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Kimon M, wreck
Egypt · wreck · intermediate
15–32 mintermediateAOWboat entry
MEDIA5 items
Kimon M, wreck
The Lentil Wreck: a German-built freighter on its starboard side at the northeast corner of Abu Nuhas, the deepest of the reef's four.
Max depth15–32 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeboat
Visibility20 m
The dive
The Kimon M was built in 1952 by H.C. Stulcken & Sohn at Steinwerder in Hamburg, 3,694 GRT, 106.4 m long, driven by twin eight-cylinder diesels good for 13 knots. She passed through the names Ciudad de Cucuta, Angela and Kimon before becoming the Kimon M in 1975. In December 1978 she sailed from Iskenderun in Turkey for Bombay with about 4,500 tons of lentils, and on 12 December, steaming south at full speed under Captain Juan Cavilieri, she struck the northeast corner of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas. The crew were taken off by the MV Interasja and landed at Port Suez. The cargo is what gave the wreck its nickname and, by several accounts, finished the ship: wet lentils swell, and they burst her seams.
She lies on her starboard side in about 20-32 m by the detailed survey, with dive guides putting the stern at 32 m and the bow shallower - 15 m by one, 10 m by another, and 4 m by a third. The bow is destroyed; from the superstructure aft she is relatively intact. Salvors cut the engines and machinery out through an opening in the port side, and that opening now gives swim-through access into the engine space and the holds. She is the deepest of the four recreational wrecks on this reef.
Because she sits at the exposed northeast corner - the corner where currents converge and where she was hit in the first place - she gets more water movement than the others, and dive guides consistently describe her as the one with the schooling fish and hunting trevally. Visibility on this 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, since they are all one 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.
- 106 m German-built freighter aground at full speed on the northeast corner of Abu Nuhas, 12 December 1978
- Cargo of about 4,500 tons of lentils - the 'Lentil Wreck' - which swelled and burst her seams
- On her starboard side, roughly 20-32 m: the deepest of Abu Nuhas's four recreational wrecks
- Salvage opening in the port side gives swim-through access into the engine space and holds
- All crew rescued by the MV Interasja; no lives lost
Please note before you go
- The deepest of the four wrecks on this reef, with the stern at 32 m - close to recreational limits and worth a gas plan
- Overhead environment: the salvage opening in the port side leads into the engine space and holds, which is a genuine penetration and not a swim-through
- The bow is destroyed and the forward structure is collapsed and sharp
- She lies at the northeast corner where northern and eastern currents converge; this is the most current-exposed of the Abu Nuhas wrecks
- The surface on the northern face is often choppy and boats moor on the far southern side of the reef
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Boat only, at the northeast corner of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas about 40 km north of Hurghada. Day boats from Hurghada and El Gouna and northern Red Sea liveaboards reach it; boats moor on the sheltered southern side of the reef and divers cross to the northern face.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Season
Diveable year round; weather rather than season decides, because the wreck is on the exposed side of the reef. The Gubal area is choppier in winter, with average wave heights around 0.6-0.8 m.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentmoderate
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range15–32 m
Environmentwreck
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsmoderate
A wreck on its starboard side at the exposed northeast corner of Abu Nuhas. Visibility is normally 20-30 m and water 22-28 C. This corner is where currents converge, so expect more water movement than on the other wrecks here, which is also why she carries the biggest schools of fish.
On current: The detailed survey gives 20-32 m. Dive guides agree on a 32 m stern but disagree on the bow - 15 m, 10 m and 4 m appear in three different guides. We record 15-32 m, the conservative reading of the shallow end. Visibility on this reef is normally 20-30 m and we record the lower figure; water is 22-28 C. She sits at the exposed northeast corner of the reef, where northern and eastern currents converge, so she catches more current than the other three wrecks.
Dives & underwater footage
Questions & answers
How deep is the Kimon M?
The detailed survey gives 20-32 m, on her starboard side. Dive guides agree the stern is at 32 m but put the bow at 15 m, 10 m or 4 m depending on the source; we record a conservative 15-32 m. She is the deepest of the four recreational wrecks at Abu Nuhas.
Why is she called the Lentil Wreck?
