Rating:

"Getting lost in the colours, a coral grouper under every coral head, the thrill of hammerheads in the summer and fun in the currents!
Jen

"In one single dive I've seen 10 manta rays, 2 hammerheads and a whale shark.
Bruno, 2008

A beautiful reef and our boat was the only one there so we weren't cramped for space!
Alex

A technical dive, looking up from inside Thomas canyon gives you the chance to experience the sheer walls and 4atm of water stained in different shades of blue that you dreamt of after reading those scuba mags in the newsagent as a kid...
Ethan Fox

Absolutly fantastic, might be beyond limits for recreational diving but well worth doing a course just to see it.
Brendan Lund

Rating:

Best done as a drift dive dropping in on Anenome City. Then swim across blue for a few minutes to hit shark reef, a huge pinacle with a sandy plateau at about 9m on one side and a drop off to infinity on the other! Whichever side you choose the current will take you on to Yolanda reef, another pinnacle with the scattered cargo of toilets and the remaining part of the Yolanda. Fantastic colour, soft corals, every type of small fish, as well as huge Napoleon Wrasses, turtles, giant morrays, rays, jacks, tuna, barracuda and sharks. Stunning!
Jon Hill

The exhilaration of the wall followed by the beauty of the corals round Yolanda. Getting lost in the awesome schools of snappers, emperors, unicorn fish, jacks and barracudas in the summer. Wow.
Jen

In Ras Muhamed national park Shark and Yolanda reef is beautifully preserved. In the summer months many fish school in this area and you have an oppertunity to see the strange cargo of toilets from the wreck Yolanda. A visit to the blue also always uncovers other bigger fish such as shark.
Russell Welch

Saw two tiger sharks around 2 metres long, about 5-10m away
Alex

Three reefs together actually. Great diversity of critters and coral. Jay, 2008

I saw my first shark and historical amphoras in Yolanda reef. Alan Welton, 2007

Incredible fish life and drift diving feels like flying.
Andi Hutchinson

A lovely wreck with marvellous silhouettes against the surface. This Greek ship sunk in 1983 after colliding with a wreck. 100 m long, the stern rests at 23 m. It is lying at a 45^o and can be slightly disorientating. You can go in the engine room, which is big. Other rooms lead off this. Look out for an enormous grey mottled moray eel, of sea serpent proportions, as well as coral, prawns, mullet, butterfly fish and pretty pipefish (Corythoichthys schultzi).

The Ghiannis D is north of Sha'ab Abu Nuhâa reef, in the Strait of Gobal.

For more details see Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea or Red Sea Wrecks Northern Egypt.

"An absolutely beautiful wreck, teeming with life. If you have the nerve, penetrating the wreck provides an excellent view of this huge ship. One of my favourite dives in the Red Sea, and one which has to be done if you are near it. Shoals of Batfish, Giant Moray Eels, and the wreck itself are all amazing! "
Ben Ashcroft

The Carnatic is on the North side of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas Reef in the Straits of Gobal. She was a sail and steam ship launched in 1862. In 1869 see struck and remained fixed on the reef. For two days she remained there with all passengers and crew staying on board. Just as they were abandoning ship she broke in half. Thirty-one people died but the rest reached the lifeboats and Shadwan Island. For more information see http://www.touregypt.net/vdc/Carnatic.htm, Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea or Red Sea Wrecks Northern Egypt.

"Did the R.M.S Rhone many years ago in the British Virgin Islands, and loved it. A diver on the same boat told me about a virtually identical wreck off Hurghada, with similar tragic history/intrigue. The dive centre did it as a 'special trip' when the sea was flat and needed 7 minimum to go. An extra 20 Euros for this day - did another brilliant wreck as well - Giannis D, 100 metres away. Best diving 'day' I've had to date. "
Julie

The bottom of this wreck slopes down from 7 to 22 m at the stern with the propellor and wheelhouse. At the shallow end of the wreck is a slightly broken up reef. The stern points north-east and currents are generally mild and south-flowing. A Greek boat with a cargo of tiles and stone, it was sunk in 1981. Look out for spanish dancers, schools of striated fusiliers (Caesio striata), box fish (Ostracion trachys) and masked butterfly fish (Chaetodon semilarvatus).

The Chrisoula K is on the eastern side of Sha'ab Abu Nuhâa reef, in the Strait of Gobal.

For more details see Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea or Red Sea Wrecks Northern Egypt.

This makes a good night dive. The barge is literally crammed full of fish, along with several lion fish (Pterois miles and P. Radiata). Take your camera. An enormous, toothless, moray also patrols here. Look in the coral for tiny crabs (Trapezia rufopuctata).

