The next time you dive at either Emperor Marsa Alam or Hurghada you can now enjoy one of the newest and most exciting wrecks in the Red Sea on a day trip.
The day is spent relaxing on the beach at Emperor's Safaga dive centre, where a generous three-course lunch separates two dives on the El Arish El Tor. The wreck is a five-minute speedboat ride from the beach and normally has no more than five divers on it at any one time.
Built in 1981 in Bergen, Norway, the El Arish El Tor was a passenger ferry that operated between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It was sold in 1999 and then remained in Safaga until its unexplained sinking in 2002. It went down with no one on board, but with all its fixtures still in place. The ship's name is still visible on the bow and stern and the company logo adorns the funnel.
The majority of the dive takes place between 25m and 18m on this large wreck - around 105 metres long - and harbours a huge variety of marine life including massive schools of barracudas and Jacks as well as velvetfishes and soldierfish all against a background of cascading soft corals. There is plenty of definition on the wreck too, poking your head into the bridge shows the instruments still largely intact, seats and tables can still be seen in the passenger areas and the enormous propellers are alive with stunning soft coral.
The first dive allows guests to gain an overview of the scale of the wreck, whilst the second allows a more thorough exploration of the details and intricacies including the massive
winches, lifejackets, lifeboats and even the pictures on the walls!
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