotel.com

INTERCONTINENTAL AQABA RESORT 00962 (03) 2092222 res.aqaba@ihg.com www.intercontinental.com

RADISSON BLU TALA BAY RESORT 00962 (03) 209 0777 info.talabay.aqaba@radissonblu.com www.radissonblu.com/resort-aqaba

KEMPINSKI HOTEL AQABA 00962 (03) 209 0888 sales.aqaba@kempinski.com www.kempinski.com/aqaba

DOUBLE TREE BY HILTON AQABA 00962 (03) 2093209 doubletreeaqaba.reservations@hilton.com www.doubletree.com

AQABA GULF HOTEL 00962 (03) 2016636 info@aqabagulf.com www.aqabagulf.com

DAYS INN HOTEL & SUITS AQABA 00692 (03) 203 1901 reservation@daysinn-aqaba.com; info@daysinn-aqaba.com www.daysinn-aqaba.com

MARINA PLAZA HOTEL 00962 (03) 209 2900 reservations.marina@marinaplaza.org www.marinaplazahotel.com

CAPTAIN HOTEL AQABA 00962 (03) 2060710; 00962 (0) 3 201 6905 sales@captains.jo | www.captains.jo

CRYSTAL HOTEL

AMEIRA HOTEL

00962 (03) 202 2001/2/3 crystalhotelaqaba@yahoo.com www.crystal-international.com

00962 (03) 2018840 tareqalshamaa@yahoo.com

AQUAVISTA HOTEL & SUITS

00962 796256088 atalla_dweik@yahoo.com

00962 (03) 205 1620 info@aquavistaaqaba.com www.aquavistaaqaba.com

CAZAR HOTEL 00962 (03) 2014131 alcazarhotel@orange.jo

CEDAR HOTEL 00962 (03) 2030304 cedar_hotel@yahoo.com

CLASSIC HOTEL

DWEIK HOTEL 1

GOLDEN ROSE HOTEL 00962 (03) 2039880 gm@goldenroseaqaba.com www.goldenroseaqaba.com

MOON BEACH HOTEL 00962 (03) 2013316 ashrafsaad77@yahoo.com

SAFA HOTEL

00962 (03) 2050071 classichotelrt@gmail.com

00962 (0) 79 660 2333

DREAM HOTEL

00962 (03) 2013414 almarsahotel@gmail.com

00962 (03) 2017352 hotel_dream@yahoo.com

DWEIK HOTEL 2 00962 (03) 2035919 atalla_dweik@yahoo.com

JARDANEH HOTEL 00962 (03) 2061103 info@jardanehhotel.com

MASWADA PLAZA HOTEL 00962 (03) 203 9600 yahya.maswada@yahoo.com

NAIROUKH HOTEL II 00962 (03) 2012980 menairoukh@gmail.com

AL SHULA HOTEL 00962 (03) 2015155; 00962 (03) 201 5153 alshulahotel@yahoo.com

SHWEKIE HOTEL 00962 (03) 2022657/8 shweiki_hotel@yahoo.com

AL ZAITUNA HOTEL 00962 (03) 2019601/4 zaitounahotel@yahoo.com

AL ZATRIA HOTEL 00962 (03) 2022970/1/2/3 alshulahotel@yahoo.com

AMER HOTEL 2 00962 (03) 2019285/4

AL MARSA HOTEL

GOLDEN TULIP HOTEL 00962 (03) 205 1234 reservations@goldentulipaqaba.com

MINA HOTEL 00962 (03) 201 5165/66 reservations@hotelsmina.com

MY HOTEL 00962 (03) 203 0890/1/2/3 info@myhotel-jordan.com www.myhotel-jordan.com

AL QIDRA HOTEL 00962 (03) 201 4230; 00962 (03) 202 2555 info@alqidrahotelaqaba.com osamaqidra@yhoo.com www.alqidrahotelaqaba.com

RA'AD HOTEL 00962 (03) 201 8686 info@raedhotel.com www.alraadhotel.com

YAFKO HOTEL 00962 (03) 2042222 info@yafko.com eservation@yafko.com reservation@yafko.com

AQUAMARINA III 00962 797419000 ayman.jabr@hotmail.com www.aquamarina-group.com