10 days: North-SS Turkia-Ras Mohamed-Dahab

旅程的高潮

• The SS Turkia was built by Earles Shipbuilding and Engeneering Co. in Hall (England) in 1909. The steam cargo ship named Livorno before with a length of 91 m and width of 13 m and 1671 tons was used for a variety of trade routes in England and North Europe. Between 1920 and 1935 the ship was sold to Greece and they named it SS Turkia. In May 1941 the SS Turkia was on its way from New York to Piräus. The government cargo included explosives, gyres, coils of wire, ingots, vehicles and firearms. Close to the Channel of Suez it sunk cause of two different stories: fire on board and/or hit by a bomb. In a depth between 10m and 24m, full of soft and hard corals, it is a great experience for divers to discover the Wreck from outside and inside.
• The marine park Ras Mohamed offers dreamlike diving spots. For example Shark and Yolanda Reef. Both reefs are standing on a plateau, which is between 10 m to 20 m deep. The edges of the plateau fall down to more than 200 m. At the reef you will find nice hard and soft corals, plenty of fish in all kind of sizes. With luck you can see sharks during your early morning dive. At Yolanda Reef you can see the cargo of a Cypriot freighter Yolanda which ran aground in 1980. Loaded with sanitary equipment, toilet bowls and bathtubs, the Yolanda was on its way to Aqaba. Storms caused the wreck to slide into the depths of the sea, but large parts of the cargo are still scattered around the reef and beautifully overgrown, making it a popular photo spot.
• Midway between Sharm El Sheikh and Aqaba is Dahab, on a narrow stretch of coast but at the same time at the deepest and widest point in the Gulf. The reefs are mostly shallow down to about 20- 30 m, e.g. B. at Southern Oasis or at the northern canyon. The canyon is not for everyone though as it features a deep fissure that starts at around 15 m and has the deepest exit at around 50 m. In between there are only a few exit possibilities, so the dive goes in the direction of cave diving and must be planned. Exceptional fish can already be found in shallow water, sand and scree up to a depth of around 10 m, e.g. B. the well camouflaged Red Sea Walkman. The devil fish is one of the poisonous stone fish, so beware, dangerous! The harmless pygmy winged fishes, which are up to 8 cm in size, live in the 5 meter range, and they too are extremely difficult to spot. You can even reach excellent coral gardens in Dahab: in the north the national park is called Abu Galum, in the south Gabr al Bint is known for its hard corals and its groupers. But one place has made Dahab world famous: the Blue Hole. It is about 10 km north of the city and is a dark blue hole about 50 - 70 m in diameter and 120 m deep. Outside of the Blue Hole, however, the steep face is beautifully overgrown and occasionally even large fish can be found. This drop-off can be reached through a reef crevice at a depth of about 7 m, the next breakthrough is only at 56 m again with the 26m long and a few meters wide arch, i.e. beyond our spot diver limit and only reserved for the Tekkies with their special gas mixtures.