For more details see Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea or Red Sea Wrecks Northern Egypt.

The boat is upright, but only the hull remains.

The barge is opposite Bluff Point Lighthouse, in the Strait of Gobal.

A fantastic dive, which has been voted one of the Top Ten Dives in the World. You'll need to do this more than once to explore more than a tiny part of the wreck.

Thistlegorm is Gaelic for Blue Thistle. A British vessel, it was attacked from the air and sunk in 1941 whilst carrying a cargo of war supplies: rifles, motor bikes, train carriages, trucks. A big wreck - 131 metres long. Currents can be strong, and in different directions at the surface and at the wreck.

We don't have space to describe everything there is to see on the Thistlegorm, which is in very good condition. The Diving Guide to the Red Sea Wrecks contains 17 pages on this one wreck.

The Thistlegorm is in the Strait of Gobal, north of Ras Mohammed. For photos see our Thistlegorm Gallery.

For more details see Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea or Red Sea Wrecks Northern Egypt.

"The eeriness of diving there in a rough sea with the clanking sound of the anchor chains on which she sank beating against the fairleads, & looking through the ship's rails, bent & broken by the explosion, make you respect those who lost their life when she sank all those years ago."
Ben Sennett

"The shipwreck is one of the most marvellous dives I have done to date. The holds cargo is extremely historic, whether is be the BSA motorcycles, or the various Morris trucks in hold 2. An absolutely cracking dive, which should be done sooner rather than later, as it is quickly deteriorating due to the swarms of divers visiting each week! "
Ben Ashcroft

"If you are ever diving in the Red Sea area you must take a trip to the Thistlegorm no matter how early you have to get up to do it. I got up at 4 in the morning to do some early dives there. A fully preseved wreck where it's not only the superstructure but also the entire cargo including boots, rifles and trucks. "
Russell Welch

"Most fantastic recreationally accessible wreck I have ever been on. 126 m of beautifully coral encrusted hull with an astonishing load of trains, motorbikes, jeeps, tanks and artillery...to name just a few wonderful highlights, that never look the same twice. Maybe it's becuase you never have to dive it the same way twice - always a new route, up in one way, out another...oh and don't forget the sight of the propeller as you come around the stern. Ahhh! fantastic. "
Ashley Kidd

"Huge wreck with so much to explore, and very good penatration options. Full of equiptment, motorbikes cars and a couple of tanks to top it off, lots of marine life and several very large schools. "
Dan Harding, 2006

"A real priviledge to step back in time and see such a well preserved and interesting wreck "
Andy Ebner, Ireland, 2007

"Just returned from Sharm where I dove on the SS Thistlegorm. The site had been closed down by Egyptian authorities for a month to install buoys on the side of wrecks so diving boats would not use anymore the wreck as a point of anchorage. Most dive operators could not find the new buoys and ending up tying up the rope to the wreck...Otherwise, by far the best wreck I ever dove, excellent visibility and truly an experience worth getting at 4 am for. "
Nick, Switzerland, 2008

The Rosalie Moeller was sank two days after the Thistlegorm by the German Luftwaffe. Cargo was coal, so not as exciting, and the wreck is deeper, sitting in about 45 m. But it is totally intact and very scenic. For more pictures see Room 9 of our Photo Gallery.

For more details see Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea or Red Sea Wrecks Northern Egypt.

The wreck lies upside-down. Enter the wreck at the stern. You can then swim the entire length inside to the bow, which is on the reef (18 m). Be careful not to stir up the sand and mud on the bottom. End the dive by swimming along the reef. Lots of sea life. An enormous napoleon or maori wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) may greet you on the way down. The wreck is broken half way along, and an amazing shoal of glass fish school here. Look also for nudibranchs and regal angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus), plus large groupers.

The Dunraven was a British ship, returning from Bombay to Newcastle carrying a cargo of wool and cotton. It sank in the 1870s. It was powered by both sail and steam.

Like many wrecks, the Dunravn is in the Strait of Gobal, north of Beacon Rock and 12 km West of Ras Mohammed.

For more details see Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea or Red Sea Wrecks Northern Egypt.

The Kingston ran into the reef at Shag Rock in 1881, with no loss of life. She lies on a sloping reef wall in 4-19 m of water. Large shoals of goatfish stay close to the wreck, giant morays live within and turtles are often seen there. The wreck lies perpendicular to the current so can provide shelter. The reef it lies on is very pretty featuring a mass of hard table corals.

The Kingston was built in 1871 and was one of a new type of ship which had a funnel as well as two masts. When she was first discovered, she was referred to as the Sarah H until her real identity was discovered.

For more details see Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea or Red Sea Wrecks Northern Egypt.