Discovery I Itinerary

North, Wrecks, Ras Mohamed, Tiran, Brothers and Safaga (HRG)

Day 1: The check-in time is 16:00. Once on board, you will be assigned your accommodation, receive a boat briefing, and select any rental equipment. The boat will spend the night in port.

Day 2: The boat departs from Port Ghalib early the following morning, sailing north for a check out dive before heading to Gubal Island and beyond.

The wreck of a 72m English steamer, the Dunraven, lies at the southern point of Shaab Mahmoud, amongst the series of shallow reefs and lagoons. Sunk in 1876 on its way from Bombay to England carrying a cargo of spices and timber, her hull lies upside down at a maximum depth of 29m. Completely covered in coral, the wreck has become home to a wide variety of marine life including glass fish, morays, groupers, goatfish and napoleon.

Also known as the “ships graveyard”, Sha’ab Abu Nuhas emerges two miles to the north of Shedwan Island at the mouth of the Strait of Gobal. On the seabed of the surrounding area lie no fewer than seven sunken ships from different eras. It is often only possible to dive the wrecks from a zodiac due to the heavy sea swells. On the sheltered south side of the reef are two beautiful ergs known as yellow fish reef. These make an excellent night dive.

The large Greek freighter, Giannis D, hit the reef in1983 and slowly sank over six weeks. The wreck is split into two sections, lying at a maximum depth of 28m. The stern section is the most impressive because it can be entered through the many entry and exit points, although it can be disorientating due to the angle at which the wreck lies. 

The Carnatic was a splendid 90m long sail and engine steamer launched by P&O in 1862. Carrying a cargo of wine and “London soda water” in distinctive oval bottles, it was sailing the Indies route with a destination of Bombay. It struck the reef in 1869 and remained aground a number of hours before sinking. She lies on one side with the stern at 24m and the bow at 16m. The decking of the hull has fallen away exposing blackened support structures which are now draped in hard and soft corals. The very photogenic wreck is now home to a number of morays, large grouper and octopus.

Day 3: Between Gordon and Woodhouse reefs, Thomas Reef is a smaller round reef with walls plunging deep and fully covered with soft coral, gorgonians and colourful fish life. It is almost possible to circumnavigate this reef in one dive. The east wall plunges dramatically to great depths with a mass of brightly coloured soft corals. The west wall is darker with overhangs and caves but is a great drift dive with sightings of trevally and tuna in the blue and schooling reef fish close to the reef.

Day 4: Ras Mohammed has earned itself a reputation as one of the top dive sites in the world, here at the tip of the Sinai where the vast bodies of water the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba meet has created an ecosystem like no other and wall diving at its very best.

Day 5: A short ride across the straits of Gubal and you visit the most famous wreck of the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm! An awe-inspiring World War II British vessel with a cargo full of armaments (Bedford trucks and BSA motorbikes), which were all destined for the British troops in North Africa. She was sunk by the German Luftwaffe and now lies in 30ms of water. Depending on divers’ experience, weather and current conditions, we also try to offer a night dive here.

Day 6: The Brother Islands are the pinnacles of two undersea mountains rising from the depths of the abyss and are located about 60 miles offshore from El Quesir. Part of the Marine Park Islands National Park, these islands offer stunning wall diving, with the walls being covered in soft corals and forests of gorgonians, creating a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours. They attract a diverse array of marine species and large pelagics. Large tuna, barracudas, jacks and snappers cruise in the blue, accompanied by occasional hammerheads, silky and oceanic whitetip sharks and mantas. Even the rare thresher shark can sometimes be found there. Sightings of the grey reef shark are almost guaranteed on the North and South Plateau of Small Brother.

For the wreck diver, the wrecks of the Aida II, an Egyptian supply vessel, and the Numidia, a cargo ship, lie on the walls of the Big Brother. Both are covered in a rich growth of soft and hard corals. Marine life includes a family of Napoleon wrasse and grey reef sharks.The boat will then sail back to Hurghada via Safaga where you can dive at Panorama Reef or the famous wreck of Salem Express for a memorable finale.

Day 7: After a morning of diving, depending on the following day’s flight schedule, we will return to port at around 15.30.

Day 8: Check-out after breakfast and no later than 10.00.

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.