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Road ready for rally
Car Rally in Aqaba
Another car rally was organised by the Aqaba events committee, the route passed our dive center. Diving equipment was loaded up the evening before and taken down to the boat so our guest didn't miss out on diving. Meanwhile staff and friends remaining at the center had a grand stand view of the countries top drivers putting their vehicles through their paces.
Rally car passing dive center
Mark Ellyatt
Mark Ellyatt visit
Mark returned to Jordan this December to test a new trimix computer for Scubapro which is to become an upgrade for the Galileo Sol. He also completed a TDI Instructor course with our course director Rod Abbotson. The trip was sponsored by Dr. George Ionita. Mark will be returning to Aqaba at the end of January next year.see more...
Ready for danger!
Everette & Paul
New PADI Instructor
Paul Jura successfully passed his PADI Instructor Examination in Eilat this November. He kept up the Dive Aqaba tradition with high scores and quick exit from the theory exams! The exam was hosted by Manta Divers and the examiner was Nicole Detry from PADI Europe.see more...
Confined water lesson
tec diver giving OK signal
New DSAT Tec Courses
We can now offer the full range of the new DSAT Tec Courses that allow a diver to progress in smaller bites with less time commitment at each stage. These new improved courses are Tec 40, Tec 45, Tec 50, Tec Trimix 65 and Tec Trimix. We can also offer a new instructor level - Tec Instructor (that can teach the Tec 40 course).
Find out more...
Diver on the Taiyong wreck
Lounge with sat TV
New Accommodation Option
We can now offer apartments for your stay in the residential area in Aqaba, we have two available each sleeping four persons. Both are clean and have modern AC, fully equipped kitchens and bathrooms. This is a good option if you want to stay with us longer than one week. Find out more...
Bedroom
Chris with MCCR Dolphin
Dolphin without bubbles!
Chris Kennedy has built a closed circuit version of the Dolphin rebreather. Testing was successfully completed this November. After original testing by Rod on the Cedar Pride,Chris tested the unit himself down to 37m. As promised, this time we took some photos of the unit in action. See the full story...
Fully closed Dolphin
Alaa's bitch
Original Tec Team member returns
Chris Bowmer returned to us to complete his PADI Divemaster training this Autumn. Chris was one of the original technical diving pioneers here in Aqaba back in 2004 when we located the Taiyong wreck. In this honour we have created a tec team page for him with recent photos of him on this wreck. Chris's tec page...
narced at the surface!
Taiyong wreck
Taiyong Wreck Mooring
Dive Aqaba has placed a marker line onto the bow of the Taiyong wreck after being asked by the Aqaba Marine Park. Their divers will now secure a proper mooring on this wreck making it more accessible to all. The depth of the wreck is 35 - 55m and dives should be planned as decompression dives by divers who are trained to do so.See photos of the wreck...
Taiyong wreck
Phil tinkering
Pelagian Twinset Project
Philip Barawitzka designed a mounting system for the scrubber on the Pelagian rebreather which does away with the x plate and speeds up the set up of the unit. Two versions were tested tested in the water and found to all work perfectly. Full story...
Test Pilots
Clean up team
Eel Canyon Clean Up
As part of this years Clean Up the World Campaign the Dive Aqaba team and guests organised a successful underwater clean up at the Eel Canyon site which was very badly covered in trash after the holidays. A big thanks to the Aqaba Marine Park and all their staff for making this possible and providing support as always for our on going clean up efforts.
Plastic bags on reef
Winning photo
JREDS Photo Competition
As part of this years Clean Up the World Campaign the Royal Marine Conservation Society (JREDS) held an underwater photo competition for both positive and negative shots. The best positive photo was won by Rod Abbotson (Dive Aqaba - ADA member) and the best negative photo by Abdullah Momany (Red Sea Dive Centre - ADA member).
Winning photo
Champion team
144m Dive Record in Jordan
The Dive Aqaba tec team achieved a depth of 144m on Saturday 10th October. Dorit Yoseph and Rod Abbotson were the bottom divers supported by Chris Bowmer, Paul Jura, Alaa Farrah and Omar in the water and the rest of the team topside on the Sea Breeze Dive boat. The dive was conducted at Dorit's Deep at the Power Station wall site.Full story...
At 144m!
Clean up dive dive
International Clean Up Day
The Dive Aqaba team and guests completed a clean up dive at King Abdullah reef for International Clean Up Day 2009. This was chosen because of the amount of trash coming from the beaches especially after the Eid holiday after Ramadan.Full story...
