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Shaab Abu Nuhas
Egypt · reef · intermediate
5–32 mintermediateOWboat entry
Shaab Abu Nuhas
The reef that keeps sinking ships: a triangular shallow beside the Suez shipping lane with four dived wrecks along its north face.
Max depth5–32 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeboat
Visibility20 m
The dive
Sha'ab Abu Nuhas is a shallow triangular reef in the Strait of Gubal, about 40 km north of Hurghada in the Shadwan Channel near Shadwan Island; one liveaboard operator gives the run as roughly 65 km northwest of Hurghada. The Arabic name is usually rendered 'father of copper'. It sits barely under the surface and immediately beside the shipping channel that funnels traffic to and from the Suez Canal, and that is the whole story of the place: a ship a little west of its track at full speed finds the reef before anyone sees it. Vessels have been striking the northern slopes for over 150 years.
Four wrecks on the north side are within recreational limits and each has its own page here: the P&O steamer Carnatic (1869, 12-27 m), the Kimon M or Lentil Wreck (1978, 15-32 m), the Chrisoula K or Tile Wreck (1981, 3-26 m) and the Giannis D (1983, 6-28 m). A fifth, the Seastar, lies at about 90 m and is effectively out of reach. They are all one reef, not four sites: our own occurrence records for Carnatic, Kimon M, Giannis D and the reef entry are identical because they come from the same sampling box.
As a reef rather than a wreck, Abu Nuhas is a coral slope with 20-30 m of visibility on a normal day and water between about 22 and 28 C through the year. Boats moor on the sheltered southern side and divers cross or are dropped on the exposed northern side where the wrecks are; that north face is the windward one, the surface there is often choppy and the current can be strong, particularly around the northeast corner. Depths across the diveable area run from about 5 m to 32 m and average around 24 m.
Life is the ordinary rich Red Sea reef assemblage growing over steel: octopus, giant moray, scorpionfish, gobies, nudibranchs and flatworms, lionfish, Arabian Picasso triggerfish and dense glassfish inside the hulls, with dolphins passing through. Our occurrence records for this box 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.
- A shallow triangular reef sitting right on the Suez Canal approach, which is why it has wrecked ships for over 150 years
- Four recreational wrecks along the northern slope: Carnatic (1869), Kimon M (1978), Chrisoula K (1981), Giannis D (1983)
- A fifth wreck, the Seastar, lies at about 90 m and is not a recreational dive
- Boats moor on the sheltered south side; the wrecks are on the exposed, choppier north face
- Visibility usually 20-30 m, water 22-28 C, depths from about 5 m to 32 m
Please note before you go
- The wrecks are on the windward north face: choppy surface, mooring is done on the south side and the crossing is exposed
- Current on the northern slope and around the northeast corner can be strong
- Every wreck here is a shipwreck on a reef that is still actively hit by shipping; the site sits directly beside a live commercial channel
- Penetration of the individual wrecks is a per-wreck question with real overhead environments; see the wreck pages
- The fifth wreck, the Seastar, lies at about 90 m and is far outside recreational limits
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Boat only. Day boats run out from Hurghada and El Gouna, and every northern Red Sea liveaboard itinerary stops here. Boats moor on the sheltered southern side of the reef and divers reach the wrecks on the northern face by zodiac or by crossing the reef top.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Season
Diveable year round, but the trips are weather dependent and it is the sea state on the exposed northern side that decides whether the wrecks get dived. Gubal-area surface conditions are choppier in winter, with average wave heights around 0.6-0.8 m and almost no rain at any time of year.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentmoderate
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range5–32 m
Environmentreef
Coralrecovering
Crowdsbusy
A shallow coral reef in open water with a sheltered south side and an exposed north side. Visibility is normally 20-30 m, water 22-28 C, and the surface on the wreck side is often choppy. Current on the north slope can be strong. Boats pick up a mooring in the lee and the diving happens on the far side.
On current: Visibility is quoted at 20-30 m by two independent guides; we record the conservative 20 m. Water runs about 22-28 C across the year. Current can be strong on the exposed northern side where the wrecks lie, and the northeast corner in particular is where the wrecks are shallowest and the water busiest; the southern side, where boats moor, is sheltered. Depth across the diveable reef is given as 5-32 m with an average around 24 m.
Questions & answers
Why are there so many wrecks at Abu Nuhas?
