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Ecologically, the Red Sea is a magnificent underwater Marine Park of such unique diversity of flora and fauna that it will always remain one of the Underwater Wonders of the World in it's own right. Had there been no shipwrecks, it would still attract visitors - just as the Great Barrier Reef does in Australia or the Belize Barrier Reef does in the Caribbean, though, it must be said that today's Diver is far too demanding to settle for Corals and Fishes and as soon as he (or she!) had earned that T shirt which proclaims "Red Sea - Been there - Dived that" it would be time for something different the following year.
It is an undeniable fact, therefore, that it is the incredible ship's graveyard which attracts Scuba Diving Tourists back to the Red Sea, especially the Egyptian Red Sea, year after year - as though the Divers were made of metal and the ships a veritable magnetic force.
The Gulf of Suez is that narrow strip of water to the north-west of the Red Sea which leads to the Suez Canal and was already a major seaway long before that famous man-made connection with the Mediterranean was ever opened. Time was, when passengers and freight were unloaded at Alexandria and moved overland to Suez before joining a new ship and resuming the journey. Today, of course, they sail right through but, whichever direction they take, it has always been the Gulf of Suez which remains the most treacherous stretch of water of the entire journey.
Today the Red Sea is a highway for many thousands of Freighters, Tankers and even Liners - all using the Suez Canal as they make their way between the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Although this route is much shorter and safer than the 1200 mile alternative round the Cape of Good Hope, they still have to successfully navigate unpredictable currents and shallow Coral Reefs - all of which combine to make the Red Sea one of the most testing stretches of water in the world.
Many have come to grief and today there are ancient shipwrecks and modern - with some that are neither, such as the Carnatic lost in 1869 with the loss of 26 lives, the Dunraven in 1876 and the Ulysses in 1887 - each representing a fascinating insight into tragic and incredible stories from another age of transport and, in the case of the Carnatic, another age of Diving. Then there are the WW2 casualties such as the Thistlegorm and the newly re-discovered Rosalie Moller - to name but two and both lost within 48 hours of each other in 1941. Finally, there is that new breed of "modern" shipwreck such as the Kimon M (1978), the Chrisoula K (1981) and the Giannis D (1983).
With so much to offer - in addition to a welcoming climate, it is easy to understand why this relatively small section of the Red Sea has become so popular with Divers to the extent that the Egyptian north Red Sea is probably the most outstanding centre for Scuba Diving in the world.
Of all the shipwrecks in the entire Red Sea, one vessel sits mast and funnel above all others and that ship is, of course, the SS Thistlegorm. Such is the pulling power of this single shipwreck that she attracts more Divers than any other underwater site - anywhere in the entire world. In fact, the Thistlegorm has consistently remained "The World's Foremost Diving Attraction" ever since she was re-discovered in the early nineties. After my own very first visit to this vessel, I found myself calling her "The Mighty Thistlegorm!
It is an undeniable fact, therefore, that it is the incredible ship's graveyard which attracts Scuba Diving Tourists back to the Red Sea, especially the Egyptian Red Sea, year after year - as though the Divers were made of metal and the ships a veritable magnetic force.
The Gulf of Suez is that narrow strip of water to the north-west of the Red Sea which leads to the Suez Canal and was already a major seaway long before that famous man-made connection with the Mediterranean was ever opened. Time was, when passengers and freight were unloaded at Alexandria and moved overland to Suez before joining a new ship and resuming the journey. Today, of course, they sail right through but, whichever direction they take, it has always been the Gulf of Suez which remains the most treacherous stretch of water of the entire journey.
Today the Red Sea is a highway for many thousands of Freighters, Tankers and even Liners - all using the Suez Canal as they make their way between the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Although this route is much shorter and safer than the 1200 mile alternative round the Cape of Good Hope, they still have to successfully navigate unpredictable currents and shallow Coral Reefs - all of which combine to make the Red Sea one of the most testing stretches of water in the world.
Many have come to grief and today there are ancient shipwrecks and modern - with some that are neither, such as the Carnatic lost in 1869 with the loss of 26 lives, the Dunraven in 1876 and the Ulysses in 1887 - each representing a fascinating insight into tragic and incredible stories from another age of transport and, in the case of the Carnatic, another age of Diving. Then there are the WW2 casualties such as the Thistlegorm and the newly re-discovered Rosalie Moller - to name but two and both lost within 48 hours of each other in 1941. Finally, there is that new breed of "modern" shipwreck such as the Kimon M (1978), the Chrisoula K (1981) and the Giannis D (1983).
With so much to offer - in addition to a welcoming climate, it is easy to understand why this relatively small section of the Red Sea has become so popular with Divers to the extent that the Egyptian north Red Sea is probably the most outstanding centre for Scuba Diving in the world.
Of all the shipwrecks in the entire Red Sea, one vessel sits mast and funnel above all others and that ship is, of course, the SS Thistlegorm. Such is the pulling power of this single shipwreck that she attracts more Divers than any other underwater site - anywhere in the entire world. In fact, the Thistlegorm has consistently remained "The World's Foremost Diving Attraction" ever since she was re-discovered in the early nineties. After my own very first visit to this vessel, I found myself calling her "The Mighty Thistlegorm!
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There are wonderful diving holidays to experience especially Indonesia diving and South Africa diving. To find out more please go to http://www.divingworld.co.uk/.
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