The Best Wreck Diving in The Red Sea

Ah, The Red Sea- the pinnacle of scuba diving. For most who have not dived The Red Sea, it remains at the top of their bucket list of diving goals and for those who have already had the opportunity of diving the Red Sea it now holds a special place in their memories. The Red Sea is very possibly the best scuba diving location in the world with some of the most amazing potential awaiting underwater.

It's hard to imagine that just meters from desert terrain stretching out for infinity is a world of colour, intrigue and complete bliss, though this often seems to be the case as Bonaire springs to mind, where too you find yourself standing on solid grounding, peering around and thinking "I hope it's more exciting than this underwater."

Once you take those first few steps (or that first plunge) into the waters of the Red Sea you are greeted by warm waters and great visibility, then you peer around a bit and it's as though you've just descended into another world. No longer is the sun stinging the back of your neck as you anxiously seek some shade or shelter, but instead you are in a world of perfection- marine life which rivals that anywhere else in the world, teeming about. There are healthy coral reefs which extend endlessly, and anemones housing families of Clown Fish. And last but most certainly not least is the wrecks!

The Red Sea offers some absolutely amazing wreck diving. I could go through all the wreck dives in the Red Sea but quite frankly that would take too long so I've decided to highlight the three best wreck dives in the Red Sea and give you a bit of history on the wrecks as well as their diving potential.

The Magnificent Giannis D Wreck in Wide Angle

Photo by Dray Van Beeck

Giannis D

The Giannis D wreck is probably one of my top 3 favourite dive sites, the dive takes place in the Straits of Gubal and is often reached via dive operators departing from El Gouna. The boat ride isn't too long and the only thing you should have to worry about on the boat ride to the Giannis D is the excitement.

When diving the Giannis D wreck you experience something completely new, many divers have wreck diving experience but when they dive the Giannis D they are suddenly humbled by its size and beauty, who could think that a sunken piece of metal could be so amazing? The Giannis D essentially offers everything you want when performing a wreck dive. She lies at a mere 27 meters and almost reaching 100 meters in length, she is massive, located in an area of only light current and yes one can penetrate this wreck. In fact most of the wreck allows divers to enter in and have a look around at what was once a mighty vessel.

The problem with many wreck dives around the world is that they tend to be located in areas far from healthy reefs and often lack the underwater landscape and vivid fish life that would just make the dive complete. Here is where the Giannis D comes in to save the day, she actually lies extremely close to a healthy reef and what's more is that the wreck has become home to numerous fish life and marine growth.

There are conflicting stories of just how this vessel met its fate and sank down to the picturesque bottom of the Red Sea. Some sources state it occurred when the Greek vessel hit a reef and others say it was when she collided with another wreck, whichever may be true the fact is that the Giannis D wreck now lies at a 45 degree angle on the ocean floor allowing divers some of the best wreck diving possible.

SS Thistlegorm at Night Time With 30 Second Exposure

Photo by Dray Van Beeck

SS Thistlegorm

Another world class wreck dive and probably for me personally, right next to the Giannis D wreck as far as wreck dives go. The SS Thistlegorm is another gigantic wreck measuring over 120 meters in length. She too lies in the Straits of Gubal, though is more often than not reached by operators from Ras Muhammad, and can be reached with a fairly short boat ride. The SS Thistlegorm wreck is recognized as one of the most popular wreck dives in the world, and it is easy to see why.

As with Giannis D when diving the SS Thistlegorm wreck, divers who think they have seen it all when it comes to wreck diving are in for a surprise as this monster of a vessel allows for some spectacular diving. She lies at a depth of just 30 meters making it another highly accessible dive site. The SS Thistlegorm also allows for penetration due to an explosion which damaged the midship superstructure. This means that divers are able to gain easy access into the wreck without having to squeeze through small cracks or doorways. You will able to see much of the original cargo that the SS Thistlegorm was carrying when she sunk, these objects include such things as armoured vehicles, motorcycles, trucks and many other smaller objects.

There are worries over just how long the SS Thistlegorm wreck will remain an exciting diving attraction though, as the years pass the wreck proceeds to deteriorate at an increasing rate due to both the natural process of rust and the added problems of anchoring from dive boats, a situation which was addressed by the installation of mooring buoys, though which later failed due to flaws in the concept. So don't wait too long before adding this dive to your log book.

As the case with much of the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm is located in an area of good visibility and rich in marine life. You will be able to see various fish swim past the wreck as well as a few eels possibly in the wreck itself. It is most certainly not a dive to miss when in Egypt.

For some history on the ship itself, the SS Thistlegorm before becoming a diving attraction was a British Merchant Navy ship which was built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1940. Sadly she would not spend much time above the surface as the completion of the ship only happened in early 1941. When not even a year later, in October of the same year while on a voyage to Alexandria, Egypt she fell to German attack. The SS Thistlegorm originally wanted to take the path through the Mediterranean, but at the time there were significant numbers of German presence, so they decided to take the much longer trip south around the tip of South Africa as part of a convoy, where she refuelled in Cape Town and continued to proceed up the East Coast until approaching Suez Canal where they encountered problems continuing on because of a collision. The SS Thistlegorm was then moored at Safe Anchorage F, where she would remain until her last day. After anchoring, only a month later a German attack force dropped 2 bombs on the largest vessel moored at said anchorage, and hence the sinking of the SS Thistlegorm.

The 19th Century Dunraven Wreck

Photo by Matt Kieffer

HMS Dunraven

The HMS Dunraven wreck is another one of the Red Sea's large wrecks which lies in very accommodating depths. The HMS Dunraven is often overlooked because of the more superior wrecks mentioned above (SS Thistlegorm and Giannis D), though don't let this deter you on the quality of this dive site. As with the above the HMS Dunraven offers some excellent quality diving with the Red Sea's trademark visibility and marine life both being present at the HMS Dunraven as well. The HMS Dunraven wreck lies at a mere 28 meters and extends more than 80 meters in length, though due to the wrecks age the HMS Dunraven is mostly broken up.

One of the best aspects of diving the HMS Dunraven is the location in which it lies. The HMS Dunraven wreck lies in an area of numerous healthy reefs and even a nearby lagoon. These reefs are actually what caused the HMS Dunraven's downfall as she sank in 1896 when she ran into one of these reefs. There are rumors that the sinking of the vessel was caused by an argument between the captain of the vessel and his wife, whom apparently had been unfaithful. To add to this dive site is the presence of another wreck from the 19th century located in close proximity. The remains of the HMS Dunraven lies upside down and one is able to enter the stern of the wreck.

As mentioned the HMS Dunraven is located in very shallow waters and can even be reached at depths under 20 meters in parts. This makes it an excellent dive site for the less experienced divers who still want to get something out of the Red Sea.

Marine life is definitely a highlight when diving the HMS Dunraven and divers are often able to encounter numerous Glassfish, Grouper some Scorpionfish, Jackfish and much more. After the actual dive of the HMS Dunraven is complete, you are able to make a slow ascent along the healthy reefs which surround the wreck.