With the sun blazing above, I close my eyes and launch backwards over the side of the boat. The desert temperature, which had pounded mercilessly on the thick black dive suit abates almost instantly, and at eye level the blue waters take on an extra shade of luminescence. A heavy splash signals the divemaster’s entrance, and we take the cue to let the air from our jackets and slowly sink into the calm Red Sea.
Aqaba is something of a paradox of geographical blessings. On land the cityscape is the bleached white and tan of a typical Middle Eastern town. Square buildings are bordered by a horizon of dusty mountains, with only the odd palm tree providing a break from the desert scenery. But below the surface, Aqaba as you knew it vanishes in a swirl of exotic underwater perfection.

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