Diving in Egypt: Explore the Ghostly Wrecks of the Red Sea
Kenzy Fahmy
Year after year, Egypt is listed as one of the top spots in the world for diving. The clear, warm waters of the Red Sea provide not only the perfect environment for life to flourish, but they also make for a diver’s paradise. A sea teaming with life, amazing visibility and warm temperatures all year round draw in divers from all over the globe to come and explore the underwater world. But it’s not just the coral reefs that bring people to Egypt.
The Red Sea is, and has been for a very long time, a vital route for travel and trade. Over 20,000 ships passed through the Suez Canal last year alone. And while the sea here is relatively calm and easy to navigate, the reefs that lie hidden beneath the water have proven to be treacherous obstacles that have taken countless ships. Dotting the sea bed are the ghostly remains of these sunken vessels, now a fascinating playground for divers and a small window into our maritime history.
SS Thistlegorm
Undoubtedly the most famous of the Red Sea shipwrecks, the SS Thistlegorm is a wreck diver’s dream. The WWII cargo ship sank in 1941 when it was attacked by a German bomber, a Heinkel He111, sending the ship to the depths of the sea and taking the lives of nine crew members and gunners. The Thistlegorm had set sail from Glasgow in May of 1941, loaded with military supplies for the British Army and sailing south around the horn of Africa and up through the Red Sea to Alexandria. By September she had reached the Gulf of Suez where she anchored and was to “await further instructions”, but those instructions never came, and two weeks later, on the 6th of October, she met her untimely fate.
Resting now at a depth of 30m – give or take – the Thistlegorm is one of the most popular shipwrecks in the world and a favorite of many divers. She still carries the ammunition, motorcycles, mines, cars, radios and more, all of which have become a home to sea life. Divers can swim through the ship, gliding in and out of rooms and between coral-covered war memorabilia; an experience few will forget.
SS Dunraven
The Dunraven, one of the older wrecks of the Red Sea, was a sail- and steam-powered ship that sank in 1876, just four years after it was launched. A navigational error, not uncommon at the time, caused it to run into the southern end of Sha’ab Mahmoud, a large coral reef off the coast of Ras Mohamed in Sinai. The ship had set sail from Liverpool carrying timber and steel to be sold in Mumbai, where she was then reloaded with a cargo of cotton and spices bound for England.
But she would never make it back home and the Red Sea would claim her like she has claimed many others. Her crew of 25 tried desperately to free her from the reef, and they succeeded, but this only worsened their situation and the ship eventually capsized and sank. Luckily they were near shore and the entire crew was saved, leaving the wreck behind for divers to discover again many decades later. The shallow depth makes for an effortless dive and a number of large holes in the hull allow divers to easily enter and explore the interior.
Salem Express
The sinking of the Salem Express was a tragedy, one that claimed more lives than many of the other wrecks combined. In December 1991, the ferry, carrying pilgrims back to Egypt from Jeddah, took an unauthorized route – now illegal – between the mainland and a group of reefs off the coast of Hurghada called the Hyndman Reefs. The experienced captain reportedly took this shortcut often, shortening the journey by two hours, and up until the night of the 15th, had never encountered any problems. But that night the weather conditions had taken a sudden turn, and the captain’s decision to take the shortcut regardless proved to be a fatal one. The ferry struck a reef, causing enough damage to almost instantly flood the car deck. In less than half an hour, the Salem Express had sunk beneath the waves; there wasn’t even enough time to deploy the lifeboats.
Diving here has been the subject of controversy; the accident happened recently enough for most of us to remember seeing it on the news and many are still uncomfortable at the thought of exploring the wreck. But it is permitted, with limitations. Divers are free to explore the ship’s exterior, which is almost completely intact, but entering the vessel is often forbidden.
Rosalie Moller
Just two days after the sinking of the Thistlegorm, this British cargo ship was to meet the very same fate. Originally named Francis, the ship was sold to the Moller Line in 1931 and renamed after one of the women in the Moller family. Less than ten years later, the Rosalie Moller was confiscated, as most British ships were during the war, by the Ministry of Transport and used to transport coal to different parts of the British empire.
Following the same route as the Thistlegorm, with a cargo of coal bound for British army camps in Egypt and North Africa, the Rosalie anchored in the Gulf of Suez awaiting safe passage through the Canal. And just like the Thistlegorm, it too was attacked by German Heinkel He111 bombers and sank to its final resting place, 45m beneath the surface. The Rosalie is one of the Red Sea’s best preserved wrecks, sitting upright and with almost everything still intact. It’s a beautiful dive, but the depth makes it accessible only to experienced divers.
SS Carnatic
Another 19th century victim of the Red Sea’s coral reefs, the SS Carnatic was a British steamer built in 1862 to carry cargo, as well as passengers, through Suez to India. In September 1869, loaded with general cargo, royal mail, 32 passengers, and 40,000 Pounds worth of unfinished coins, the Carnatic set sail for Mumbai. On the 12th, she struck a coral reef about 20 miles off the coast of what is now El Gouna. This same reef, named Sha’ab Abu Nahas (Father of Copper Reef) after the copper cargo the Carnatic was holding, has claimed at least six other ships over the years.
The ship’s captain, Captain P. B. Jones, made the decision not to abandon ship, despite the pleas of his passengers, deeming it safe enough to wait for another ship to pass and rescue them. Less than 48 hours later though, the ship began to flood, with water engulfing the boilers and cutting off all power.
Just as the captain was giving orders to abandon ship, the Carnatic split in half and sank, taking with it 31 lives. The survivors, which included the captain, were able to get to the nearby island of Shadwan where they were rescued the next day by the very same boat Jones was hoping would save them earlier. The Carnatic, along with the other wrecks scattered around Abu Nahas, is now a popular dive site, and rumors of hidden treasure persist until today despite the British having immediately carried out salvage operations in order to recover the lost coins.
SS Aida
The SS Aida was originally built by the French in 1911 as a lighthouse tender (carrying supplies and personnel to the lighthouses of the Red Sea) for the Egyptian Ports and Lighthouses Authority, but by WWII the ship was being used to ferry troops back and forth. On October 6th 1941, the very same day the Thistlegorm was hit, Aida was also targeted by a German Heinkel He111, but unlike the Thistlegorm, she was traveling at full speed and was able to avoid a direct hit. The captain reacted quickly and beached the ship before she could sink, saving both her and her crew.
After the war, the salvaged ship was handed over to the Egyptian Navy who used it to transport cargo and military personnel. In September 1957, sixteen years after surviving the German attack, Aida arrived at the coastguard station of Brothers Island carrying supplies and passengers for the lighthouse and military base stationed there. But the rough seas made offloading impossible and the ship careened into the rocks that surround the island; this time her captain could do nothing to save her. The wreck now lies at a steep angle, with parts as shallow as 12m and her stern at a depth of 56m. There are large portions of the ship that are still intact and the visibility here is usually great; that along with the vibrant corals and sea life make this one of the more interesting wreck dives in Egypt.
El Minya
Built by the Russians, El Minya was a minesweeper that sank in the 70s during the war between Egypt and Israel. Israel had launched a bombing raid on the seaside town of Hurghada targeting a radar tower, and the small minesweeper, at the time anchored at the city’s port, was struck on the starboard side of her bow and sank to the bottom of the harbor where she lies until today. The ship, like all wrecks, is now home to schools of fish and other sea creatures, recycled and reused. This dive is only recommended for experienced divers and even then, entering the ship is highly discouraged; steady deterioration means that the structure is unstable and collapse is likely. But the anti-aircraft guns are still intact and easily accessible and divers can get a glimpse of her interior through small openings like the blast hole.