South Beach Aqaba

Aqaba is the country's only port, and the whole of its seaboard. The country has twenty-seven kilometres of shoreline, all of it on the Gulf of Aqaba, and the beaches and dive sites are concentrated along the southern stretch below the city.

The reef is the reason. The Gulf of Aqaba is a deep, narrow, almost enclosed arm of the Red Sea, and the coral here sits at the northern limit of its range — which has made it scientifically important, because these corals tolerate higher temperatures than most and are being studied as a possible refuge as oceans warm. Jordan established the Aqaba Marine Park along this coast and moorings, zoning and a ban on anchoring have kept the reef in unusually good condition for water this heavily used by shipping.

The shore is a mix of coral sand and rock with the reef starting within metres of the waterline at most sites. Entry is from the beach and snorkelling is immediately productive. Several wrecks have been sunk deliberately as dive sites, including a cargo ship and, in 2019, a decommissioned military aircraft. Eilat in Israel is visible across the gulf, and Saudi Arabia and Egypt are both within sight on a clear day — four countries around a body of water twenty-five kilometres wide.

Development is a line of beach clubs, dive centres and hotels along the southern road, with public beaches between them. Aqaba is a special economic zone with different rules from the rest of Jordan, which is visible in what is built. Wadi Rum is an hour inland and Petra two, which is why most visitors treat Aqaba as the third stop rather than the first.

Twenty-seven kilometres of coast in total, and the reef starts within metres of it. These corals tolerate heat better than most and are studied as a possible refuge as the oceans warm, which makes a small dive site scientifically significant. Wadi Rum is an hour inland and Petra two, which is why Aqaba is usually the last stop.