SS Umbria

Scuttled on the eve of war. The SS Umbria was an Italian cargo ship deliberately scuttled by her crew at Wingate Reef near Port Sudan in 1940, moments after Italy entered the Second World War, to keep her cargo from falling into British hands. She lies on her port side in the clear Sudanese Red Sea, and is often ranked among the finest wreck dives anywhere.

A hold full of bombs and cars. The Umbria went down laden with an enormous cargo of aircraft bombs, detonators, cement and three Fiat Lunga cars, all still in her holds. Divers glide past stacked munitions and the automobiles, an eerie and perfectly preserved snapshot of wartime logistics, with the ship's lifeboat davits and propeller framed against the light.

Shallow yet substantial. The wreck rises from about 38 metres to within a few metres of the surface, so much of it can be explored on a single recreational dive, though the scale rewards several. Advanced Open Water certification suits the depth and the penetration opportunities; the holds are large and navigable for divers with wreck experience and good buoyancy.

Coral, light and remoteness. Decades in nutrient-rich water have cloaked the hull in coral, and visibility is typically excellent. Sudan's diving is remote and largely liveaboard-based, so trips are few and the sites uncrowded. The best conditions run through the cooler, calmer months from autumn into spring.