On the Shorouk Wreck
Naka studying
New Trimix Diver
Naka (Masaharu Nakagawa) completed his tec trimix technical training over the Eid holiday here with deep dives at the Aquarium, Kleta's wall,the new Shorouk wreck and Ashraf's Grotto. After the course he went on to complete a 100 metre dive at Dorits Deep with Rod Abbotson. Naka will now be working towards his technical diving instructor ratings.See Naka's page...
On the Shorouk Wreck
AMP Rescue Team
Turtle Rescued
Aqaba Marine Park (AMP) Rangers Muhanad Yassen, Annas Enjadat and Nasser Shemali rescued a green turtle that had becomes stuck in an water intake channel to the Aqaba industrial complex on Wednesday 16th September. The unfortunate turtle was spotted by a worker and the Marine Park rangers were called. The rescue operation took over an hour. view full story in the Jordan Times...
Rescued Green Turtle
Underwater photographer
First Bay North
This is now accessible as a boat diving site and it has been proving very popular with our guests. A new boat mooring has been established there by the Aqaba Marine Park and PERSGA (who do the moorings in Egypt). The site is great for photography and it also has a geat training are for those learning to dive or improving their skills. view new page for this site...
Clown fish with red corals
Coral Garden
Restrictions lifted
As new moorings for dive boats have been established at the Aquarium and Coral Garden dives sites it is now possible to conduct these dives from a boat. Both sites are great for photography and provide a wide variety of habitats.
more info on the Aquarium dive site
more info on the Coral Garden dive site
Frogish
Boaz, Rod & Eyal
Course Directors at 100m
DSAT Instructor trainers Boaz Samorai, Rod Abbotson and Eyal Sayag dived to 103m at Dorit's Deep dive site near the power station wall. Run time was 95 mins. Boaz and Eyal where on OC trimix while Rod used a Pelagian rebreather. After the dive both Boaz and Eyal saw the advantages of a CCR for this type of diving and will be organising a trip to Thailand in the near future. more 100m plus dives in Aqaba...
Boaz, Rod & Eyal
Eric Hirsch using the rebreather
New Rebreather Diver
Congratulations to Eric Hirsch on completing his Dolphin/Atlantis Semi Closed Rebreather course this July. After course Eric used the rebreather for the remainder of his stay completing more specialty courses. See more of Eric's pics...
Rebreather diver, Eric Hirsch
Fish trap at Gorgone One
Illegal Fish trapping
Despite our best efforts at education and campaigning for the marine Park rules to be upheld...violations continue..this guy even left his calling card! The Aqaba Diving Association will be addressing these problems. Name and Shame page...
Calling card
Dive centers meet at Black Rock
Aqaba Dive Association Clean Up
The Aqaba Dive Association met up at the Black Rock dive site for a joint underwater clean up effort with the help of the Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society who arranged for over 100 school children to clean the beach. Thanks to the Aqaba Marine Park for allowing this event to happen. The Dive Aqaba Tec team cleaned up trash and collected old fish traps from 40m depth.
Joint clean up effort
Shaban tests the system
New Gas Blending Station
Our new compressor room and gas blending station was put into action on 10th July 2009. Nitrox and Trimix blending for all your tec diving needs. Plus ALL our air is oxygen compatible - meaning you get nice clean fills at our station. Filtration by Lawrence factor. Medical grade Oxygen and grade 5 Helium supplied by the Aqaba Gas Company.
New compressor room
Theory class
Photo and Video Course June
Divers from the Marine Park rangers team successfully completed a course in photography and video run by Dive Aqaba and hosted by the Aqaba Marine Park.This second program lasted for five days and ended with a dive on the deep wreck of the Taiyong. They will be able to use their new skills to promote diving in Jordan and monitor coral reef health in the area. the full story...
Underwater class
Naser
Photo and Video Course May
Divers from the Marine Park rangers team successfully completed a course in photography and video run by Dive Aqaba and hosted by the Aqaba Marine Park.The program lasted for five days and will be repeated in early July with more rangers. They can then use their new found skills to promote correct procedures for divers and other users of the marine Park. the full story...
Eid
Dead moray eel
Illegal fishing
Divers from the Marine Park rangers team were participating in an photography and video course run by Dive Aqaba when they found a yellowmouth moray eel strangled by fishing line on a small pinnacle about 50m from the beach. They asked us to publish these pictures to expose what is going on all the time! We need more public support to protect Aqaba's heritage we cannot be there all the time to police these activities. name and shame page...
