Although eclipsed by her Egyptian neighbours, Jordan's 27 kilometres of coastline supply surprisingly good diving. Splendid coral gardens are in a very good state, probably because there are considerably fewer divers here than in nearby Eilat or most Egyptian resorts.

There's a good mix of hard and soft corals supporting all the usual Red Sea creatures. Seeing huge beds of cabbage coral is a particularly strong memory, as is the ease of diving here. You just wander in off the shore and within a few gentle fin strokes you're immersed in a delightful reef.

There's a decent wreck - the Cedar Pride - and a couple of good sites way up near the Saudi border where it's tempting to head down to depth to view massive elephant's ear corals.