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Freediving in Aqaba
Jordan's 27km Red Sea window: shore-dive wrecks, a sunken military museum, and warm, clear water year-round at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba.
Why here
Aqaba sits at the head of a narrow gulf, which means it stays flat when the open Red Sea is not, and the training site is about 10 minutes from shore rather than an hour offshore. Water holds 24 to 25C in November and 22 to 23C in December, warm enough to keep training through a winter when the Mediterranean and the Atlantic have shut down. Both schools operate year round. The other reason to come is that a freediving trip here pairs with Petra and Wadi Rum inside a single week, which is not true of anywhere else in this set.
Best months
November water is around 24 to 25C and December around 22 to 23C, so plan on a 5mm suit in December. The gulf is narrow and hemmed by mountains on both sides, so it is sheltered and usually flat, which is its main advantage over the open Red Sea in winter. Advertised training depths run to 30 meters and beyond at one school and up to 24 meters at the other, so treat this as a solid intermediate venue rather than a deep one. Air temperatures in December can be cool, so bring a layer for surface intervals.
Getting there & around
King Hussein International Airport is in Aqaba itself, with connections through Amman and some seasonal European routes. One school works out of a watersports center at Tala Bay south of the city; the other is a single-instructor school on South Beach. The watersports center's own website carries stale course listings, so book through the school directly rather than through the venue. Jordan is straightforward to travel in and the Jordan Pass bundles the visa with Petra entry if you are combining the trip. Water entry along the South Beach coast is from shore or by short vehicle transfer between sites.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Abood Freediver
SchoolAbood Freediver teaches PADI freediving courses on Aqaba's South Beach, from Discover Freediving and Basic Freediver through the Freediver and Advanced Freediver levels, plus the PADI Snorkel Guide rating. Certified freedivers can join guided fun freediving tours from the shore in the Gulf of Aqaba. The school operates as a single-instructor outfit.
Jordan Freedivers
SchoolJordan Freedivers is an accredited AIDA International school teaching from H&S Water Sports inside the Tala Bay marina enclave, on Jordan's southern Red Sea coast south of Aqaba. Courses run from AIDA 1 through AIDA 3, with a combined AIDA 2 and 3 path, progressing from ten meters to depths of 24 to 30 meters and beyond. The training site sits about ten minutes from shore, and the school describes calm, warm conditions year-round.
Also good for freediving in September:
Torn between Aqaba and Pico Island for September?
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