ABU NUHAS
This great reef, also known as the "ships graveyard", emerges two miles to the north of Shedwan Island at the mouth of the Strait of Gobal. On the seabed of the surrounding area lie no fewer than seven sunken ships from different eras. It is often only possible to dive the wrecks from a zodiac due to the heavy sea swells. On the sheltered south side of the reef are two beautiful ergs known as Yellow Fish Reef which offers an excellent night dive.
Carnatic
The Carnatic was a splendid 90 metre long sail and engine steamer launched by P&O in 1862. Carrying a cargo of wine and "London soda water" in distinctive oval bottles, it was sailing the Indies route with a destination of Bombay. It struck the reef in 1869 and remained aground a number of hours before sinking Sha'ab Abu Nuhas’ Reef. Despite the length of time (it sank in 1869) it is remarkably intact. She lies on one side with the stern at 24 metres and the bow at 16 metres. The decking of the hull has fallen away exposing blackened support structures which are now draped in hard and soft corals. The very photogenic wreck is now home to a number of morays, large grouper and octopus.
Dunraven
A popular wreck is the Dunraven, a Victorian steam- and sail-ship that was carrying spices, gold and timber from India which sunk in 1876 on its way from Bombay to England. The legend says that she hit the reef after an drunken dispute involving the Captain, his wife, and the First mate, and sunk soon after near in the Gulf of Suez. Although she was stripped of her cargo by a team of archaeologists in the early eighties, the Dunraven still makes an interesting dive.
The wreck of this 72 m long English steamer lies at the southern point of Sha’ab Mahmoud, amongst the series of shallow reefs and lagoons. Her hull lies upside down at a maximum depth of 29m. Completely covered in corals, the wreck has become home to a wide variety of marine life including glass fish, morays, groupers, goatfish and napoleon.
Giannis D
The Giannis D (built in 1969), a large Greek freighter – known for its cargo of timber – hit the reef of Abu Nuhas in1983 and slowly sank over six weeks, lying at a maximum depth of 28 metres. The wreck is broken up in the centre, but the bow and stern remain intact. At the stern on the sea floor there is a point where penetration allows you to travel up towards the top of the wreck to a pocket of trapped air. You will need to leave by the same hole which you entered. At the bow you can see where the boat had been renamed, with the old name just visible under a layer of paint. Expect to see glassfish, scorpion fish, angelfish, bump head wrasse and a napoleon fish. The dive can be finished by traversing the reef, or by climbing up the mast, which rises up to only four metres below the surface.
SS THISTLEGORM
The most famous wreck of the Red sea and probably one from 10 best places of the world for wreck dive. The 129m long English Freighter was bombed by German aviation on 6th October 1941. Extremly interesting dives on a wreck that is exceptional for its historic interest and condition. Maximum depth is 32 m. Inside can be find motorcycles and cars from 2nd world war. Home of large schooling fish.
ROSALIE MOLLER
In 1941 on its way to Alexandria the Rosalie Moller, loaded with coal, was at anchor between the islands Gubal and Queisum when it was attacked by German bombers. It was just a few days after the sinking of the Thistlegorm, when 2 bombs hit the vessel and ripped a huge hole in the hold on the starboard side.
Now the 110m long wreck is standing upright, as if "parked", on the sand in about 50m depth.
As there is no reef as a reference, the divers have to descend along a mooring line to reach the deck in 25m. The marine life that can be observed over there is amazing. Thousands of glass fish on the deck and around the bridge, among which large shoals of jacks, snappers and tuna can be spotted. Big groupers and huge lion fish have settled in the bow and stern section.
The deck is still quite intact, it is easy to explore its deckhouses and swim up the ladders leading to the bridge. At the bow you can find the giant port side anchor still up. In the stern section the enormous propeller and rudder are worth visiting as well. Probably due to some improperly mooring of diving boats the stern mast is broken down. Meanwhile, the funnel is fallen to the port side; it bears a large "M" on it, the emblem of the shipping company Moller.
GHIANNIS D
The wreck of the Ghiannis D is probably the most famous and photogenic amongst the wrecks of Abu Nuhas.
The cargo ship, transporting timber, ran to the reef in 1983 and sank. Now the 100m long wreck is lying close to the reef in a depth of 27m. Midships it is completely destroyed, iron parts of the hull and remains of the timber are scattered around and provide good shelter for giant moray eels. The bow and stern are still intact.
The engine room with its two huge diesel engines and other premises in the stern section are easy to enter and to explore, but due to the oblique position of the Ghiannis D the diver’s sense of balance might be disturbed!
Be careful whilst diving along the deck rail and through the bridge if there is a heavy swell, the suction can pull you through doors or windows!
