Cedar Pride

Jordan's flagship wreck began as a Lebanese-flagged freighter gutted by fire while berthed in Aqaba in 1982; three years later she was towed out and scuttled as an artificial reef, a project championed by the royal family, and the sea has spent four decades saying thank you. The Cedar Pride lies on her port side spanning two reef ridges, which leaves a shadowed swim-through beneath the hull where soft corals grow upside down and sunbeams enter sideways. Masts, kingposts, and a crow's nest extend over the sand, all thickly colonized; lionfish hold the companionways and schooling fish shade the deck. Accessible from the beach yet substantial enough to fill repeat dives, she is the rare wreck that suits nearly everyone.

The moment you come for: The swim-through beneath the hull; soft-coral growth on masts and rails; shore-accessible wreck diving at moderate depth.

Topography: A freighter lying on her port side bridging two reef ridges over sand

Entry: Reached from the beach over a short surface swim or by boat; a marked line guides divers out across the reef shelf.

Hazards: Mild surge in the under-hull passage; monofilament snags near the masts; boat traffic over the site.

Conservation: Inside the Aqaba marine reserve - no touching, no collection, and stay off the fragile inverted growth in the swim-through.

Nitrox: Worth it here — profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).