The yacht Diversity leaves the harbour of Aqaba, the only coastal town in Jordan. To the right is the Israeli resort of Eilat, framed by barren mountains; in the Red Sea, a boxfish makes leisurely circles in absurdly clear, turquoise water. The boat soon anchors just offshore, directly in front of Aqaba’s electricity plant, and suddenly everything happens quickly: the passengers don wetsuits, pass around gloves and cloth bags, and then, one by one, dive in. They all have one mission: to collect as much rubbish as possible in 30 minutes. Led by 34-year-old Beisan AlSharif, these are the women of Project Sea – an initiative born two years ago when AlSharif, a keen diver, and her friend, Seif Al Madanat, began to collect rubbish every time they dived. It is now a community of more than 150 volunteers, with local women forming its heart. Divers after a clean-up. ‘With every single dive, we make an important contribution,’ says AlSharif, far right, with, from left: Nawal Abbasi; Sarah Shahin; Natalie Burgan and Shirin Rahil “There’s …

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