Salem Express, wreck

Egypt · wreck · advanced

12–35 madvancedAOWboat entry

MEDIA5 items

Salem Express, wreck

A 1991 ferry disaster on Hyndman Reef. Hundreds of people are still inside her, and that is the whole of what this dive is.

wreckgrave sitedeep

Max depth12–35 m

Required leveladvanced

Entry typeboat

Visibility15 m

The dive

The Salem Express was a roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry running Jeddah to Safaga, carrying pilgrims home from Mecca, when she struck Hyndman Reef on the night of 14-15 December 1991 and sank in about twenty minutes. The official death toll is given as 470 in most accounts and 464 in others; contemporary and later reporting puts the real figure far higher - 700 or more, and possibly beyond 1,600 - because the ship is widely believed to have been carrying many more people than her manifest recorded. Around 180 people were rescued. Most of the dead were never recovered.

This is a mass grave, and it has been treated as one. Egyptian authorities welded shut the lower-deck access points where most of the casualties died, following Islamic practice that the dead be left undisturbed, and the wreck was declared a maritime tomb. PADI's own record for the site states plainly that the interior is a declared funeral site and is prohibited to divers. Penetration beyond limited cargo-deck areas is not something a responsible operator will run, and diving media that cover the site describe partial upper-deck penetration as controversial rather than normal, with some operators refusing to take divers inside at all. Some Egyptian operators will not run the trip; others dive only the exterior. If you are not comfortable with any of that, the correct answer is to not book it.

Physically, she is a roughly 100 m ferry lying on her side in about 32 m of water, with the highest part of the hull at 12 m or less and the propeller shallow at around 14 m; PADI records a 35 m maximum for the site. Sources disagree on which side she lies - PADI and several operator descriptions say port, DIVE Magazine and The Scuba News say starboard - so expect the briefing, not this page, to tell you which way up she is. She is about 90 minutes by boat from Safaga, fully exposed, with no shelter from weather, and current on the site can be strong. Advanced Open Water is the usual stated minimum and real experience on deeper wrecks is the sensible one.

What you see outside the hull is debris, cargo and personal effects - suitcases, shoes, toys - lying on the sand. They are not artefacts and they are not souvenirs. Nothing gets touched, nothing gets moved, and nothing gets posed in front of. Marine life is thin and beside the point: our OBIS records for this position are a short list of ordinary Red Sea reef fauna - rusty parrotfish, bluespotted ribbontail ray, greasy grouper, banded coral shrimp, two-band anemonefish, porcupinefish - plus records of Indo-Pacific bottlenose and spinner dolphins in the surrounding water. Nobody comes here for the fish.

A declared maritime tomb: hundreds of dead, most never recovered, still inside the hull
Lower decks welded shut by the Egyptian authorities; the interior is prohibited
Roughly 100 m ferry on her side, 12 m to 32 m, PADI records a 35 m maximum
About 90 minutes by boat from Safaga, fully exposed, current can be strong
Personal belongings on the sand around the wreck - look, do not touch

Please note before you go

No penetration. The lower decks are welded shut and the interior is a declared funeral site that PADI records as prohibited to divers; some operators refuse any penetration at all
Human remains are still inside the wreck
Current on the site can be very strong, and there is no shelter from weather at all
Torn and collapsed ferry structure with entanglement and entrapment potential; the seabed is at 32 m and the site is quoted to 35 m
Loose debris and personal effects across the sand - disturbing them is both disrespectful and a silt-out risk

Access & rules

Mandatory requirements

Certification required

AOW

Getting there

Boat only, roughly 90 minutes from Safaga, and further from Hurghada. The site is offshore on Hyndman Reef with no shelter, so trips get cancelled on weather.

Operator

Access to the site runs through a local operator.

