Beneath the seabed of Jordan's Gulf of Aqaba is a bizarre "ocean monster" that not only shelters numerous soft corals, but also serves as a haven for shipwreck explorers and underwater photographers. It is man-made and is designed to encourage diving tourism and coral growth.
At a depth of 15 to 28 meters in the Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan, there is a jet that has been abandoned for many years, and this jet is very well preserved.
This is an old Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar aircraft, which has three engines, mounted on the wings and tail.
Registered in the 1980s and since serving airlines such as Royal Jordanian, TAP Air in Portugal and Novair in Sweden, it was abandoned in the early 2000s after its final service to another Portuguese airline, Luzair.
The plane was then parked at King Hussein International Airport near the Red Sea coast until Jordan sank into Jordan's Gulf of Aqaba in 2019 to encourage dive tourism and coral growth.
King Hussein International Airport, the only port city in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is the hub airport for Jordanian Airlines, named after the late King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan.
Divers can not only visit outside the aircraft, but also through two doors at the back of the cockpit, while inside the fuselage, the middle row seats have been removed for better access for divers. The cockpit, seat rows on both sides, toilets and galleys remain in place, allowing divers to float around a nearly intact commercial airliner.
It's a quirky diving experience, visiting an almost intact plane in the water, floating in and out of the cabin.
Today, the aircraft's wings shelter numerous soft corals. The fuselage is surrounded by huge sponges inhabited by a variety of marine life, such as octopuses, pufferfish and so on.
If you have the opportunity to travel to Jordan, you can experience it for yourself!
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