Scuba Diving in Aqaba: our experience

When we planned our route through Jordan, we knew we had to make a stop in Aqaba. Since we took the Open Water diving course, if we have the opportunity to dive on our trips, we reserve a few days on our route to enjoy this activity. In this post, we tell you about our experience diving in Aqaba.

Aqaba City: Where to Stay
Before talking about diving, let's talk about Aqaba. The city of Aqaba is in the south of the country on the shores of the Red Sea. It is bordered by land with Israel and Saudi Arabia and on the shore in front of the Gulf of Aqaba is Egypt. Aqaba is the only seaport in the country and has a special economic status within Jordan: it has a lower tax rate than the rest of the country. In addition, if you arrive in Jordan through Aqaba, either through the port, the airport or at the crossing from Israel or Saudi Arabia, you will get a free visa for Jordan (ASEZ visa), as long as you leave the country in a maximum time of a month and through this same airport.

The city of Aqaba, we are not going to deceive you, we did not like it. It is a coastal city,
with many hotels, shopping centers, casinos, and many alcohol and tobacco shops. In the city, there is a beach where it is not well seen to be wearing a swimsuit or bikini, but you would have to be on the beach with a t-shirt or pants that cover you. That is why it is not recommended to stay in the city if you come looking for diving or snorkeling tourism.

Past the industrial port, 15 kilometers south of the city and just 15 kilometers from the border with Saudi Arabia, are the southern beaches. In these beaches, it is allowed to be in a bathing suit or bikini and they are also the beaches where all the interesting snorkeling and diving spots are, so it is the best area to stay. Keep in mind that the beauty of the beaches in the south of Aqaba are on the seabed because the sand is hard, you could almost say that it looks like land, and full of cigarette butts, so don't imagine an idyllic beach.

Our accommodation
We stayed in the Aqaba Adventure Divers lodgings, the school with which we dive. They
have a complex with rooms, a swimming pool, a restaurant and a diving school. It is very well
equipped and is fully recommended. The only thing more uncomfortable is that it is not on the beach, but you have to cross a highway, so if you don’t have a car you will be a bit "isolated"