The Red Sea

The Cedar Pride wreck

As amazing as Petra was, it was time to get into some water, so I headed south to the Red Sea.  It somehow got hotter and the temperatures have been at least 100 degrees every day.  Didn't stop me from exploring a bit of the area and doing some diving, which was the main reason I was down there.

I took a mini-bus from Petra to Aqaba, which left promptly 47 minutes after we got in, when it was finally full enough to leave.  Typical around here, so no stress and I had nothing booked.  Aqaba is just a big port city on the Red Sea so I bounced south 12km to the dive center area of the Sea.  Sorted out a cheap tent to sleep in at a Bedouin Village near the beach and organized two dives for the next day.  Then it was to the beach to relax.  Met some locals who took me to a wicked wreck of a tank 25 meters off shore.  Sweet to snorkel down to it and check out the site.  Resting up after hiking all over Petra.  Or at least trying, as it's always hot as hell down here, and the tent is windproof and contains heat very nicely.  Spent a bit of the night out on the pillows lying around one of the huts.

The tank

The day of diving was amazing.  Two great dives.  One full of colourful coral and fish in a spot called Japanese Garden.  Pretty sweet and a good first dive to get back into the swing of things.  Feeling like a champ again under the water.  The surreal aspect to diving never gets old and it seems like such a different world down there.

Yeah, I swam around that twice, pretending I was the captain

Dive #2 was to the wreck of the Cedar Pride.  74 meters long and almost 30 years in the sea after a fire caused it's demise in the early 80s.  It came up out of nowhere, just a dark shape that turned into this huge ship that is still intact and full of sea life.  We swam around it and through some compartments in the ship.  Amazing to be inside a ship, with ladders, stern, and all aspects of a boat intact.  I wish I had my camera with me, but will have to settle for the images from Mr Google.

Living it up on the Red Sea

It's been sweet as down here in the south of Jordan.  Looking across the Red Sea, I can see Egypt and Israel.  9km down south is Saudi Arabia.  Right in the middle of everything around here.  Tomorrow I'm off to Israel again to high five the border police and meet up with friends.  The fun continues...