The Thistlegorm, on the west coast of the Sinai Peninsula and 40 km from Sharm El Sheikh, is the best known and most popular wreck dive in the Red Sea. The 125m long British army freighter sank after just 18 months of her launch in April 1940. Her last voyage commenced on the 2nd of June 1941 as she sailed to Alexandria and was loaded with wartime supplies during World War II. A long list of inventory includes tanks, aircraft, armored vehicles, Jeeps and Bedford trucks.In spite of being privately owned and operated, the HMS Thistlegorm was nevertheless fitted with a 4" anti-aircraft gun and a heavy caliber machine gun when she was drafted for war dutyBut it was never to be. In the early hours of 6th October 1941 the Thistlegorm was split in 2 and sank almost instantly after being hit by 2 bombs from a German long range bomber. The hit only blew a hole in the port side of Hold no. 5 but then cargo tank ammunition ignited, causing the bulk of the damage.
Ras Mohammed
Ras Muhammad National Park is located in Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula. It is found at the most southern tip of the peninsula. The national park encompasses an area of 185 square miles (480 sq km).Along with the Red Sea Reef, there are two islands just off the peninsula which are part of the park’s protected area.
On land, the park protects a small mangrove forest at the end of the peninsula. Further inland, the landscapes include mountains, sand dunes, wadis, and coastal mud plains.
The Red Sea Reef and surrounding reef areas include both fringing and hermatypic type reefs. There are over 220 species of corals accompanied by over 1,000 species of fish, 40 species of starfish, 150 species of crustaceans, and 25 species of sea urchins.
The green turtle and the hawksbill turtle are two of the sea turtles which can be found swimming amongst the reefs fairly regularly.
Gubal
Entry takes you straight to a sand eel garden, which you must approach with care in order to prevent the eels hiding under the sand. There is a lot of life here including thousands of tiny fish in the water near the reef, octopus, clownfish, parrotfish, and butterfly fish.
