This Red Sea diving safari offers a mixed itinerary of wreck diving and reef diving. You will visit the most impressive wrecks in the Northern Red Sea, as well as stunning reef diving.
This cruise has something for everyone. Starting from Hurghada and sailing north gives a perfect combination of reef diving and wreck diving. The famous horseshoe shaped reef of Shaab El Erg is a perfect example of the reefs on offer on this cruise with its beautiful hard coral garden and the chance to see dolphins. Abu Nuhas has four well-known wrecks: Giannis D, Carnatic, the lentil wreck and the tile wreck, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of fish life.
Night dives can be superb in this area Gubal Island offers protected anchoring for the night. A small wreck at 8-10 metres makes for a spectacular night dive with lionfish, scorpion fish and its resident giant moray eel.
Dunraven
The wreck of this 72 m long English steamer lies at the southern point of Shaab Mahmoud, amongst the series of shallow reefs and lagoons. Sunk in 1876 on its way from Bombay to England carrying a cargo of spices and timber, 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.
Sha’ab 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. These make an excellent night dive.
Giannis D
This large Greek freighter hit the reef in1983 and slowly sank over six weeks. The wreck is split into two sections, lying at a maximum depth of 28 metres. The stern section is the most impressive because it can be entered through the many entry and exit points, although it can be disorientating due to the angle at which the wreck lies. The engine room is full of glass fish, and it is possible to observe all sorts of fish swimming by : snappers, jacks, eagle rays and sharks.
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. 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.
Jackson Reef
Most northerly of the reefs of Tiran and the northern limit of day boats from Sharm El Sheikh. The wreck of the “Lara” lies at the northern end. There is superb wall diving along its entire perimeter, with numerous buttresses and gullies. Sightings of sharks, turtles and other big fish are not uncommon and you will find a huge diversity of different corals and sponges as well as clouds of trigger fish, masked puffers and banner fish. At the point you may be lucky and spot a Hammerhead in summer.
Thomas Reef
Between Gordon and Woodhouse reefs, smaller round reef with walls plunging deep and fully covered with soft coral, gorgonians and colourful fish life. It is almost possible to circumnavigate this reef in one dive. The east wall plunges dramatically to great depths with a mass of brightly coloured soft corals. The west wall is darker with overhangs and caves but is a great drift dive with sightings of Trevally and Tuna in the blue and schooling reef fish close to the reef.
Ras Mohammed
Really several dive sites Ras Mohammed has earned itself a reputation as one of the top dive sites in the world, here at the tip of the Sinai where the vast bodies of water the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba meet has created an ecosystem like no other and wall diving at its very best.
The SS Thistlegorm
A short ride across the straits of Gubal and you visit the most famous wreck of the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm! An awe-inspiring World War II British vessel with a cargo full of armaments (Bedford trucks and BSA motorbikes), which were all destined for the British troops in North Africa. She was sunk by the German Luftwaffe and now lies in 30 metres of water. Depending on divers’ experience, weather and current conditions, we also try to offer a night dive here.