I’ve written many times about my love of the water, and activities in, on or around it are some of my favorite. When I had the chance to visit Jordan, as the guest of the Jordan Tourism Board, I knew I had to visit the Red Sea.
The Red Sea is famous for its spectacular diving opportunities and although I don’t dive, I had heard it was also a great place to snorkel. We arrived in Aqaba mid-morning after leaving our desert camp at Wadi Rum. I was eager to hit the water and was first in line when the Sinbad Water Sports boat opened its doors for the afternoon expedition.
It was Independence Day in Jordan, and most people had the day off. That meant there was a mixed group on the cruise that afternoon. I was one of a couple of Americans onboard, the remainder of the passengers were either Jordanian or from other Middle Eastern countries, in Jordan on holiday.
The day was perfect, hot but not too hot and the sun shining brightly over the deep waters. Before reaching the snorkel site, the ship slowed down to allow non-water loving folk the opportunity to observe the Sea’s bottom from the glass bottom of the boat. It was interesting actually, especially since we passed over a wrecked boat.
Finally, we were in position for both the divers and snorkelers alike, and I was standing by the edge of the boat, flippers in hand ready to go.
I jumped in and took to the water as if I were born in it. The wind was rough though, so it was choppy and hard to stay in one spot without being pushed off course. Eventually, I got the hang of the massive effort required to snorkel peacefully and dove deeper to avoid the turbulent topside.
The underwater sites were remarkable, fish flitted past as I swam to explore the nearby coral. Eventually, the crashing waves got the better of me as I neared exhaustion and reluctantly swam back to the boat. I sat back with a Diet Coke and some hummus and watched boaters careening past on their way to their own adventures.
As we made the slow cruise back to dock, the sun set over the water creating a perfect scene of aquatic perfection.
