The Red Sea is one of the most popular diving destinations in the world and its wrecks are one of their main attractions. From battles remains of World War II, to steamboats over a century old underwater now loaded with corals, maritime tragedies with hundreds of lost lives or submarines powder kegs that still hold tons of bombs, thousands of divers approach the Red Sea for its wrecks. These are 10 of the best wrecks of the Red Sea.
SS THISTLEGORM
The SS Thistlegorm was a British freighter sunk by Third Reich bombers October 6th, 1941. The Thistlegorm lies in the waters of Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt) and has become one of the most famous wrecks in the world, giving you the chance to dive among the vehicles it carried to the North African campaign.
SALEM EXPRESS
The Salem Express represents one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the Red Sea. This ferry sank in 1991 in Hurghada (Egypt) taking over 400 lives with it. Today we can still find on this wreck belongings of the passengers returning from the pilgrimage to Mecca.
GIANNIS D
The Giannis D has become a classic wreck of the northern routes of the Red Sea, especially among the photographers who visit it, trying to take pictures as extraordinary as this one by Jordi Benitez. The Giannis D, lying on Abu Nuhas Reef (Egypt), hosts plenty of wildlife, from dolphins to reef sharks, napoleon wrasse or giant parrotfish.
UMBRIA
The Umbria is probably a unique case in naval history as it was the boat captain the one who sent the ship to the bottom of Sudan. The Umbria is now a tinderbox that has become an underwater jewel, holding more than 5,000 tons of bombs inside a hull full of coral and life.
CARNATIC
The Carnatic is one of the oldest shipwrecks in the Red Sea, sunk more than 150 years ago, near the Abu Nuhas reef of (Egypt). This wreck is also known as the «Wreck of wine» for its cargo of hundreds of bottles of port wine, some of them still intact.
THE NUMIDIA
The Numidia was a 137 meter long British freighter which sank in the Brother Islands in 1901. Today it is beautifully decorated with lots of corals. We can see the remains of the wagons and construction materials that the Numidia was carrying to Calcutta when the disaster happened.
ROSALIE MOLLER
The Rosalie Moller is another one of those remains that World War II left in the northern Red Sea. The freighter, which was carrying coal, was sunk by two Henkel He 111 bombers in the same operation that ended with the Thistlegorm. The Rosalie Moller remained missing for half century 50 meters deep.
KINGSTON
The Kingston is one of the «grandfathers» of the Red Sea. Sunk in 1881 near Ras Mohammed National Park, its remains have become a coral reef teeming with life.
YOLANDA
The Yolanda was a Cypriot freighter that has given its name to the reef with which it crashed against in 1985, the Yolanda Reef. The oddest thing about this wreck is that its cargo (sinks, toilets and tubs) are scattered across the bottom and creating an unusual picture.
DUNRAVEN
The SS Dunraven is another wreck that has been for more than a century under the Red Sea waters. Sunk in 1876 in Sharm el Sheik, diving in the Dunraven you can see the engines, gear or shaft of one of the first ships to cross the Suez Canal on its way from the UK to India.
