Intercontinental Plea

[HelenM]

OK, I have just had a phone call from Jules C from some random restaurant in El Gouna, and she has asked me to enlist the help of the great YD knowledge database.

She wants to know which wrecks in Abu Nuhas are an absolute must to dive whilst she is there. Can you please also give details of depth (both to the wreck and to the seabed) so that she can suss out if they are Ok for Bethi to dive too. Any other information on the sites would be great too please.

There will be those of you who are currently frowning and saying 'hmm, why didn't Jules ask this before she went'. I can only say that I put this question to the good lady herself this evening, and her response was 'I was busy' .

Ladies and gentlemen, the floor is yours. I'll pass on any help you can give, and can promise to give her suitable levels of abuse for not being more organised prior to her departure

Cheers all
H

[Dr Stevil]

From http://www.emperordivers.com/liveaboards_north.html

Abu Nuhas has four well-known wrecks - Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K and Seastar, all lying at moderate depths on a beautiful reef covered with a variety of hard corals.
Abu Nuhas
Also known as the ‘Ships Graveyard’, this reef is dangerously positioned close to the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Suez. This reef has claimed more ships than any other in the area. On the north side are four wrecks laying on a sandy seafloor at the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. The wrecks are sometimes inaccessible in anything other than a RIB or inflatable due to the heavy swell driving down the length of the gulf. On the south side is a safe anchorage for liveaboards and two beautiful ergs, known as Yellow fish reef that make an excellent third dive or night dive or an alternative if the weather is extremely bad.

Giannus D
This Greek freighter hit the reef in April 1983 and over the course of two weeks slowly broke in two and sank. She is the most dived wreck here, Laying in 28m and leaning to port with a fully intact stern section and an impressive engine room packed with glass fish. Locally known as the ’wood’ wreck for the cargo it was carrying when it sank. The bow is also very interesting but is a long swim out. She is a great wreck for penetration but beware of disorientation due to the angle at which she lays. Be weary of the many lion fish and scorpion fish that call this wreck home. and watch out strong surges in and around the wreck in rough weather.

Carnatic
A British P & O steamer which struck the reef in 1869. and sank the next day as the weather worsened. She was a passenger and mail ship and is sometimes known as the ‘wine’ wreck for the numerous bottles once found in the holds, sadly not many now remain to be seen. Rumor has it that she sank with forty thousand pounds sterling of gold bullion, much of which was never recovered. She lays in 29m and now the whole hull is draped in multicoloured soft corals and the inner areas are full of glass fish complete with red mouthed grouper sentinel. One davit supports a beautiful table coral. The wreck is now home to large grouper, octopus and morays and jacks and tuna cruise overhead.

Chrisoula K (27°34.92’N, 33°55.76’E)
Another Greek ship which sank in 1976, now laying in 30m is fully laden with stone floor tiles and sometimes called the ‘tile’ wreck for obvious reasons. Early morning divers may find a white tip reef shark sleeping under the rudder at the stern. Be weary of very limited and small entry/exit points into the engine room, however, penetration of the wreck is not recommended due to the unstable nature of the wreck.

Olden (27°34.98’N, 33°55.88’E)
Not a lot is known about this wreck except that it struck the reef in 1981 and is locally known as the ‘lentil’ wreck for the cargo she carried. Lying in 31m and completely on its starboard side exposing its huge hull on one side and gaping cargo holds on the other. Growth on the hull is fairly sparse due to the position and current. Large morays live in the scattered remains of wreckage on the starboard side and bat fish circle the topside. Most of the fish in the vacinity of the wreck are overweight from dining on the lentils leaching from the sacks once contained in her holds.

[Mark Davies]

The 'Big Four' wrecks at Abu Nuhas are:

Carnatic (max depth 25m)
Chrisoula K (max depth 25m)
Giannis D (max depth 27m)
Kimon M (max depth 32m) [now thought to be the correct name for the 'lentil' wreck]

My guide book suggests that they can be difficult sites in rough conditions (even impossible in some weather). The wrecks are all on the face of the rock, on a slope, so the average depth for each wreck is about 18m (some parts of Giannis D at only 8m).

So I guess it might all depend on the weather. I've not dived them yet, so I can't give a personal opinion on whether they might be suitable for Bethi. Perhaps someone else could help?

[Neil M]

H,

try http://www.flowersofsinai.com/itinary_sahb.htm

We did the wrecks there in march... They were very nice, but the one that sticks in my mind is the one full of tiles.... anyone??

Cheers
Neil

[Dr Stevil]

Originally Posted by Mark Davies

I've not dived them yet

Speaking of which, have you given Ooonas their brief on this yet?

[Dr Stevil]

Originally Posted by Neilm

H,

try http://www.flowersofsinai.com/itinary_sahb.htm

We did the wrecks there in march... They were very nice, but the one that sticks in my mind is the one full of tiles.... anyone??

Cheers
Neil

Chrisoula K, see info above

[Mark Davies]

Originally Posted by Steve W

Speaking of which, have you given Ooonas their brief on this yet?

Not yet. I was waiting for any more requests but they've been very thin on the ground. We didn't do these last year, and it's not as if they're miles out of the way, so I guess they're definitely on the cards. I've not had much response on missing the Thistlegorm in favour of Rosalie Moller either. Perhaps we can just do them all and miss out some of the scenic reef dives?

[Neil M]

Cheers Steve,

By the time I'd posted I was beaten by you two!!!

Nice diving over there... there is an easy swimthrough on the CK that is very nice

Sadly we didnt make the Rosalee (SP?) Moller due to the weather

Dive Safe!
Neil

[Dr Stevil]

Originally Posted by Mark Davies

Not yet. I was waiting for any more requests but they've been very thin on the ground. We didn't do these last year, and it's not as if they're miles out of the way, so I guess they're definitely on the cards. I've not had much response on missing the Thistlegorm in favour of Rosalie Moller either. Perhaps we can just do them all and miss out some of the scenic reef dives?

I'd happily skip the Thistlegorm for the RM, although much of the RM is outside the 30m range which is supposed to be the rule in the Northern Red Sea. do you ant to start a seperate thread for this or do you think we'll all get tons of neg reps for winding other people up

[Neil M]

Hey H,

Please pass on my warmest Abuse to Jules when you next speak to her

Cheers
Neil