Restrictions

The wreck is a mass grave and is treated as one. Egyptian authorities welded shut the lower-deck access points where most people died, and the wreck was declared a maritime tomb; PADI's record states the interior is a declared funeral site prohibited to divers. Penetration is not an acceptable plan here. Operators differ on whether they run the site at all: some Egyptian operators decline it, some dive the exterior only, and diving media note that some will not let divers inside even where partial upper-deck access is physically possible. Do not touch or move personal belongings, do not take anything, and do not treat the dive as an adventure or a photo opportunity - operator guidance is explicit that celebratory photos in front of the dead's possessions, and loud celebration on the boat afterwards, are not acceptable.

Rules and permits

The wreck is officially designated a maritime tomb and its lower decks were sealed by the Egyptian authorities. We have not found the text of an Egyptian statute or decree online, so we record the designation as reported by PADI and by dive-industry sources rather than as a citation to law.

Conditions

Visibility15 m

Currentstrong

Surgenot sourced

WaterSalt water

Depth range12–35 m

Environmentwreck

Coralnot sourced

Crowdsnot sourced

Offshore and fully exposed on Hyndman Reef, about 90 minutes from Safaga. No weather shelter; current can be very strong. Visibility is given as 15-30 m by one operator guide. The hull runs from around 12 m at the highest point down to a 32 m seabed.

On current: Current can be very strong and the site has no shelter from weather - it is well offshore on an open reef. One operator guide gives visibility as 15-30 m; we record the conservative 15 m. Depth quotes vary: 7-32 m in one guide, bow at 32 m with the propeller at 14 m and a 35 m maximum in PADI's record. Sources also disagree on which side she lies (port in PADI and several operator pages, starboard in DIVE Magazine and The Scuba News).

Dives & underwater footage

Red Sea series episode #5 – MV Salem Express (Strong Images) · andreandrade

Salem Express Wreck Dive 4K July 2020 Red Sea Egypt Gopro 8 · Mirkos Eye

DEEP PENETRATION - Diving the ill fated Salem Express - Safaga Red Sea 2022 · Andy the Northern Diver

Salem Express wreck Safaga Red Sea scuba dive plan · Mike Ward

Salem Express: A Wreck in Memory | Short Documentary · XR Explorers

Salem Express Safaga wreck diving · Torsten Flegel

Questions & answers

Should I dive the Salem Express at all?

That is a real question, not a formality. The ferry sank in December 1991 with hundreds of pilgrims aboard, most of the dead were never recovered, and the wreck is a declared maritime tomb. Some Egyptian operators will not run the trip, others dive the exterior only, and diving media treat even partial penetration as controversial. If any of that sits badly with you, do not book it - and if you do go, treat it the way you would treat a cemetery.

Can you go inside the wreck?

No. The Egyptian authorities welded shut the lower-deck access points where most of the casualties died, and PADI's own record for the site states that the interior is a declared funeral site and is prohibited to divers. DIVE Magazine notes that some operators refuse to let divers inside at all even where upper-deck access is physically possible. Plan an exterior dive.

How many people died?

Sources do not agree. The official toll is usually given as 470, and as 464 in one operator guide. The Scuba News reports a manifest of 578 passengers and 71 crew but roughly 850 bodies recovered before the search was suspended, which implies the ship was carrying far more people than recorded; estimates run to 700, to over 1,000, and to more than 1,600. Around 180 people were rescued.

How deep is the Salem Express?

The seabed is at about 32 m and PADI records a 35 m maximum for the site. The hull lies on its side with the highest part at around 12 m and the propeller at about 14 m, so much of the exterior tour sits well above the sand. One guide gives the overall range as 7-32 m.

What certification do I need?

Advanced Open Water is the usual stated minimum, and the operator guide we read recommends genuine experience on deeper wrecks before attempting the site. PADI lists both Open Water and Advanced Open Water for the site, but the depth and the exposure argue for the higher one.

How do you get there, and what are conditions like?

By boat, roughly 90 to 95 minutes from Safaga and considerably longer from Hurghada. The wreck sits offshore on Hyndman Reef with no shelter from weather, so trips cancel in wind. Current can be very strong and visibility is reported at 15-30 m.

What will I see?

