Jordan and Israel - Aqaba, Eilat, Amman, Tel Aviv

[Oatman]

Planning a trip for summer 2015, want to do a wet week in Aqaba and Eilat and then dry to Amman and Tel Aviv.

Curious to hear personal experiences diving the gulf of Aqaba and either of those two coastal cities. Is the diving worth the trip? I plan to be tec-certified by then so want to incorporate some deep dives. Is either place interesting on shores?

I know it's a long lead time but I'm also curious about personal thoughts/experiences in Amman and traveling to and from Israel. Safe?

 

[Richard_]

Hi Oatman,

Living in Amman, we have started rec-diving in Aqaba since January this year, every possible weekend. Our only comparison is the Melbourne area in Australia, and between the two locations, Aqaba dives are worth every single minute. Bought the Lieske and Meyers "Coral Reef Guide - Red Sea" book and have been impressed by the under-water biodiversity. We dive with Ahlan diving, who provides boat dives. Many other centers around as well, couple of them with boat dives, and others from the different beaches. About twenty dive sites in Aqaba, each with their own characteristics. One wreck site (Cedar Pride; 15-25 m) and a military tank (shallow, for snorkelers as well). I'm not sure about tech-diving. Depth below 30-40 m definitely possible, especially on the wall-dives. Diving in Jordan is mandatory with dive guide, and from Aqaba you can see Eilat, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

We did the Amman-Jerusalem trip once. Need lots of patience at the border (King Hussein / Allenby Bridge), enough money to pay the entry/exit fees and Amman-border; border-Jerusalem transfers, but felt safe all along. Apparently the Aqaba-Eilat crossing is less busy.

I would not recommend a long period to visit Amman-city (hence the 4-hour one way trip to Aqaba every possible weekend). Wadi Rum, Petra, Eastern desert castles, Umm ar Rasas, Madaba (Mt Nebo), Jerash, Ajlun and Umm Quais are probably better places to visit.

 

[AqabasAnchor]

Hi Oatman,

Aqaba and Eilat are both part of the Red Sea and both destinations are definitely worth diving in. In Aqaba, we have a resident shipwreck called Cedar Pride which is my personal favourite but we have over 20 dive sites here to explore with a variety to suit your interest. There is both shore and boat diving available here. We have a dive centre here called Aqaba's Anchor Diving Centre and if you would like to find out more about the dive sites then our website: Diving in Aqaba | Scuba diving in the Red Sea | Jordan | PADI Resort has the full list. Deeper dives are very accessible here both from the shore and boat.

We have a couple of contacts with Eilat dive centres as well if you would like to dive there - Eilat has less dive sites but I have heard good reports though don't have personal experience.

The Aqaba - Eilat border is very accessible and generally no problems to cross the border with both cities very close to each other.

In terms of dry time in Jordan, I would recommend a visit to Petra and Wadi Rum, if you have time then the dead sea and Madaba are also worth visiting.

Drop me an email if you would like any more info: aqabasanchor@outlook.com

Best regards

 

[Nasser]

Diving in Aqaba is great. You may not find the larger size and density of marine life that is found in Egypt and Sudan but there is still a good amount of biodiversity and excellent choral growth. There are actually 3 shipwrecks in Aqaba, - the Cedar Pride (within recreational dive limits and probably has the most coral and marine life). Then there are two deeper wrecks the Sharook and Tayong wrecks - beyond recreational limits but still divable for advanced deep divers and tech divers. Visibility is generally excellent and in the summer months water temp. is around 26C - 28C.

Top side check out Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, the Desert Castles, The Ma'een Hot springs - Wadi Mujib, and the Greco-Roman city Jerash (similar to Pompeii). Amman is worth visiting for a couple of days as well.

Enjoy your trip!

cheers,
nasser

 

[mathauck0814]

I dove from Tel Aviv on the Med Sea from Herzliya on a business trip a few years ago. It was very rocky reef with some pretty cool nudis and swim throughs. Shallow sites but good enough for an afternoon of fun. Nothing close to the quality of dive you get in the Red Sea though.

 

[Jai Bar]

In my opinion, the dive sites in Aqaba are better than the ones in Eilat. So if you are limited on wet time, better do the dives there.

Both cities offer mainly shore dives (except the power station in Aqaba and Japanes Gardens in Eilat, which require a boat), and a really easy relaxed diving (in terms of currents, visibility, water temperatures it is almost a swimming pool ).

I didn't do tec diving in Aqaba. Eilat has got some nice tec diving sites too, and several tec-oriented dive clubs.

 

[comcomtech]

I have a few dives in Aqaba and they were all about 40 m viz. Eilat was much less (15 m). Dahab was around 25 m (April 2012).

Entrances to the Cedar Pride and Japanese Coral Gardens sites are through a public beach. Access to the public toilet was difficult--there seemed to be some dispute between the dive shop and toilet custodian.

While there are some dive shops in down, they simply ferry you to the dive shops nearer to the beach. There is a wide range in prices. About $25 per shore dive with rental gear is right.

The water can be quite cold (16 C in the winter). Double 5 mil suits are common.

The town of Aqaba is a different world from the beach. There are a few "resorts" near the dive sites. None looked exciting, but all had pools.

 

[Searcaigh]

If you want tech then contact Dive Aqaba, speak with Ron Abbotson (owner) or Huw Lovell both are tech instructors.

There are a few deep wrecks below Cedar Pride, and Dive Aqaba use a nice large boat for the diving.

One thing that you should know is that the boat cannot leave the harbour until permission is given from the Jordanian navy, and my experience with that is mixed, some days their fax machine is not working (list of divers must be sent through via fax) or somebody does not pitch up on time to check the fax and send back the permission.

Visibility on a bad day is 30M



Currently a ban on rebreathers in Jordan and housed SLRs

 

[chillyinCanada]

I didn't make it diving, so can only reiterate what the others have said about land sites in Jordan. Petra is an absolute must and Jerash was my next favorite. I'd have taken two days at Petra if possible and also enjoyed what might be referred to as Petra mini.

 

[Vindobona]

Just came back from a 10-day trip to Jordan.
I went to Amman, Madaba, Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum.

The diving in Aqaba is very nice. I did 5 dives at the following dive spots:
- Cedar Pride wreck
- Japanese Gardens
- Gorgone One
- The Tank wreck & Seven Sisters
- Kiwi Reef

We saw Morays, Puffers, Box Fish, Lion Fish, Parrot Fish, the usual smaller fish, and some macro critter. No big stuff like manatas or sharks, but all in all very impressive and colorful.
The dive sites were very easy to dive and smooth (rather shallow, no strong currents, very small waves, excellent visibility).

I took a lot of underwater photos and will be posting some of the best here soon, after sorting through them.

I agree with Searcaigh, and also recommend Dive Aqaba. They have a nice boat, very professional and competent dive guides, a very cool and relaxed team, and excellent food on board.