Aqaba · Jordan · Reef · Night
Rainbow Reef
An easily navigated reef that comes alive after dark
Area photo: Arian Zwegers · CC BY 2.0
A coral reef on the Jordanian coast south of Aqaba town, reachable either from the beach or by boat and running to a maximum of 30 m. It is colourful and active by day, but the reason centres put it on the plan is the night dive, when the reef changes character and the site is at its most active.
Where it is and how deep
29.4317° N, 34.9740° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Entry is either off the beach or from a boat, onto a reef PADI's listing describes as easily navigable and named for its shape. The site runs to a maximum of 30 m and most of the reef sits well above that, so a plan that works the deeper end early and keeps the rest of the dive shallow fits the site. Turtles are among the animals listed here, and the reef itself, rather than any single feature on it, is what the dive is built around.
The site is worth planning as a night dive. By day it is colourful and active; after dark it comes into its own, as the animals that stay hidden in daylight come out over the coral. Aqaba's diving is run from the road, with centres driving tanks down the coast and divers walking in from the beach, so a night entry here needs little more than turning up after sunset with a torch. Keep the profile shallow and navigate the way you did in daylight.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Aqaba: Conditions stay calm and diveable year-round; water is coolest January–March.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Rainbow Reef in Aqaba?+
The site runs to a maximum of 30 m. Most of the reef is shallower than that, so an Open Water diver can dive it comfortably while an Advanced Open Water certification covers the deeper end.
Is Rainbow Reef a shore dive or a boat dive?+
Both. Boat and shore entries are both listed for the site, and in Aqaba the shore option is the usual one, with tanks driven down the coast road and divers walking in from the beach.
Sources
More dive sites in Aqaba
A plastic skeleton in the pilot's seat of a sunken Hercules
An air pocket in the rear cargo hold big enough to surface in
Reef
Black coral below 20 m on a slope you walk into from the beach
A gorgonian forest at 21 m and fusiliers packing the shallows
Wall
A sheer wall falling from 12 m into 200 m of water
A scuttled army tank on sand in 7 m of water
Tanks, troop carriers and a sunken TriStar airliner
Similar dives elsewhere
Short caverns at 7 m under an overnight mooring
Two caves at 3 m, a 5 m platform, and sand at 36 m off one beach
Staghorn fields at depth, and frogfish after dark
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A vertical eastern edge dropping to 30 metres off Small Giftun