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Certification required
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Giannis D, wreck
Egypt · wreck · intermediate
6–28 mintermediateOWboat entry
MEDIA5 items
Giannis D, wreck
A Greek freighter broken in three on Abu Nuhas, whose stern and engine room sit canted at 45 degrees and disorient everyone who enters.
Max depth6–28 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeboat
Visibility20 m
The dive
The Giannis D was built in Japan in September 1969 as the Shoyo Maru at the Kurushima Dock Company in Imabari: a 2,992 GRT general cargo vessel, 99.5 m long, 16 m in the beam, with a 3,000 BHP six-cylinder diesel good for 12 knots. She became the Markus in 1975 and the Giannis D in 1980 when Dumarc Shipping of Piraeus bought her. On 19 April 1983, loaded with sawn softwood out of Rijeka for Jeddah and Hodeidah, she was transiting the Strait of Gubal at full speed a little west of her track and struck Sha'ab Abu Nuhas. The crew got off safely and she was written off as a constructive total loss; a later storm broke her up and put her on the reef base.
She now lies in three pieces parallel to the reef on the northern side of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas, in roughly 10-28 m by one detailed survey, with the mast reaching to within about 4 m of the surface. The bow section rests on its port side at about 10 m, the amidships cargo area is crushed flat, and the stern sits at around 24 m with its A-frame intact. What makes the dive is the angle: the superstructure and stern are canted at roughly 45 degrees, so the pilothouse, companionways and engine room are all tilted, and swimming through them scrambles your sense of up. The engine room is the signature of the site and is commonly entered.
It is dived on Open Water certification by many operators because the mast and bow are shallow and the stern is only 24 m, though guides on this reef generally recommend Advanced Open Water since most of the wreck is below 18 m. Boats moor on the sheltered south side of Abu Nuhas and divers reach the north-face wrecks from there. Visibility on the reef is normally 20-30 m and water 22-28 C.
Our occurrence records for this box are shared with the other Abu Nuhas wrecks - they are all the same reef - and are dominated by bannerfish, blackside hawkfish, yellowbar angelfish, sailfin tang, twoband anemonefish, giant moray, orbicular batfish, bluespotted ribbontail ray, common lionfish, yellow-margin triggerfish and Fridman's dottyback. Divers on the wreck itself report glassfish, scorpionfish, wrasse, napoleon, crocodilefish and bluespotted stingrays.
- 99.5 m Greek freighter, ex-Shoyo Maru (1969), aground on Abu Nuhas at full speed on 19 April 1983
- Broken into three sections lying parallel to the reef, roughly 10-28 m
- Stern and superstructure canted at about 45 degrees - the famous disorienting engine room
- Mast reaching to within about 4 m of the surface
- Whole crew survived; no lives were lost in the wrecking
Please note before you go
- The wreck is canted at about 45 degrees, so the engine room and companionways disorient divers who expect a level deck; sort out your reference before entering
- Overhead environment: pilothouse, engine room and holds are penetrable and commonly entered, but they are still an overhead with a single exit path in places
- The amidships section is crushed and collapsed, with torn plate and cut steel edges
- Current on the northern face of Abu Nuhas can be strong and the surface there is often choppy; boats moor on the far, southern side
- Live commercial shipping channel to the Suez Canal runs alongside the reef
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Boat only, on the northern slope of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas about 40 km north of Hurghada. Day boats run from Hurghada and El Gouna and every northern liveaboard itinerary calls here. Boats moor on the sheltered southern side of the reef and divers reach the wreck from there.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Season
Diveable year round; the limit is weather rather than season, because the wreck is on the windward side of the reef. The Gubal area is choppier in winter, with average wave heights of 0.6-0.8 m.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentmoderate
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range6–28 m
Environmentwreck
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsbusy
A reef-base wreck on the exposed northern side of Abu Nuhas. Visibility is normally 20-30 m, water 22-28 C, and the surface on this side is often choppy. Current can be strong. The mast is in the top few metres and the stern sits at about 24 m, so the profile is easy to shape around a single dive.
On current: Sources disagree on the depth band. A detailed wreck survey gives 10-28 m with the mast to within about 4 m of the surface and the stern at 24 m; two dive guides quote 5-24 m and stern 24 m with the mast at 6 m; one gives a flat 24 m with the engine room at 13 m. We record a conservative 6-28 m. Visibility on this reef is normally 20-30 m, and we record the lower figure; water is 22-28 C. Current on the exposed northern side of Abu Nuhas, where the wreck lies, can be strong.
Dives & underwater footage
Questions & answers
How deep is the Giannis D?
Sources disagree. A detailed wreck survey puts her in 10-28 m with the stern at 24 m and the mast reaching to within about 4 m of the surface; dive guides quote 5-24 m, or a flat 24 m with the engine room at 13 m. We record a conservative 6-28 m band. In practice the stern, which is the point of the dive, is around 24 m.
What ship was she and how did she sink?
