The Tank Aqaba, Jordan

The Tank: Dive Site Overview

They cleaner her up but otherwise sunk her as-is, in clear view of all: the Tank sits on a sandy bottom in just 5 to 7m of water, imposing as ever after 25 years underwater.

And the Tank fits its new purpose – life – even better than its old one. Soft corals and sponges are taking hold of her hull, and the first things you’ll notice (even before “hey, this is a tank!”) are the swirling schools of colourful reef fish that now call her home.

Most divers visit the Tank during a safety stop en route to shore from nearby sites New Canyon and The Seven Sisters. But we’re going to be here for a while and there’s no worry about air consumption at such a shallow depth, so let’s hang out with the fish for a few minutes before we take a closer look.

The panorama is impressive to say the least!

Moving in for a closer look, we can see what’s attracted all this fish life – the Tanks is absolutely packed with little nooks and crannies housing dozens of species of invertebrates including starfish, shrimps, crabs, and more. Lionfish prowl the hull in plain view while damsels fend them off valiantly; divers with careful eyes will spot colourful blennies watching the show from their homes in the coral and hull.

And that’s only a section of tread on one side of the Tank. She’s not especially large at [guess 6mx3m], but thanks to a sheltered location all her features are entirely intact – under the marine life of course.

Slowly surfacing toward the end of our dive, we examine gunners’ turrets and the tank’s superstructure, discovering a world within a world – watch carefully and quietly to glimpse the tiniest of macro life near the top of the wreck.

If you plan on snorkelling while you’re in Aqaba, don’t miss The Tank (and the nearby Seven Sisters just a short fin away). You’ll never forget them.