Best Diving & Snorkeling in Aqaba: Sites, Wrecks & Prices

Cedar Pride — the signature wreck dive

The Cedar Pride is Aqaba's best-known wreck: a Lebanese freighter damaged by fire in Aqaba's port in 1982, then deliberately cleaned and scuttled in November 1985 to create an artificial reef, at the initiative of the then-Crown Prince Abdullah, an avid diver himself and now King Abdullah II. The 74m hull lies on its side with a maximum depth of around 28m, while its shallower starboard side sits at around 10m — calm conditions and little current make it a good introduction to wreck diving as well as a strong dive for more experienced divers.

Decades underwater have let coral colonise much of the structure, and the crow's nest in particular has become one of the most photographed parts of the wreck.

Japanese Garden — the coral dive

Japanese Garden is Aqaba's best-regarded coral site: a dense spread of hard and soft coral with generally calm, clear water, suited to divers and snorkellers of most experience levels. Depths here run to a similar range as Cedar Pride, and the two are often combined into a single two-dive day since they sit close together along the coast.

Power Station — the shallow reef

Power Station is a shallow site — a colourful reef of hard corals in only a few metres of water, right by the old power plant the site is named after. It's an easy, low-depth dive, which makes it a common choice for beginners, checkout dives, and for pairing with a deeper dive earlier in the day.

The Underwater Military Museum

Rather than a natural reef or a single wreck, this is a deliberately assembled artificial-reef site — decommissioned military hardware including tanks and other vehicles arranged underwater, alongside earlier sunken pieces such as an M42 anti-aircraft vehicle scuttled here in 1999. It's a distinctive, photogenic dive that's different in character from the coral and wreck sites above, and a good way to add variety to a multi-day dive trip.

What a dive day costs

Pricing is set per dive centre and varies by whether the dives are shore-based or boat-based, and by what's included (equipment, guide, transport). As a rough sense of scale, a two-dive day generally runs from around 60 JOD at the lower end for shore dives up toward 90–95 JOD for boat dives with more inclusions, and a full PADI Open Water certification course runs into several hundred JOD. Get a quote from two or three centres rather than booking the first one you see — inclusions differ enough to change the real comparison.

FAQ

What is the best dive site in Aqaba?

The Cedar Pride wreck is the signature dive — a deliberately sunk Lebanese freighter with calm conditions and depths from around 10m to 28m, suiting a wide range of experience levels. Japanese Garden is the pick for coral rather than wreck diving.

Is Aqaba good for beginner divers?

Yes — several sites, including Power Station and the shallower parts of Cedar Pride, are shallow with light current, and Aqaba has multiple PADI dive centres running full certification courses for anyone starting from scratch.

How much does a dive trip in Aqaba cost?

A two-dive day is typically in the range of roughly 60 JOD for shore dives up to around 90–95 JOD for boat dives, depending on the centre and what's included. Prices are set per operator, so compare a couple before booking.

Can you dive the Straits of Tiran from Aqaba?

No — the Straits of Tiran are a different site further south in the Red Sea, accessed from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt rather than from Aqaba. Aqaba's own dive sites are a separate, closer cluster along the Jordanian coast.