A 99.5 m, 2,992 GRT general cargo vessel built in Japan in 1969 as the Shoyo Maru, renamed Markus in 1975 and Giannis D in 1980 under Greek owners. On 19 April 1983 she was running the Strait of Gubal at full speed with a cargo of sawn softwood from Rijeka for Jeddah and Hodeidah, drifted west of her track and hit Sha'ab Abu Nuhas. The crew were evacuated safely and she was declared a constructive total loss; a later storm broke her up.
Why is she broken into three pieces?
She went hard onto the reef and was written off where she lay, then a storm finished the job. She now sits in three sections parallel to the reef: the bow on its port side at about 10 m, a crushed amidships cargo area, and the stern at about 24 m with its A-frame still standing.
Can you go inside the engine room?
Yes, the engine room and pilothouse are the signature penetration on this wreck and are routinely dived with a guide. The catch is that the superstructure sits at roughly 45 degrees, so the whole space is tilted and divers lose their sense of which way is up. Fix your reference before you go in, and treat anything beyond the guided route as a proper overhead dive.
Did anyone die when she sank?
No. The crew were evacuated safely after the grounding and the ship was written off as a constructive total loss. Unlike the Thistlegorm or the Rosalie Moller, this is not a war grave.
What certification do I need?
Many operators run it on Open Water because the mast and bow are shallow and the stern is only about 24 m. Guides for this reef nonetheless recommend Advanced Open Water, since most of the structure sits below 18 m, and one liveaboard itinerary covering Abu Nuhas asks for 20 logged dives and comfort in current.
How do you get there?
By boat, to the northern slope of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas about 40 km north of Hurghada. Day boats run from Hurghada and El Gouna, and it appears on essentially every northern Red Sea liveaboard route. Boats moor on the sheltered south side of the reef and divers cross to the wrecks on the north face.
Life recorded at Giannis D, wreck
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISGymnothorax javanicusoccasional · 10 recordsTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 9 recordsSynanceia verrucosarare · 3 records
Heniochus intermediusoccasional · 14 records
Paracirrhites forsterioccasional · 12 records
Tursiops aduncusoccasional · 12 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Heniochus intermedius | occasional | 14 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | occasional | 12 |
| Tursiops aduncus | occasional | 12 |
| Pomacanthus maculosus | occasional | 11 |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii | occasional | 11 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 10 |
| Platax orbicularis | occasional | 10 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 10 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 9 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 9 |
| Pseudobalistes fuscus | occasional | 8 |
| Pseudochromis fridmani | occasional | 7 |
| Siganus stellatus | occasional | 6 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | occasional | 6 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 6 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 6 |
| Naso elegans | occasional | 5 |
| Chromodoris quadricolor | occasional | 5 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 5 |
| Epinephelus tauvina | occasional | 5 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | occasional | 5 |
| Papilloculiceps longiceps | occasional | 5 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | occasional | 5 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | occasional | 5 |
| Acanthurus sohal | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 5 |
| Hypselodoris pulchella | rare | 4 |
| Hipposcarus harid | rare | 4 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | rare | 4 |
| Scarus niger | rare | 4 |
| Diploprion drachi | rare | 4 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | rare | 4 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 4 |
| Bodianus anthioides | rare | 3 |
| Pteria aegyptiaca | rare | 3 |
| Cephalopholis sexmaculata | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | rare | 3 |
| Caesio striata | rare | 3 |
| Millepora dichotoma | rare | 3 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | rare | 3 |
| Siganus luridus | rare | 3 |
| Synanceia verrucosa | rare | 3 |
| Acanthaster benziei | rare | 3 |
| Aethaloperca rogaa | rare | 3 |
| Asthenosoma marisrubri | rare | 3 |
| Sargocentron diadema | rare | 3 |
| Sargocentron caudimaculatum | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 3 |
| Pearsonothuria graeffei | rare | 3 |
| Corythoichthys schultzi | rare | 3 |
| Ecsenius dentex | rare | 3 |
| Pardachirus marmoratus | rare | 3 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 3 |
| Pempheris tominagai | rare | 3 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 3 |
| Cheilodipterus macrodon | rare | 2 |
| Tridacna maxima | rare | 2 |
| Amblyeleotris steinitzi | rare | 2 |
| Microcyphus rousseaui | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in Abu Nuhas
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Abu NuhasA P&O steam clipper wrecked in 1869 whose wooden hull has rotted away, leaving an open iron rib cage on its port side.
Kimon M, wreck0.7 km
Abu NuhasThe Lentil Wreck: a German-built freighter on its starboard side at the northeast corner of Abu Nuhas, the deepest of the reef's four.
Shaab Abu Nuhas1.2 km
Abu NuhasThe reef that keeps sinking ships: a triangular shallow beside the Suez shipping lane with four dived wrecks along its north face.
Blind Reef4.1 km
Abu NuhasA Strait of Gubal reef entry we could not verify: no published description of this site under this name.
Siyoul Kebir4.7 km
Abu NuhasThe reef around Big Siyul island: a sheer north wall that runs into a plateau east and south, dived as a drift when the north current allows and from a mooring when it does not.
Umm Usk5.4 km
Abu NuhasA horseshoe reef in the Strait of Gubal whose sheltered lagoon is a safari-boat overnight mooring, which is why most people who dive it do so at night.
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