Because she was carrying about 4,500 tons of lentils from Iskenderun in Turkey to Bombay when she was lost. Wet lentils swell, and several accounts say the swelling cargo burst the ship's seams after she went aground. The engines and much of the cargo were salvaged afterwards.
How did she sink?
On 12 December 1978, steaming south at full speed under Captain Juan Cavilieri, she struck the northeast corner of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas - the same reef and the same shipping-lane geometry that took the Carnatic in 1869 and would take the Giannis D in 1983. The crew were rescued by the MV Interasja and landed at Port Suez. No one died.
Can you go inside?
Yes, partly. Salvors removed the engines and machinery through an opening cut in the port side, and that opening now gives access into the engine space and the cargo holds. The superstructure aft is relatively intact; the bow is destroyed. Treat it as a genuine penetration on the deepest wreck of the reef, not a casual swim-through.
Is she good for beginners?
Less so than the others here. Some guides list her as an Open Water wreck because of the shallow bow, but the stern is at 32 m and she sits at the reef's northeast corner where currents converge, so Advanced Open Water is the sensible minimum. Liveaboards on this route ask for 20 logged dives and comfort in current.
Why is the marine life better on this wreck?
The consistent explanation from dive guides is that she sits deeper and at the exposed corner where northern and eastern currents meet, which is what brings the schooling fish and the hunting trevally. The rest of the assemblage is the standard Abu Nuhas reef list: giant moray, lionfish, scorpionfish, glassfish, nudibranchs and batfish.
Which reef is she on?
The northeast corner of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas, about 40 km north of Hurghada, the same reef that carries the Carnatic, the Chrisoula K and the Giannis D on its northern side. Boats moor on the sheltered south side and cross to the wrecks.
Life recorded at Kimon M, 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 |
| Platax orbicularis | occasional | 10 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 10 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 10 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 9 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 9 |
| Pseudobalistes fuscus | occasional | 8 |
| Pseudochromis fridmani | occasional | 7 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | occasional | 6 |
| Siganus stellatus | occasional | 6 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 6 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 6 |
| Acanthurus sohal | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 5 |
| Epinephelus tauvina | occasional | 5 |
| Chromodoris quadricolor | occasional | 5 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 5 |
| Naso elegans | occasional | 5 |
| Ostracion cyanurus | occasional | 5 |
| Papilloculiceps longiceps | occasional | 5 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | occasional | 5 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | occasional | 5 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | rare | 4 |
| Scarus niger | rare | 4 |
| Hipposcarus harid | rare | 4 |
| Hypselodoris pulchella | rare | 4 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | rare | 4 |
| Diploprion drachi | rare | 4 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | rare | 3 |
| Bodianus anthioides | rare | 3 |
| Aethaloperca rogaa | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon paucifasciatus | rare | 3 |
| Corythoichthys schultzi | rare | 3 |
| Millepora dichotoma | rare | 3 |
| Pardachirus marmoratus | rare | 3 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 3 |
| Pteria aegyptiaca | rare | 3 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | rare | 3 |
| Sargocentron diadema | rare | 3 |
| Siganus luridus | rare | 3 |
| Synanceia verrucosa | rare | 3 |
| Acanthaster benziei | rare | 3 |
| Caesio striata | rare | 3 |
| Ecsenius dentex | rare | 3 |
| Pempheris tominagai | rare | 3 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 3 |
| Cephalopholis sexmaculata | rare | 3 |
| Pearsonothuria graeffei | rare | 3 |
| Sargocentron caudimaculatum | rare | 3 |
| Chromis weberi | rare | 2 |
| Cheilodipterus macrodon | rare | 2 |
| Amblyeleotris steinitzi | rare | 2 |
| Microcyphus rousseaui | rare | 2 |
| Tridacna maxima | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in Abu Nuhas
Explore all sitesSS Carnatic, wreck0.6 km
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.
Giannis D, wreck0.7 km
Abu NuhasA Greek freighter broken in three on Abu Nuhas, whose stern and engine room sit canted at 45 degrees and disorient everyone who enters.
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 Reef4.7 km
Abu NuhasA Strait of Gubal reef entry we could not verify: no published description of this site under this name.
Siyoul Kebir5.3 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 Usk5.7 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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