It is recommendable to ascend along the main mast, which reaches up to 5m and enjoy the marine life around the wreck during the safety stop. Groups of batfish, fusiliers and sometimes a big napoleon will accompany you
CARNATIC
The wreck of the Carnatic is the oldest one of the four wrecks at Shaab Abu Nuhas. The cargo ship, transporting wine bottles and copperplates, sank 1869 after its collision with the reef.
Now the 90m long wreck is lying on its port side in a depth of 28m, reaching up to 17m. As the wooden floor rotted away the entire hull looks like a skeleton, covered with soft corals. The free view into the holds shows huge clouds of glass fish and numerous lion fish. When you decide to grope your way through the holds, take care, not to destroy the beautiful coral coverage or not to come in touch with the lion fish and remains of broken wine bottles on the ground.
CHRISOULA K
The Chrisoula K was supposed to sail to Jeddah, carrying Italian floor tiles when it hit the reef of Abu Nuhas in 1981. The 100m ship sank at the reef slope, its bow at 4m and the stern at 25m.
Due to the frequent strong currents and heavy swell the wreck got a bit unstable over the last years. So the stern is now nearly separated from the main body. The cargo of tiles still remains in the hold, easy to look at also from outside the wreck. There are some areas to dive through but always be aware of obstacles like broken beams or iron.
KIMON M.
The cargo ship Kimon M. loaded with lentils, ran to the north eastern part of Shaab Abu Nuhas in 1978. After few days of being stuck on the reef, storm and waves pushed the ship down, the bow broke off; the main body sank on its starboard side to a depth between 10-29m. Due to currents and storms most sections of the wreck became instable. Only the stern with its huge propeller is still quite intact and easy to dive. The penetration of the wreck is not recommended, it is too dangerous. But because of its size it's also impressive, to just dive around and have a look from outside. You will find a school of batfish accompanying you and sometimes a huge napoleon observing the scenery.
DUNRAVEN
In 1876 on its way back from Bombay, the British steamship Dunraven loaded with cotton, wood and spices hit Shaab Mahmoud (South Sinai) at Beacon rock, caught fire and sunk.
The 80m wreck is lying upside down in two sections next to each other, along the base of the reef in a depth between 18- 29m. Its port side is partially dug in the sand of the reef slope. As it is covered with hard and soft corals, it looks a bit like a part of the reef. The dive around the wreck offers a lot of marine life. Moray eels as well as stone fish and crocodiles found their habitats here. Close to the large propeller a big Napoleon sometimes patrols and watches divers. In the starboard side some large openings in the hull allow to penetrate. Huge shoals of glassfish surround the steam engine, the boilers and remains of the steering gear.
ULYSSES
The Ulysses was a 95 meter (311 feet) long steamship also rigged for sail that sank at Gubal Seghir, an island in the Strait of Gubal over several days. The ships voyage was from England to China and after passing through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal, the ship ran aground on the northern side of Gubal Seghir. After several days with inclimant weather, the ship sank. The propellar, shaft and engine remain in place as well as some of the loading equipment on the deck.
EL MINA WRECK
The Russian built minesweeper El Minya was sunk in 1970 during military tension between Egypt and Israel following Israel's capture of the Sinai Peninsula in 1967. In retaliation to Egypt attempting to regain control of the Sinai Peninsula, Israel launched a bomb on the starboard side of her bow and she was sunk. The 58 meter (190 feet) ship now lies on her port side at a maximum depth of 32 meters (104 feet). The anti-aircraft guns are still in place towards the rear of the ship. The ship is home to large schools of glassfish and many other species of fish.
MV SALEM EXPRESS WRECK
The Salem Express is the most controversial wreck in the Red Sea due to the tragic loss of life that occurred when she sank. The Salem Express was built in 1964 and was a roll on, roll-off ferry for vehicles and passengers. She operated between the ports of Safaga in Egypt and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. In 1991, she departed Jeddah with over 700 passengers with pilgrims returning from the holy city of Mecca and collided with Hyndman Reef during an unexpected storm and sank. Tragically, most lost their lives. Divers will be in awe because of the large size of the wreck. There are few hard corals growing on the wreck but divers will see jacks, pipefish etc. The ship is resting at a depth of 12 – 30 meters (39 – 100 feet) on its starboard side with its bow doors wide open. The lifeboats with the distinct “S” emblem are indications that it sank so fast, the crew didn’t even get the chance to lower them. The twin propeller blades and the smoke stacks are other external attractions of the Salem Express.
EL KHAFAIN WRECK
The El Khafain was built in the UK in 1967 and the original name was the Ulster Queen. It is one of the newer shipwrecks in the Red Sea and sank in 2005. She was a roll on, roll-off ferry for vehicles and passengers and similar in appearance to the Salem Express. The ship departed Hurghada enroute to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia when an explosion occurred in the engine room and started a fire which spread quickly. There was an attempt to tow the ship to port but it capsized while in tow, drifted and sank in 25 meters (82 feet) of water with the top of the wreck at 6 meters (20 feet).