SS Carnatic

A Victorian steamer on the reef. The SS Carnatic was a P&O passenger and mail steamer that struck the reef of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas in the northern Red Sea in 1869 and sank the following morning, taking several lives. More than a century and a half later she is the most atmospheric of the wrecks that litter this notorious reef, her iron ribs draped in coral.

A skeleton hull full of light. Time has stripped the wooden planking, leaving a graceful open framework of iron frames through which shafts of sunlight fall. Divers can glide the length of the hull and, with care, pass through the collapsed structure. The cargo reputedly included wine and gold, and antique bottles have been recovered over the years.

Depth and conditions. The wreck lies on a slope between roughly 18 and 27 metres, well within recreational range, though the exposed reef can carry current and swell. Advanced Open Water certification with some wreck experience is ideal; the open, airy structure is more forgiving than a sealed hull but still demands respect and good buoyancy.

A reef alive with fish. Glassfish shimmer inside the frames, groupers and lionfish shelter in the wreckage, and hard corals encrust the exposed metal. Abu Nuhas is usually dived from liveaboards and Hurghada day boats, with the calmest access from spring to autumn and generally excellent visibility over the wreck field.