GET WRECKED
The
Egyptian Red Sea is a hybrid of numerous different wrecks, on a par
with Truck Lagoon and Scapa Flow there is so much to offer, both
old and new. There is enough variety to satisfy both the casual wreck
diver and the wreck enthusiast. Wrecks range in age from Roman times
right up to ships that have gone down in more recent years. Our Get
Wrecked Itinerary solely focuses on the wrecks that
the Northern Red Sea have to offer. Departing from Sharm el Shiekh
all of our liveaboards Typhoon, Whirlwind and Cyclone do this itinerary.
It is advisable that divers have at least 30 dives and have an Advanced
certification or the equivalent of.
There are a great deal of wrecks accessible from Sharm and here is
a list of what you will cover (weather permitting) when you do a
Get Wrecked itinerary:
Thistlegorm, Kingston, Rosalie Moller, Zenith, Shag Rock, Ulysses,
Ghiannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K, Marcus, Dunraven, and the reefs
of Shark and Yolanda.
SS Thistlegorm
The
world famous Thistlegorm wreck sunk in 1941 in the area
of Sha'ab Ali in the Gulf of Suez. She was packed to the gunwales
with a cargo of supplies destined for the British Army based
in Alexandria, however she was bombed by the Germans on her way to
port. She is in good condition where much of the cargo still remains.
Time seems to have stood still for this impressive wreck. BSA Motorcycles,
jeeps, trucks, rolling stock, areoplane parts, stacks of rifles,
radio equipment and a plentiful supply of wellington boots are still
in pristine conditions. Located at 30m and 400 ft long she requires
several dives to experience the monumental ship. The Thistlegorm
is heaven for wreck enthusiasts with so much to see and so much history
attached to the ship. Along with the beauty of the wreck there it
is also one of the most underrated fish dives in the area, attracting
schooling barracuda and providing a hunting ground for giant tuna
and snapper. An excellent ship wreck that is a must see in the Red
Sea. The Thistlegorm requires some level of experience beyond open
water training. more...
Abu Nuhas
The reef of Abu Nuhas lies 3 hours away due north on the edges of
the Suez Canal and over the centuries has claimed the lives of
dozens of vessels. There are 4 wrecks which are dived regularly
lying against her northerly edge.
The Giannis D
Launched in 1969 as the Shoyo Maru, the Giannis D was built by the
Kuryshima Dock Company of Imabari, Japan. In April 1983 on a trip
to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with a cargo of teak planks, thinking that
there was nothing but the Red Sea to traverse, the captain fell asleep
in his cabin after ordering 'full speed ahead'. He had, however,
not reckoned on Abu Nuhas and it was not long before he was very
rudely awoken by the sound of the ship being driven hard onto the
north west corner of the reef. Today she is broken in 3 pieces, the
bow by itself, parts of the midships with teak planks scattered around
and lastly, the intact stern of the ship which really makes the dive.
Full of rooms and passageways that run off at strange angles as she
is lying at 45 degrees at the base of the reef. A well mangled prop
marks the deepest point at 23 meters. more...
The Chrisoula K
A 'General Cargo Vessel' of 3,720 tones, the ship was built in the
German Baltic port of Lubeck and launched in 1954. Lloyd's List for
September 1981 included the following item under "Casualty Report": "Chrisoula
K (Greek). Suez, Aug 31 - MV Chrisoula K, ran aground yesterday in
the Red Sea, sustaining serious damage but no casualties, shipping
sources said today. The vessel hit coral reefs near the Egyptian
naval base at Ras Banas. Rescue units from the naval base picked
up the 21 member crew unscathed and took them to Suez. The vessel,
carrying floor tiles from Italy, was on her way to Jeddah. The seriously
damaged vessel was considered a total loss". Just like the Giannis
D a few years later, the captain had fallen asleep on a trip to Jeddah
after thinking he had cleared any danger after exiting the Suez Canal,
only to be rudely awakened as the ship went full steam onto the reef.
Today the front half is very broken up and scattered through wave
action, as a considerable part of the front end rode up and onto
the reef. The stern section is good for penetration but seems a little
unstable and with large waves above you, there is a lot of creaking
and movement from within. more...
The Carnatic
The Peninsula & Oriental Passenger Steamer "Carnatic" was
built by Samuda Bros of London and classified as an 'iron framed
planked passenger steamer of 1776 tons'. Her dimensions were 89.8m
x 11.6m with a draught of 7.8m. In addition to square-rigged sails,
she was powered by a single 4 cylinder compound inverted engine which
produced a very handsome 2,442 hp. In September of 1869 she gently
struck the reef but did not sink immediately, in fact the captain
and the 210 passengers and crew spent the night on board as no one
believed that a steel hulled ship, sitting gently on a coral reef,
would be in too much trouble. After 36 hours on the reef though,
due to the pivoting of the boat with the rise and fall of the waves
causing stresses on the keel, she snapped in half with the stern
sliding off the reef taking 5 passengers and 26 crew with it. The
aft followed shortly afterwards and diving the wreck today you can
see that the two halves have seemingly joined up again underwater.
She lies on her port side in 30 meters of water. A great wreck
with plenty to see including her single prop, masts, square portholes
and lots of broken wine bottles in the bottom of the hold in the
aft section. more...
Rosalie
Moller
In the early hours of Oct 8th 1941, just two days after the Thistlegorm
she was sunk by German aircraft bombers. She was on her way to Alexandria
with a cargo of coal.
This wreck lies in the channel north of Gubal island and is a dive
that is suited for the more experienced divers. Visibility can
be reduced compared to the surrounding Red Sea and there are some
very strong currents. She is a fairly deep wreck starting at 17m
going down to 50m. The wreck is in pristine condition and is home
to prolific fish life along with a magnificent array of hard and
soft corals. She is covered in thousands of glass fish. Weather permitting
she is a fantastic wreck to dive. more...
Dunraven
The Dunraven was an English ship
on her way from Bombay to Newcastle when she struck the reef on the
25th April 1876. She was carrying with her timber, spices and cotton.
The hull lies upside down at 25m and is completely covered in corals.
It is easy to penetrate the wreck in the ships cargo hold. The wreck
after all these years gives you an incredible feeling of stepping
back in time with stacks of ropes and wooden ladders. Fish life on
the wreck is exceptional. From bow to stern a vast number of glass
fish cover the boat. There are also large numbers of groupers, jackfish,
tuna, scorpion fish and crocodile fish around the hull. If your lucky
you can see the sword fish that congregate around the stern. more...
For
more details of the wrecks please click through to our wreck
map
