---
type: Video
title: "$180 Boat Scam in AQABA, JORDAN 🇯🇴"
description: A Red Sea boat trip, an extra 20 dinars demanded at the end and refused, four words of Arabic that end the staring, and Harry calling Jordan the best country he has been to.
tags: [jordan, aqaba, red-sea, snorkelling, scams, language, sunset, verdict]
timestamp: 2026-08-07T16:50:00Z
resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX-3z2aREZE
video_id: bX-3z2aREZE
upload_date: 2021-11-25
duration: 709
---

# $180 Boat Scam in AQABA, JORDAN 🇯🇴

A day on the water at [Aqaba](/places/aqaba.md) — a glass-bottomed boat out into
the Red Sea, snorkelling over coral, and sea urchins thick enough that putting a
foot down is a real risk.

**The title's incident is smaller and more interesting than the title suggests.**
At the end of the trip an extra 20 dinars is asked for on top of the agreed
price. They refuse on the spot, because the price had been settled by phone, and
the original stands. Harry's diagnosis is the part worth keeping: it happened
because they hadn't paid upfront — see
[agree the price before it starts](/tips/agree-the-price-before-it-starts.md).
He then spends two full minutes making sure nobody blames the captain, who he
says did nothing wrong and was struggling with English, and says he doubts a
visitor would normally meet this at all.

The second useful thing is a procedure. On a local beach, where all three of them
are being stared at and Sofia has covered up, Harry finds that a handful of
Arabic words flips it every time — see
[learn the local language](/tips/learn-the-local-language.md).

It ends with the trip's verdict, and it is unequivocal:
**[Jordan](/countries/jordan.md) is one of the best countries he has ever been
to, if not the best.**

## Key moments

- [00:08] Moving hotel, then out to the marina for a boat.
- [00:39] A glass-bottomed boat into the Red Sea; about 25°C with a breeze.
- [00:39] The area is known for snorkelling and scuba diving.
- [01:41] The water is fairly cold — he says being English helps.
- [02:14] A decent amount of marine life; good for where you are rather than
  world-class.
- [02:14] Sea urchins everywhere. Mac nearly stands on one and is warned by a
  passing swimmer; they discuss whether it would have meant hospital.
- [02:45] The value verdict, from all three: expensive, better available
  elsewhere, and still close to a must-do here.
- [03:16] Mac's version — a lot of money for about three hours, and they saw
  what there was to see.
- [03:47] The extra 20 dinars asked for as they leave, and refused immediately
  because they knew what had been agreed.
- [03:47] His conclusion: this happened because they hadn't paid upfront. Pay in
  advance, or pin down the terms.
- [04:51] Working through it with the captain, in patchy English.
- [05:22] Harry, off camera to himself: far too stressful.
- [05:55] He clears the captain completely — a good man, nothing to do with it,
  one other person trying it on — and says a visitor wouldn't normally meet this.
- [06:26] Back at the marina: tea with lemon, za'atar with oil, an iced coffee.
- [07:29] Mint tea, which he rates well above English tea.
- [07:59] About 18 dinars for a large snack and drinks with a view.
- [08:29] The local beach — a lot of locals, a lot of looking, and Sofia covers
  up having been warned to.
- [09:00] The Arabic words, thrown out one after another, including one he
  cheerfully admits he can't translate.
- [09:31] The sequence stated: they stare until you look, you speak Arabic, and
  then they are friendly.
- [09:31] A poorer district at the end of the beach, and a very large flag —
  compared to Amman's, which he has been told is among the biggest in the world.
- [10:32] The sun goes down at four or five, so daylight has to be used.
- [11:02] **The verdict on Jordan**: one of the best countries he has been to, if
  not the best — because of the people, who gave him free food, tea and gifts
  expecting nothing, while not having much themselves, and because of the
  landscapes. Aqaba his least favourite city; [Amman](/places/amman.md) an
  amazing one.

## Extracted pages

- [Jordan](/countries/jordan.md)
- [Aqaba](/places/aqaba.md)
- [Amman](/places/amman.md)
- [Mac](/people/mac.md)
- [Agree the price before it starts](/tips/agree-the-price-before-it-starts.md)
- [Learn the local language](/tips/learn-the-local-language.md)