Abu Nuhas wrecks

Why are there so many wrecks at Abu Nuhas?

Sha'ab Abu Nuhas barely breaks the surface at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez, on the route of ships heading down from the canal into the Red Sea. Poorly marked and invisible at night, it claimed four cargo ships in just over a century, all on its north face, the seaward side. The wrecks stayed where they slid off the reef, between 4 and 32 meters, close enough to one another that a day on the boat covers two. That is what makes Abu Nuhas the most visited wreck site in the Red Sea after the Thistlegorm.

What is left of the Carnatic, wrecked in 1869?

The oldest and, for many, the most beautiful. The Carnatic is a British steamer of the P&O company, built in 1862, which ran aground on the reef in September 1869 on her way from Suez to Bombay. The ship stayed stuck on the coral, then broke up; about thirty people died in the wreck. The wooden deck disappeared long ago: what remains is the hull lying on its port side between 18 and 27 meters, and above all its iron ribs, rising in an open lattice that light passes straight through. Divers swim through it from the inside, among morays and glassfish, and come out at the bow or the stern, both covered in soft corals.

How do you dive the Giannis D, wrecked in 1983?

The Giannis D is a 99 meter Greek cargo ship that ran aground on the reef in 1983, a few dozen meters from the Carnatic. It is the most complete wreck on the site: the stern, intact, lies listing to port between 13 and 27 meters, with its funnel, its bridge and its engine room, which you enter at an angle, since everything is tilted, in a cloud of glassfish. The bow, broken off, stands on the reef, and the midsection has collapsed. Shallow and roomy, it is also the most accessible penetration on the reef, for trained divers with a guide.

What are the Chrisoula K and Kimon M wrecks like?

The Chrisoula K, a Greek cargo ship the same size as the Giannis D, hit the reef in 1981 with a load of Italian floor tiles, hence its nickname, the tile wreck: the bow is crushed on top of the reef, the stern rests at 27 meters, and the holds are still full of stacked tiles. The Kimon M, wrecked in 1978 with a cargo of lentils, is the deepest, between 15 and 32 meters, and the most exposed to swell: it is the first one dive centers drop from the schedule when the sea picks up, and so the least visited of the four, which gives it calmer marine life.

How do you plan a day trip to Abu Nuhas?

From Hurghada, Abu Nuhas is a long trip: two to two and a half hours at sea on the way out, two wrecks, lunch at anchor on the south side, and back in the late afternoon. It depends on the weather, and dive centers schedule it when the wind allows, often with one or two days' notice. The Giannis D and the Carnatic are the classic pair; the Chrisoula K and the Kimon M are mostly done on liveaboards, when you have time to stay on the reef. "North" liveaboards from Hurghada spend a full day here, sometimes two, before heading up to the Thistlegorm.