Jordan's only marine protected area runs along seven kilometres of coast south of Aqaba city, between the public South Beach and the Saudi border. The reef is exceptional by Red Sea standards — fringing coral with healthy gardens of staghorn, brain, and table corals, large schools of butterflyfish and surgeonfish, and good visibility (often 25 metres or more) year-round.
Access is from a string of beach dive centres along the coast road. Shore dives and snorkelling trips are easy to arrange; popular sites include the Cedar Pride wreck, the Power Station reef, Eel Garden, and the Japanese Gardens. A modest fee per dive helps fund park maintenance and reef monitoring. The Marine Park visitor centre, in the middle of the strip, has displays on Red Sea ecology.