First Bay South Aqaba, Jordan
First Bay South's topography is highly varied, so we'd end up swimming out to the mooring buoy to get oriented anyway. Heading down the line, we see an undulating, kaleidoscopic reef and some kind of a rope running along the bottom...
First Bay South Dive Site: Dive Metrics & Features
- Location
- : 29.44891, 34.9696
- True name
- : First Bay South
- Depth
- : 6m to 30m+
- Conditions
- : Strong current, excessive depth
- Visibility
- : Excellent (20m+)
- Platform
- : Shore
- Level
- : Beginner to Technical
- Snorkelling
- : No
- Other names used
- : First Bay, Cazar Reef, House Reef, Death Valley
First Bay South: Dive Site Overview
The rope's purpose quickly becomes clear - it's a permanent navigation line. Many dive centers use this as a training dive site, but don't let First Bay South's idyllic diving conditions fool you: this site is packed with gorgeous soft corals and sponges interspersed with large hard coral formations.
Schools of reef fish, from damsels to parrots to butterflies to fusiliers and more, abound with pelagics cruising the outer reef, looking for an easy meal.
Soon, we come to a seamount covered in black corals and a cabbage coral garden - that's what's attracting the larger fish who are here looking to feed. We'll take a looping dive path to take it all in and spend most of our time around 12-18 m, where we'll find the best coral growth and biggest variety of marine life.
Let's head back to the shore for now - we'll come back at night, when First Bay South really comes alive, especially the seamount. Octopi and invertebrates feed unafraid on the reef while large predators - maybe an occasional shark - cruise open water around the seamount.
Just one thing:
While most of this site is absolutely beginner-friendly, be aware that near the edges of the sandy valleys we'll see throughout the site, you'll find strong and constant downward currents that will take you swiftly down to 100 m or more. Coral growth is spectacular below 40 m here and this site is extremely popular with technical divers, who gave it a name all their own: Death Valley. That's more than a clever name: stay well out of the down current. Technical divers should keep their dive plans tight - venture too far and you may have to complete your deco schedule swimming through blue water. 🛟
First Bay South Dive Site: Location & Dive Map
