Two names come up more than any other when divers talk about the northern Red Sea: the Thistlegorm and Abu Nuhas. Here's what each one actually is — and which one our 5-Day Diving Safari visits.
The SS Thistlegorm was a British Merchant Navy transport ship sunk by German bombers on 6 October 1941 while at anchor in the Strait of Gubal, carrying war supplies for Allied forces in North Africa. She was rediscovered by Jacques Cousteau's team in the 1950s and remains one of the most-dived wrecks in the world.
The wreck sits upright at around 30 metres, largely intact, with holds still full of her original wartime cargo — motorcycles, trucks, Bren gun carriers, rifles and railway wagons. It's an advanced dive: the depth, potential current and penetration opportunities inside the holds mean it suits certified divers with some experience.
Abu Nuhas is a shallow reef in the Strait of Gubal that has claimed so many ships over the decades it's nicknamed the graveyard of ships. Four wrecks sit accessibly on and around the same reef: the Giannis D, the Carnatic, the Chrisoula K and the Kimon M — which means a single boat trip can realistically cover multiple wrecks over a couple of days, something very few dive sites in the world allow.
Each wreck has its own character: the Giannis D broke into three distinct sections and is one of the most photogenic wrecks in the Red Sea; the Carnatic is an older sailing and steam ship, now heavily encrusted with soft coral; the Chrisoula K and Kimon M are both steel cargo wrecks lying at accessible depths for divers with an Open Water certification or above.
Day 3 of the Diving Safari is built entirely around Abu Nuhas: the Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K and Kimon M, plus a night dive on the same reef. The rest of the five days cover other northern Red Sea sites — Sha'ab El Erg, Gubal Island, Siyul Island and more — with up to 14 dives across four nights aboard Iceberg.
The 5-Day Diving Safari aboard Iceberg covers all four Abu Nuhas wrecks plus the rest of the northern Red Sea's best sites.
Message us on WhatsApp — we dive these sites ourselves and we're happy to talk through what to expect.