North Safari (Wresk Tour)
The
"Thistlegorm" is probably the most famous wreck in the
Red Sea. The British ship was on the way to Egypt to bring military
equipment of all kinds for the British troops in North Africa. But
then on the 6 th of October 1941 a German bomber attacked the Thistlegorm.
Now the wreck is lying upright on the sea-bottom at 30-m depth.
Especially interesting is the cargo: Tanks, trucks, motorcycles,
weapons, railway carriage and one railway carriage and one railway
engine.
The Reef at Abu Nuhas is famous for wrecks. There are 4 wrecks
here, which are today an attraction point for divers all around
the world. For example the Greek cargo ship "Giannis D.",
which ran aground the reef on 19 th March 1983 and sank a short
time afterwards. It is now lying in a maximum depth of 27 m and
is overgrown with hard- and softcorals. The ship cracked down in
the middle. The better part of the two halves is the stern section.
Here it is easy to dive inside the wreck, because there are a lot
of entry and exit points. Because the wreck is leaning on a 45°
angle you will find yourself swimming up a stairwell which your
mind tells you are heading down. This effect is very disorientating.
The steamship "Carnatic" struck the reef in September
1869. She sank the following day as the weather worsened. She lies
in about 24-m depths. She has broken up amidships, leaving her bow
and stern intact. The decking has fallen away to be replaced by
a thick growth of tube sponges, alcyonarians and occasional table
corals, making her very photogenic. She is also laid open to light
from above and is easily penetrated.
The "Dunraven", a steam and sail-powered vessel used
to transport spices and timber, ran aground the reef Shaab Machmud
in March 1876 during a voyage from Bombay to Newcastle and sank
quickly. The ship broke in two, and her two halves came to rest
on the sea floor. The wreck lies upside down with the stern at a
depth of 28 m and the bow at 18 m. At the stern you find the propeller
and the rudder, which are overgrown with corals. Inside the wreck
you see thousands of glassfish.
The marine park Ras Mohammed offers dreamlike diving spots. For
example Shark Reef and Jolanda Reef. Both reefs are standing on
a plateau, which is 20 m deep. The edges of the plateau fall down
to more than 200 m. At the reef you will find nice softcorals, fish
are plentiful. With luck you can see sharks during your early morning
dive. At Jolanda Reef you can see the cargo of a Cypriot freighter
"Jolanda" which ran aground in 1980: a large quantity
of household toilets!
|