Thistlegorm
The Thistlegorm ship reck located at Sha’ab Ali is probably the Red Sea’s most famous wreck sites attracing many divers. The Thistlegorm lies in 20m to 30m of crystal clear water on the bed of the Straits of Gubal. The wartime wreck was discovered in the 1950’s by Jacques Cousteau but it’s location was kept secret until 1992 when it was rediscovered.
A trip around Thistlegorm today is like traveling through time and many visitors experience high emotions during the dive. It is after all a bombsite with highly visible signs of great destruction and loss. It’s also a giant underwater museum, a war grave, a unique piece of military history and an opportunity to step into the past during a period when the free world was under threat from one of the most tyrannous regimes of modern times.
Currents may occasionally be strong however, mooring lines tied by the guide allow divers to make a comfortable descent to the shelter of the wreck. Once inside, divers can explore the ship’s holds where time has seemingly stood still. Motorbikes, trucks, guns and wartime cargo, never to reach its destination, lay stacked where it was loaded back in 1941.
New Divers
For new divers, the heated pools and calm local reefs provide an excellent environment to start to your diving experience. For more experienced divers there are a range of walls, reefs but the main attraction are the huge amount of wrecks otherwise only accessible by liveaboards.