Nearby Wrecks

Go back

The wreck of the SS Thistlegorm lies at 30 meters in the Strait of Gubal and forty kilometers as the crow flies from Sharm el-Sheikh (hence the early start). Within a relatively short time, this British merchant navy ship, loaded with war cargo, that was sunk in 1941 during World War II, became an icon of diving in the Red Sea. Large parts of the cargo, such as BSA motorcycles, jeeps, trucks, locomotives, aircraft parts and ammunition are still in the wreck, giving divers the impression of an underwater museum. Thistlegorm isn't only an impressive shipwreck, it is an artificial reef and a wide variety of marine life exploit this. Usually you will find large numbers of fusilier fish around the wreck. Orbicular spadefish, snappers, lionfish, scorpionfish, groupers, crocodilefish, Napoleon wrasse, nudibranchs and morays are not uncommon. If you dive early enough, you'll find a resident hawksbill turtle on the wreck and with a bit of luck, sharks, barracudas or dolphins sometimes can be spotted there as well. At certain times of the year, you can find the wreck literally covered in silversides and watch frenzied trevallies hunting them. It is exactly this mixture of fascinating WW2 underwater museum and quirly underwater life, that makes this wreck dive so incredibly impressive.

This is the largest and one of the youngest wrecks in the Egyptian Red Sea. The Million Hope lies upright at a depth of max. 26 m and extends till above the surface. The crack, which is the result of the impact, enables divers to enter the empty holds, whose cargo of potash and phosphorus luckily has been recovered in time. Overgrown with soft corals and home to glass fish, lionfish and various nudibranchs, this wreck offers lots to discover and for photography, especially the huge propeller is a fantastic photo motive. Due to its unprotected location, north of Tiran, on the coast of Nabq, this wreck can only be dived in best weather and sea conditions.

The Dunraven is a British, 79 m long steam and sailing ship, that struck the reef in 1876 and is now keel up between 29m and 15 m, next to the reef. During the long time underwater, the wreck became home to many underwater creatures and is now so overgrown with coral, that you barely realise where the reef starts. Although the Dunraven's cargo, which consisted of wood, spices and cotton, was recovered by a team of archaeologists, the cargo hold is inviting to explore and is home to moray eels and various nudibranches. When you leave the wreck to continue your dive relaxed along the reef, keep an eye out for the stone fishes, there are usually plenty of them hiding on the reef.

Originally from Germany, the Kormoran was built in 1963 and sank in 1984, when it rammed the reef due to a navigational error. The impact was so strong, that the cargo ship lost almost its entire bow, two large cracks opened on its left side and the superstructure was irreparably damaged. The wreck is located north of Tiran at a depth of 3 to 12 m, on a sloping plateau on a shallow fringing reef that is overgrown with beautiful table corals. Due to its unprotected location, the wreck can only be dived in the best weather and sea conditions.