In my opinion Gorgon 1 is, sometimes, overlooked as a popular diving site in Aqaba. Why? I don’t know.
It is not a deep site and has access, both, from the beach and boat making it the perfect dive for all levels of diver. From a boat the dive starts at a mooring fixed to a sandy bottom. From the descent you start your dive to the north-west where you will follow the fantastically healthy coral reef to the first feature which is a coral formation in the shape of a tree at a depth of around 15m, at this point if you look to the north you will see a large, white Gorgonian fan coral, after which the site is named, pleas be careful it’s been there a long time and is very delicate!! But very photogenic.
Keep following the reef north, maintaining a depth of about 16m, where you are, quite often, accompanied by Hawksbill Turtles of if you’re very lucky Feather Tail Stingrays. You will arrive at a group of Table corals which will, probably, be the point where you turn the dive and start heading east, looking for nudibranchs, up to a depth of 9meters where you turn South.
Look for a coral shaped like a “microphone” and from here turn south-east coming to a huge pinnacle. The eastern face is in permanent shadow and gives shelter to hundreds of glass fish which in turn attract more than a few lion fish always looking for an easy meal! Don’t forget the camera!
Take the route to the south and you will come to a truly massive cabbage/salad coral, supposedly the biggest in the Middle East. Hear the journey will take you to the south-west where you come to another huge pinnacle surrounded by Anthias. Then south- west to the mooring line to make your safety stop before ascending to examine your footage of one of the great dives Aqaba has to offer.