Aqaba Marine Park — Japanese Garden & Cedar Pride Wreck
Aqaba's greatest treasure sits just below the surface of the Red Sea, and the best part is you don't need a boat to reach it. The Aqaba Marine Park protects 7 kilometres of coastline with 21 dive sites — 14 of them accessible directly from the beach — making it one of the most diver-friendly marine parks on the planet.
Japanese Garden: The Snorkeller's Paradise
The Japanese Garden reef sits at 2–24 metres and is studded with dramatic pinnacle corals, resident hawksbill turtles, barracuda and more than 450 species of fish. Snorkellers floating at the surface can see the top of the reef clearly in the famously transparent water, while divers can drop down to explore the deeper coral walls at their own pace.
The reef's shallow entry point makes it ideal for beginners and families. Visibility regularly exceeds 20 metres, and the corals here are notably healthy — over 200 species of hard and soft coral thrive in the Gulf of Aqaba, largely resistant to the bleaching that has damaged reefs elsewhere.
Cedar Pride: Aqaba's Iconic Wreck Dive
The Cedar Pride is a Lebanese freighter scuttled in 1985 on the orders of King Abdullah II to create an artificial reef, and it has since become one of the most celebrated wreck dives in the Red Sea. The ship lies at 9–27 metres and is now encrusted with soft corals, patrolled by lionfish, and accessible from the shore — a rarity for a wreck of this size and quality.
Certified divers can penetrate the cargo holds, while snorkellers can clearly see the upper decks from the surface. Several PADI-certified dive centres along the Marine Park shoreline, including those at Berenice Beach Club, offer guided trips, equipment rental and open-water courses for those wanting their first certification.
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