Body recovery
Turtle trapped
Turtle Rescue
On 12th may while diving at the Japanese Gardens dive site in we found a hawksbill turtle entrapped wedge firmly between two corals. The turtle was listless having been unable to surface for air. After much effort we managed to extract the turtle from between the corals that it was wedged in. The turtle then with our help managed to make it to the surface and take a lot of deep breathes before finally diving and swimming off into the blue...now free!. environmental work...
Turtle freed
David diving
Example to us all!
David Mayer, aged 80, visited us in Jordan for a weeks diving again. David first came to Jordan when he was a sprightly young 75 in 2004. David keeps himself fit for diving with regular exercise and walking. He also joined on a clean up dive helping to keep our reefs free of trash. Aquatours, our UK tour operator, arranges all David's diving trips. David in action...
David with Rod
Ciaran teaching
New Instructor
Dive Aqaba team member Ciaran Mclaverty passed his PADI Instructor exam in Eilat - He will now be teaching with us at all levels. He completed his instructor development course with us at Dive Aqaba, we now liaise with PADI Europe who organise examinations in nearby Eilat. The examiner was Nicole Detry. Full story...
Ciaran in classroom
Rod Dive Supervisor
Inspection Dive
Aqaba Diving Services completed an inspection dive for the US Navy on one of their vessels. The dive was successful and the Chief engineer was happy with the results. For security reasons we cannot divulge the name of the ship and publish the story with lots of pictures. Other ADS projects...
Turbo prop drives
Rod prepares
Gas Pipeline Clearance
Aqaba Diving Services completed a clearance dive to remove an old ship's mooring that had inadvertently sunk onto the gas pipeline that runs between Jordan and Egypt. The Egyptian Gas Company had asked the Aqaba Marine Park for help and they in turn had contacted our tec team to complete the job. Read the full story...
Everette at depth
Net over corals
Coral destruction!
On Tuesday 3rd March 2009 two fishermen were caught by the Dive Aqaba team putting nylon gill nets over the corals at the famous Seven Sisters dive site near the wreck of the tank. They proceeded to pull the net up (full of dead reef fish) tearing up corals in the process. If you see any activities like this please report it to the Marine Park rangers. Do you want to know more!
Illegal net fishing
Everette on rebreather
New Rebreather Diver
Everette Ingram successfully completed a course on the Dolphin Semi Closed Rebreather becoming the latest rebreather certified diver in Aqaba. Rebreather diving is becoming more popular even with recreational divers. We now offer courses on the Pelagian fully closed rebreather for those that are interested.
Find out more!
Close to the fish
Mark Ellyatt
Pelagian Mod 2 Course
Mark Ellyatt conducted a Pelagian Rebreather Module two course at Dive Aqaba. John Womack from Otter Watersports joined in with tec team members Philip Barowitzka and Rod Abbotson. During the course the wrecks of the Cedar pride, Taiyong and Shorouk were visited on the course. Phil also completed an SDI Solo Diver course with Mark. Read the full story...
On the Shorouk
Bull shark
Record Bull Shark Tracked
Alison Towner from Marine dynamics, a friend of Dive Aqaba, recently joined a research project in South Africa where they tagged and tracked a large bull shark in the Breede river, Cape West.
Read the full story...
Tracking device
Acropora coral
Illegal coral trade
A Royal Marine Conservation Society (JREDS) official said the organisation had become increasingly concerned about the systematic smuggling of fragile corals and endangered fish species from Aqaba's Red Sea and its impact on the eco system and welfare of these creatures. Read the full story...
Thorny Seahorse
Ciaran at the dive center
Ciaran is back!
After being back in the UK for 18 months Ciaran McLaverty has rejoined the team in Aqaba again after competing a masters degree in Edinburgh. He will be gaining more professional diving qualifications while he is here. Ciaran's page...
Ciaran on Laila One
Abdullah Momany
Halashka is Female!
The turtle that was released back into the sea in December returned to the beach after a few hours. Abdullah Momany, who is the diving officer at the marine science station, has taken charge of the project and is rehabilitating Halaska who turns out to be a female turtle and not male as previously reported. Full story...
Halashka in the sea
Approaching the subject
Photo of the year winner
Omar Al Faqih took the photo that has been voted Photo Of the Year by visitors to our website. After winning the photo of the week he went on to win the photo of the month for December 2007 and now the photo of the year. The contest ran from 1st November 2007 to 31st October 2008 this allows the result to be voted by the end of the calendar year. Winning photos for the 2009 competition started with the winner in November 2008. ...see the big picture.
Hawkfish