Oliver's Canyon

Oliver's Canyon is a beginner-friendly dive site in southern Aqaba near the Saudi border, where a sandy canyon cuts through the reef creating a natural channel for exploration. The canyon walls are lined with healthy coral growth — hard corals on the upper edges and soft coral clusters in the shaded areas below. The sandy channel floor is home to garden eels and various goby-shrimp partnerships, while the canyon's overhangs shelter lionfish, scorpionfish, and occasional turtles resting in the shade. Anthias and damselfish animate the coral tops above, and moray eels peer from holes in the reef wall. The canyon format provides natural navigation, making it easy for newer divers to explore confidently. Oliver's Canyon offers a taste of Aqaba's southernmost reefs, where proximity to the open Gulf of Aqaba brings occasional pelagic visitors.