2 weeks: North-Strait of Tiran-Dahab-MS Million Hope-Brother Islands-Daedalus-Elphinstone

旅程的高潮

• The SS Thistlegorm is probably the most famous wreck in the Red Sea. The British cargo ship was on its way to bring military equipment of all kinds for the British troops in North Africa. But then on the 6th of October 1941 a German bomber attacked the Thistlegorm. The wreck is lying upright on the sea-bottom at 32 m depth. Especially interesting is the cargo: Tanks, trucks, motorcycles, weapons, railway carriage and two railway engines.
• The marine park Ras Mohammed 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: a large quantity of household pottery such as toilets, bath and shower tubes, bidets.
• 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 m 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 56m 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.
• Diving the Million Hope: The ship’s superstructure is above the surface and the hull rests on the seabed at 20 m. Her starboard side is alongside the reef and the ship is upright with a list to port. The decks are under water. The vessel is largely intact with no evidence of salvage. All the cargo holds are entirely open and empty. At the Bows there is clear evidence of the ship’s impact with the reef with the bulbous nose having been pushed back into the hull. Swimming between reef and hull you will find the remains of the Hey Daroma squashed underneath this massive ship. The huge propeller is at 20 m but the rudder is missing. Above, this, the after-deck is at 4 - 5 m with all the usual fittings in place. Behind a large mooring winch is an open deck hatch - which allows into the ship’s interior. From here the Diver is able to locate the engine room.
• The Brother Islands one of the best diving spots in the world. The Islands – the Big Brother and the Little Brother – are two small exposed promontories that just come out of the water in the middle of the sea at around 60 km from the Egyptian coast line. The Little Brother has a very high concentration of life in a much reduced area. The walls are covered literally with sponges, anemones and all sorts of hard and soft corals in an astonishing variety of colors and shapes. Of course you will find here plenty of fish. It is not unusual to see sharks: hammerheads, thresher sharks, grey reef sharks, silver tip and white tip reef sharks. About one km north of the Little Brother lays the Big Brother. Situated, in the middle of the island, is a lighthouse. When it is not too windy, you can proceed to dive the wreck Numidia which lies upon the reef on the northern side of the island between 5 m and 80 m. This 150 m long ship sunk in 1901 and is now completely covered with both hard and soft corals and gorgonias. At the NW side of the island you will find the other Wreck: the AIDA. This 82 m long steam ship sunk 1957. The remaining pieces of the wreck are scattered all over the reef and just the back side of the hull can be found between 34 m and 60 m. It is nicely overgrown and worth to visit. Because of strong current and may be high waves it is not easy to dive at the Brother’s. This safari is only for experienced divers.
• The Daedalus Reef is a huge reef formation that lies at about 180 km south of Brother Islands. The reef is surrounded by a sheer wall all around, featuring a plateau on its southern side that goes from 28 m beside the reef to 40 m on the edge of the drop-off. If the weather is good, try to get as far north as possible and drift along one of the sides of the reef. Reef and hammerhead sharks are often spotted here. Marine life is here more abundant than anywhere else, with schools of surgeons, fusiliers.
• The Reef of Elphinstone, a truly legendary reef, is one of the most beautiful reefs in the Red Sea, with its north and south plateau, and the walls covered with soft corals, black corals, wire corals and gorgonias. Hammerheads, oceanic white tip sharks and grey reef sharks can also be spotted here.