Because the reef is a shallow triangle sitting just under the surface immediately beside the shipping channel that leads to and from the Suez Canal. A ship drifting slightly west of its track at full speed finds it before anyone sees it. Ships have been striking the northern slopes for more than 150 years, and at least four of the casualties are now dived regularly.
Which wrecks can I actually dive here?
Four, all on the northern side of the same reef: the P&O steamer Carnatic from 1869 at about 12-27 m, the Kimon M or 'Lentil Wreck' from 1978 at about 15-32 m, the Chrisoula K or 'Tile Wreck' from 1981 running from about 3 m to 26 m, and the Giannis D from 1983 at about 6-28 m. A fifth, the Seastar, lies at roughly 90 m and is not a recreational dive.
Are these four separate dive sites or one reef?
One reef with four wrecks on it. They are listed separately because you dive them separately, but Carnatic, Kimon M, Chrisoula K and Giannis D all lie along the northern slope of the same triangular reef, within a few hundred metres of each other. Our own species occurrence records for them are identical for exactly that reason.
How do you get to Abu Nuhas?
By boat. It is about 40 km north of Hurghada in the Shadwan Channel, with one operator giving 65 km northwest of Hurghada by their route. Day boats run from Hurghada and El Gouna, and it is a fixture on northern Red Sea liveaboard itineraries. Boats moor on the sheltered south side and you reach the wrecks on the exposed north face.
What are the conditions like?
Visibility is normally 20-30 m and water temperature runs about 22-28 C across the year. The south side is sheltered; the north side, where all the wrecks are, is the windward face, so the surface is often choppy and the current can be strong, particularly around the northeast corner. Depths run from about 5 m to 32 m.
Do I need to be an advanced diver?
Not strictly. The shallower wrecks are dived on Open Water certification, and the Chrisoula K bow and the Giannis D mast are in the top few metres. But most of what people come for is below 18 m and the Kimon M stern reaches 32 m, so operators recommend Advanced Open Water; one liveaboard on this route asks for 20 logged dives and comfort in current.
What will I see besides the wrecks?
Ordinary rich Red Sea reef life growing over steel: octopus, giant moray, scorpionfish, gobies, nudibranchs and flatworms, lionfish, Arabian Picasso triggerfish and dense glassfish inside the hulls, with dolphins passing through. Our own occurrence records for this reef are dominated by bannerfish, blackside hawkfish, yellowbar angelfish, sailfin tang, twoband anemonefish, giant moray and orbicular batfish.
When is the best time to dive it?
It is diveable year round and the deciding factor is weather rather than season, because the wrecks are on the exposed northern side. The wider Gubal area gets choppier in winter, with average wave heights around 0.6-0.8 m and effectively no rainfall at any point in the year.
Life recorded at Shaab Abu Nuhas
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 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 10 |
| Platax orbicularis | occasional | 10 |
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 10 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 9 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 9 |
| Pseudobalistes fuscus | occasional | 8 |
| Pseudochromis fridmani | occasional | 7 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | occasional | 6 |
| Scarus ferrugineus | occasional | 6 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | occasional | 6 |
| Siganus stellatus | occasional | 6 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon auriga | occasional | 5 |
| Epinephelus tauvina | occasional | 5 |
| Chromodoris quadricolor | occasional | 5 |
| Acanthurus sohal | 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 |
| Siganus luridus | rare | 3 |
| Bodianus anthioides | rare | 3 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | 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 |
| Aethaloperca rogaa | rare | 3 |
| Synanceia verrucosa | rare | 3 |
| Acanthaster benziei | rare | 3 |
| Caesio striata | rare | 3 |
| Ecsenius dentex | rare | 3 |
| Pempheris tominagai | rare | 3 |
| Cephalopholis sexmaculata | rare | 3 |
| Pearsonothuria graeffei | rare | 3 |
| Sargocentron caudimaculatum | rare | 3 |
| Rhinecanthus assasi | rare | 3 |
| Amblyeleotris steinitzi | rare | 2 |
| Microcyphus rousseaui | rare | 2 |
| Chromis weberi | rare | 2 |
| Tridacna maxima | rare | 2 |
| Cheilodipterus macrodon | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in Abu Nuhas
Explore all sitesSS Carnatic, wreck1.1 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, wreck1.2 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.
Kimon M, wreck1.2 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.
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 Kebir5.2 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.
El Gilwa6.0 km
Abu NuhasThe broken side of Siyul island: coral blocks and pinnacles standing on sand, with three moorings so the dive can be replanned around whichever way the current is running.
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