SS TTHISTLEGORM

DESCRIPTION:

• The SS Thistlegorm is a World War II shipwreck located in the north of the Red Sea in the Gubal Straits. It is a former 128m British transport ship sunk in 1941 after a German air raid. The SS Thistlegorm was built in Sunderland, UK. It was used to transport various war supplies during World War II and was armed with a gun. Before her last trip, she made three trips to America, Argentina and the Netherlands Antilles. On October 6, 1941, she was hit by two bombs and quickly sank, killing 9. In 1952, Jacque-Yves Cousteau rediscovered the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm after following information from the fishermen. In 1956, National Geographic made a first documentary about this wreck. The wreck of the SS Thistlegorm now lies in 30m of water. The deepest point is the buttress, about 32 m deep and the shallowest part is only 16 m deep. The current can sometimes be quite strong at this point, making the dive quite challenging. Visibility is often good but can be limited by the silt in the water depending on the current and weather conditions. This dive is reserved for PADI Advanced Open Water and CMAS 2* due to the depth being under 20m
• What's really great about the SS Thistlegorm wreck are the artifacts you can see underwater. All the cargo destined for the British Army from Montgomery still rests here. Jeeps, trucks, motorcycles, generators, crates of guns, airplane wings and engines, folding beds and even tubs for laundry staff, and that's not all. The marine life around the wreck is really great and you can meet bat fish, a resident turtle, barracuda

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Location: 27° 49' 03" N - 33° 55' 14"E (Shaab Ali Riff, the Straits of Gubal)
• Reef Summary: Wreck diving
• Depth: 15 - 25m
• Depth: 16 - 33m
• Water temperature: 22 - 28°C
• Experience level: Advance
• Distance: 40 km (3 hrs) West of Sharm El Sheikh

1 DAY TRIP TO THE AMAZING SS THISTLEGORM WRECK ( 2 DIVES )

• SS Thistlegorm was a British merchant ship classified as an armed freighter, sailing from England around the cape of Africa and up through the Suez and destined for Alexandria, Egypt. On the night of October 6th 1941, during the Second World War, in a surprise attack by a pair of Heinkel HE-111 bombers two 2.5 tons high explosive bombs were dropped and sank the ship. In the 1950s Jacques Cousteau found the wreckage with the help of the local fishermen.

• The cargo the SS Thistlegorm was carrying now makes this ship an underwater museum that we as divers get the privilege to still see. Inside the holds are Bedford Trucks, Universal Carrier armored Vehicles, Norton 16H and BSA motorcycles, Airplane wings for Westland Lysanders, cases of ammunition, Lee Enfield MK III Rifles and wellington boots, outside you can find 4 Bren Gun Carriers, Lms Stanier Class 8 F Steam Locomotives with coal and water tenders, a 3-inch light anti- aircraft gun and a 4-inch cannon from WW1 which was only ever test fired once.

• 2 dives are offered on the wreck one outside and one inside. The currents around the wreckage can be strong and the average depth for the dive is 24 metres and always below 18 metres for these reasons we ask divers to have proficient buoyancy levels, hold a certification to 30 metres and dive on Nitrox for the 2 dives.

• The flora and fauna on and around the wreck is also a sight to see. The nudibranchs seem larger, the jacks play in the currents, crocodile fish lie on the deck making the ship feel alive again.

INFORMATION:

• The trip starts at 5.30am from the marina, the trip can take up to 2.5 hours, your Pick up will be from the MAIN SECURITY GATE of YOUR Hotel. Please expect to wait up to 5 to 10 minutes for our shuttle bus service to arrive. In case of any changes, you can contact us or send us message on (WhatsApp): +201002586481.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• You will receive a confirmation email and invoice/voucher instantly after booking
• If you do not receive an email from us, please check your spam folder or notify us via email

PLEASE NOTE:

• For this trip all divers start with a regular dive from house reef
• For divers with last dive one year ago or more, a Scuba Review / Refresher is mandatory before joining boat trips.
• Free transfer to and from all hotels within Sharm El-Sheikh
• Minimum age of 15 years and above
• A diver must have at least Advanced Open Water Diver certification and 15 logged dives

Supplement to Dive Package 120 £

DUNRAVEN

Description:

• Dunraven was launched in December 1873 . At the Mitchell & K shipyard in Newcastle, England. It was recorded in the register as an "iron screw steam vessel" and was a sailing-steam brigantine.Dunraven developed a speed of up to 8 knots. The ship is 79.6 m long and 9.8 m wide.In March 1876, on her voyage up the Suez from India to the UK, she ran on to the reef and stuck fast off Shaab Mahmoud, south of Sharm El Sheikh. The crew worked frantically for 14 hours to dislodge her but she capsized and sank to the seabed at 30m with her cargo of cotton and wool. The crew was eventually rescued by local fishermen.The wreck was only rediscovered in 1979. Dunraven lies keel up on a vast sandy plateau with rare corals. The bow of the ship rests against the reef at a depth of 17 meters and this depth is the minimum for this dive. The stern lies at a depth of 29 meters towards the sea.
• The cavernous hull of the Dunraven is adorned with soft corals and black corals and is full of schooling goatfish and glassfish, squirrelfish and a few groupers and moray eels. The exterior of the Dunraven's hull is now covered in hard corals, with sea whips and gorgonians hanging from the vertical sections. It's a great place to spot nudibranchs, crocodilefish, scorpionfish and colorful clouds of fairy basslets.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Location: 27° 42' 22" N, 34° 07' 02"E (Shaab Mahmoud Reef, South of Beacon Rock Reef)
• Depth: 17 - 29m
• Visibility: 15 - 25m
• Currents: Can be strong
• Surface conditions: Generally calm
• Water temperature: 22 - 28°C
• Experience level: Intermediate - advanced
• Diving season: All year round
• Distance: 40 km (3 hrs) West of Sharm El Sheikh

DAHAB

Description:

• Dahab offers fantastic scuba diving opportunities to suit diving-mad enthusiasts. Most of the diving in Dahab is done from the shore, with a jeep transfer provided to take you to the best entry points along the coast for buzzing coral reefs. The marine life is fantastic with all the usual reef fishes of the Red Sea and pelagic fishes like barracudas and jacks. Dahab often pleases with unusual things – on dive sites you can meet moonfish, electric stingrays and stingrays, huge winged manta rays, lobsters, flocks of large milkfish.If you go to protected areas such as Ras Mumlach or Ras Abu Galum, you can find superb and vibrant hard and soft coral.
• What really makes famous Dahab, is the world famous Blue Hole dive site. It is a large 70 m wide hole within the coral reef going down to 80 m and with a 30 m long arch going to the open sea on its bottom. It is a great dive site for all divers with nice coral and reef life.Another fantastic dive site in Dahab is called the Canyon and consists of a kind of underwater tube going down to 30 meters. This site is reserved to experienced divers as well.

There are about 20 dive sites around Dahab. The best ones are:

Dahab Blue Hole

The Bell

Tehe Canyon

Eel Garden

Lighthouse Reef

The Islands

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Water temperature: 21 - 26°C
• Experience level: Intermediate - advanced
• Distance: 100 km North of Sharm El Sheikh