Wrecks of the Red Sea

Most of the older wooden wrecks are long since gone leaving behind the occasional amphora. Steal wrecks are more enduring some remain remarkably intact while others, ravaged by storms and salvers, are little more than litter scattered across the seabed. Most wrecks become 'artificial reefs' attracting an abundance of sea life transforming their dark silhouettes. They also attract all kinds of diver: wreckies; photographers; marine life spotters; the inquisitive.

Many wrecks can be dived by day boat divers out of Sharm. However most are beyond or at the limits of the day boat's range so a liveaboard or mini-safari out of Sharm or Hurghada is called for. Below we describe in general the wreck diving areas from North to South naming some of the diveable wrecks. If you would like to learn more about the wrecks listed click on the links.

The Wrecks of the Straits of Tiran
Shipping heading up the Gulf of Aqaba must first pass through the Straits of Tiran. Between the Sinai coast and the twin islands of Tiran and Sanafir lie a chain of four reefs named Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon. Legendary diving these reefs on either side of the straits present obstacles that some ships fail to navigate and they still claim victims to this day. The most famous of the wrecks The Million Hope and close by the Agia Varvara. On the opposite side the Zingara (formerly the Kormoron) and the Lara.

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Straits of Gubal
On the west side of the Sinai are the, relatively shallow, Straits of Gubal leading to the Gulf of Suez and the Suez Canal. The straits are flanked on the east side by the reefs of Sha'ab Ali and Sha'ab Mahmoud, and to the west side by the islands of Gubal and Shedwan and the reefs of Abu Nuhas. The Straits have claimed many victims and have become, forgive the cliche, a Mecca for wreck diving rating alongside Truk (Chuuk) Lagoon and Scapa Flow. The Gulf of Suez also contains many wrecks but is less frequently visited and so not covered here.

The Wrecks of Sha'ab Mahmoud and Sha'ab Ali
Just within reach of the day boats from Sharm this area contains the Dunraven at Sha'ab Mahmoud and, probably the most famous of them all, the Thistlegorm on Sha'ab Ali. However the Thistlegorm is not alone. Sha'ab Ali has also claimed the Kingston (Sara H), on the beautiful Shag Rock, the Carina plus five or six other known, divable, wrecks.

The Wrecks at Gubal Island
The waters around the Island of Gubal, along with its 3 smaller siblings, form an ideal anchorage with little tidal flow. Like the Thistlegorm, sunk 2 days earlier, the Rosalie Moller was sunk in October 1941, a victim of war. The Ulysses, on the other hand, simply ran onto the reef and, along with five or so other wrecks, began a new as a dive attraction.

The Wrecks at Abu Nuhas
North west of Shadwan Island are series of patch reefs. One, Abu Nuhas, meaning Reef of Copper, projects dangerously into the shipping channel. The northerly winds blowing directly onto its north wall. The reef was named after the cargo of one of its earliest victims the Carnatic. There are 4 other relatively shallow wrecks regularly dived including Chrisoula K and the Giannis D.

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The Wrecks of Safaga
Hyndman Reef off Safaga is the resting place of the 100m long Salem Express which sank in 1991 after running onto the reef. It is thought she went down with over 900 passengers onboard and less than 200 survived. While many liveaboards now visit the site it is still a recent memory so other boats will not dive her out of principle.

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The Marine Park Islands and Southern Egyptian Red Sea

At the Brother islands on Big Brother there are two wrecks, the Aida and the Numidia that are always dived on any itinerary that includes the Brothers. On the other hand the Zealot, on Deadalus, and the Maidan, on Rocky Island, are very much deep wrecks and only diveable by those suitably qualified. The southern Egyptian reefs also have their fare share of wreck sites, notably Hamada off Fury Shoal and the Atlas, off Ras Banas. However the wrecks here are less well known and also less frequently the core purpose for any dive itinerary.

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Diving Holidays in Egypt's Red Sea