The hull, the propeller, deck structure, and cargo and personal effects scattered across the sand - suitcases, shoes, toys. Those belonged to people and are not souvenirs: nothing is touched, moved or taken. Marine life is sparse; our OBIS records for this position are ordinary Red Sea reef fish plus records of bottlenose and spinner dolphins in the surrounding water.

Is there a memorial or a permit requirement?

We have found no published permit requirement, park fee or formal memorial protocol for the site beyond the maritime-tomb designation itself and the welding of the lower decks. Because we could not source an Egyptian statute or decree online, we record the designation as reported by PADI and by dive-industry sources rather than as a legal citation.

Life recorded at Salem Express, wreck

48 species within 1.5 km · OBIS

Taeniura lymmarare · 3 records Triaenodon obesusrare · 1 records Balistoides viridescensrare · 1 records

Scarus ferrugineusrare · 4 records

Epinephelus tauvinarare · 3 records

Amphiprion bicinctusrare · 2 records

All 48 species recorded in this area

Species	How often	Records
Scarus ferrugineus	rare	4
Epinephelus tauvina	rare	3
Taeniura lymma	rare	3
Amphiprion bicinctus	rare	2
Siganus argenteus	rare	2
Chaetodon austriacus	rare	2
Stenopus hispidus	rare	2
Chromis pembae	rare	2
Tursiops aduncus	rare	2
Mulloidichthys vanicolensis	rare	1
Myripristis murdjan	rare	1
Papilloculiceps longiceps	rare	1
Parupeneus cyclostomus	rare	1
Pearsonothuria graeffei	rare	1
Platax orbicularis	rare	1
Stenella longirostris	rare	1
Triaenodon obesus	rare	1
Tridacna maxima	rare	1
Acanthurus nigrofuscus	rare	1
Amblyglyphidodon indicus	rare	1
Arothron diadematus	rare	1
Balistoides viridescens	rare	1
Caesio lunaris	rare	1
Caesio suevica	rare	1
Chaetodon semilarvatus	rare	1
Epibulus insidiator	rare	1
Flavocaranx bajad	rare	1
Naso elegans	rare	1
Odonus niger	rare	1
Ostracion cyanurus	rare	1
Paracirrhites forsteri	rare	1
Pomacanthus maculosus	rare	1
Rhinecanthus assasi	rare	1
Fromia ghardaqana	rare	1
Thalassoma rueppellii	rare	1
Zebrasoma desjardinii	rare	1
Abudefduf vaigiensis	rare	1
Amblyglyphidodon flavilatus	rare	1
Ctenochaetus striatus	rare	1
Scarus niger	rare	1
Aethaloperca rogaa	rare	1
Cheilodipterus macrodon	rare	1
Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus	rare	1
Corythoichthys flavofasciatus	rare	1
Dascyllus marginatus	rare	1
Dascyllus trimaculatus	rare	1
Diodon hystrix	rare	1
Epinephelus fasciatus	rare	1

Nearby sites in Safaga

Explore all sites

Sha’ab Sheer Soraya1.1 km

Safaga

The small round hard-coral reef detached to the south of Sha'ab Sheer, dived as the shallow second half of a Salem Express day.

Shaab Hamdallah1.3 km

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A group of tall coral towers standing off the south tip of the Sha'ab Sheer plateau, dived only on days flat enough to leave a boat with no shelter at all.

Shaab Claude1.4 km

Safaga

A small outer reef south of Sha'ab Sheer with a ridge of fused ergs and shallow swim-throughs at 4 to 6 m.

Sha’ab Sheer East2.3 km

Safaga

The eastern end of Safaga's boomerang reef, where three ergs stand off the reef and leave a shallow channel that decides how the dive goes.

Al Kahfain (Wreck)2.6 km

Safaga

A 115 m ferry lying inverted against the wall of Sha'ab Sheer, still settling, dived one way from a zodiac drop.

Sha’ab Sheer West2.8 km

Safaga

The western dive on Sha'ab Sheer: in through a small channel to a hard-coral garden on the north side, then an inclined coral wall along the main reef, with sea fans below 20 m.

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