Terry's Tug Qatar

Dive 1

Dive time: 45 min

Entry time: 8:50

Depth: 30.5 m

Temp: 21 C

Visibility: 5-10m

Air: Nitrox 32

Dive 2

Dive time: 37 min

Entry time: 11:11

Depth: 31.1m

Temp: 30C

Visibility: 5-10m

Air: Nitrox 32

 

M.O. Wreck (The Alexion Hope) Qatar

Second visit to the M.O wreck.  First time using new camera so many photos didn't come out well :/

Dive 1

Dive time: 66min

Entry time: 9:54

Depth: 21m

Temp:  33C

Visibility:

Air: Nitrox 32 

Dive 2

Dive time: 58min

Entry time: 12:33

Depth: 21.3m

Temp: 33C

Visibility:

Air: Nitrox 32

Boat dives in the Gulf of Aqaba - Jordan

For the second day of diving in Aqaba, I was lucky enough to be invited along with Bruno to do a couple of boat dives with Dive Aqaba, a dive school located adjacent to Aqaba International Dive Centre.  It was my dive guide Bruno's last day and Amjab the owner of Dive Aqaba had asked Bruno if he fancied diving from the boat.  After doing two shore dives the previous day, I was extremely keen to do some giant leaps and so happily tagged along!

Dive Aqaba

The dive sites we visited were called Power Station and King Abdullah Reef.

Dive 1

Dive site: Power Station (Wall dive)

Dive time: 52 min

Entry time: 11:25

Depth: 22.9m

Temp: 25 degrees C

Visibility: 20-30m!

Bruno

Lizardfish

Lionfish

Parrotfish

Parrotfish

Clam

Clownfish (or anemonefish)

Dive2

Dive site: King Abdullah Reef

Dive time: 59 min

Entry time: 13:26

Depth: 26.8m

Temp: 25 degrees C

Visibility: 20-30m!

Shore dives in the Gulf of Aqaba - Jordan

After a few days visiting Petra and Wadi Rum, we headed on down south towards the sea.  I contacted a few dive centres in Aqaba and the staff at Aqaba International Dive Centre were the first to respond with a friendly, informative reply.

My dive guide was Bruno and I was lucky that the group only consisted of him and myself.  Bruno was very helpful, chilled out and a pleasure to dive with.  

On the same day that I was diving here, guy was filming a short piece on scuba diving for a local TV station called Roya TV.  I tried my best to stay out the way sitting in the corner while we waited to go diving.  You can just see me in the background when the presenter is talking outside the dive centre.  From the video you can also get an idea of the great visibility, varied underwater life and nice dive site offering easy access for a shore dive:

 

Mohamed Qatawneh, the manager of the centre was great and, like Bruno, also very friendly.  I'd highly recommend diving with these guys.  There was a third diver working there who was a little annoying; he tried to insist that I wore a wetsuit even though I told him I regularly dived in the Persian Gulf using only my rash vest.  When I was asking for my weights he also tried to get me to wear an extra 2kg of weight - just to be sure.  I can understand dive guides trying to be on the safe side when teaching inexperienced students but when I had already shown by dive certification and logged dives it kind of put a bit of a dampener on the start of the dives.  I tried to stay away from him which wasn't too difficult as he was taking two ladies on a snorkelling trip.

As it was shore diving we drove down the coast to the area which we could access both the Cedar Pride and Japanese Garden.

Dive 1

Dive site: Cedar Pride (wreck dive)

Dive time: 43 min

Entry time:11:48

Depth:  25m

Temp: 25 degrees C

Visibility: 20-30m!

Hull of the Cedar Pride

Swim through below the Cedar Pride

Air pocket in the wreck - don't breathe the air!

View down from the air pocket

Moray Eel

Dive 2

Dive site: Japanese Garden

Dive time: 61 min

Entry time: 13:25

Depth:  10.7m

Temp: 25 degrees C

Visibility:20-30m!

Cornetfish

Cornetfish

Lizardfish