A retired military aircraft has found an unusual second life beneath the Red Sea after Jordan deliberately sank it off Aqaba in 2017 to create an artificial reef.
asserted
Jordan → find → reef
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a roughly 30-metre-long military transport aircraft, was placed underwater on November 16, 2017, about 300 metres from the Aqaba shoreline.
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Hercules → place → shoreline
It now rests on the seabed at roughly 16–17 metres and has become an unusual attraction for divers while providing a new structure for marine life, according to a report by
Aqaba Dive Academy.
uncertain
It → rest → Academy
Instead of being dismantled after its military service, the aircraft was repurposed as part of efforts to create an artificial habitat in Aqaba's coastal waters.
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aircraft → dismantle → waters
The project was carried out by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority in cooperation with Jordan's Royal Jordanian Navy and Aqaba Port Corporation.
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project → carry → Navy
Before the plane was sunk, officials removed fuel, oil, paint and other hazardous materials from the aircraft.
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officials → sink → aircraft
It was then towed from the Royal Jordanian Air Force's headquarters in Amman towards Aqaba for its new role beneath the water.
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It → tow → water
The C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft that has been used by armed forces around the world for transporting personnel, equipment and supplies.
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that → use → personnel
In Aqaba, however, the aircraft was no longer intended to fly.
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aircraft → intend → Aqaba
Officials selected an underwater site where the aircraft could rest on a sandy seabed and provide a hard surface in an area where new habitat could develop.
uncertain
habitat → select → area
Its location was also close to other underwater attractions, including the wreck of an M42 Duster tank, creating a larger area for divers to explore.
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divers → include → area
The aircraft measures about 30 metres in length and has a wingspan of roughly 40 metres, making it a substantial structure on the seabed.
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it → measure → seabed
Its shallow depth also means it can be reached by recreational divers rather than being limited to deep technical diving.
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it → mean → diving
The idea behind an artificial reef is relatively simple: a submerged structure can provide surfaces and shelter that are absent from open sandy seabeds.
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that → provide → seabeds
Fish can use the spaces around and inside the structure for shelter, while organisms such as algae and corals can colonise its surfaces over time.
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organisms → use → time
For Aqaba, the project also had a tourism dimension.
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project → have → dimension
The unusual sight of a military transport aircraft sitting underwater offered divers a wreck site unlike the area's conventional coral reefs.
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sight → sit → reefs
Marine life moves in
The C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft that has been used by armed forces around the world
The C-130 did not remain an empty aircraft for long.
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C-130 → move → world
Over time, fish began using the wreck and surrounding spaces as shelter, while corals and other marine organisms colonised parts of the structure.
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corals → begin → structure
Diving accounts from the site describe schools of fish around the aircraft and marine growth developing on and beneath its wings.
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accounts → dive → wings
The wreck's cockpit and fuselage provide numerous enclosed and shaded spaces, creating different microhabitats within the larger structure.
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cockpit → provide → structure
The aircraft's position on the sandy seabed also makes it visually distinct from the natural reef formations elsewhere in the Gulf of Aqaba.
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it → make → Aqaba
The transformation is particularly striking because the plane was originally designed for movement.
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plane → design → movement
Its new function is almost the opposite: it remains fixed on the seabed while marine organisms gradually make use of it.
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organisms → remain → it
The artificial reef was also intended to contribute to the diversity of habitats available to marine species in the area.
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reef → intend → area
Jordanian officials said when the aircraft was sunk that adding such structures could provide additional habitat and increase species diversity.
uncertain
adding → say → diversity
A wreck that became a dive attraction
At around 16–17 metres underwater, the C-130 is accessible to divers at recreational depths.
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C-130 → become → depths
Contemporary reports noted that its location roughly 300 metres offshore made it reachable while still offering an unusual underwater experience.
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it → note → experience
Divers can see the aircraft's large fuselage, wings and cockpit beneath the surface.
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Divers → see → surface
Accounts from the site have also described fish gathering around the aircraft, with marine growth gradually changing its appearance.
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growth → describe → appearance
The wreck has since become part of Aqaba's wider collection of underwater attractions.
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wreck → become → attractions
The city is known for its coral reefs and dive sites, and the deliberate placement of military equipment underwater has added another category of attraction: artificial structures that combine marine habitat with wreck diving.
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that → know → diving
The C-130 is not the only man-made object used in the area.
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C-130 → make → area
Aqaba's underwater sites include other deliberately placed military equipment, forming an underwater landscape where divers can encounter tanks and other vehicles alongside natural coral habitats.
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divers → include → habitats
The decision to sink the C-130 was therefore about more than simply disposing of an old aircraft.
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decision → sink → aircraft
Once the hazardous materials were removed, the retired plane became a permanent structure beneath the Gulf of Aqaba.
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plane → remove → Aqaba
Its metal frame created new surfaces for organisms to colonise, while its size and distinctive shape made it an immediate draw for divers.
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it → create → divers
The wreck has also changed with time.
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wreck → change → time
A major storm in 2020 damaged the aircraft and tore sections of its structure apart, according to diving accounts of the site.
uncertain
storm → damage → site
The damage altered its appearance but did not end its role as an underwater habitat or dive attraction.
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damage → alter → habitat
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
