Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait · Egypt · Wreck · Reef
Carnatic
An 1869 P&O steamer rotted back to her iron ribs at 24 m
Photo: W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
The oldest of the four ships lost on Abu Nuhas reef: a P&O steamer that struck the coral in September 1869 and broke apart the following morning with 30 lives lost. She lies on her port side parallel to the reef with the hull down at 24 m, her wooden flooring long rotted away to expose the iron ribbing of the inner holds. Sweepers and glassfish shoal between the ribs.
Also known as SS Carnatic.
Where it is and how deep
27.5814° N, 33.9256° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Carnatic lies on her port side parallel to the reef, with the hull down at 24 m and reported depths on the wreck running from about 16 m, so the descent puts you straight onto the ship. The shape reads immediately: the wooden flooring has rotted away and what is left is the iron ribbing of the inner holds, so the structure is open to the water rather than closed in around you.
You can dive the entire length of the ship, looking into the holds as you go. Sweepers and glassfish shoal between the ribs, a few batfish hang off the structure, and the timbers carry nudibranchs including Chromodoris quadricolor and Phyllidiella pustulosa. Broken wine bottles from her cargo still lie on the floor of the wreck, so watch where you put your hands on the way through.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Carnatic
- Type
- P&O steamer
- Length
- 89.4 m (293 ft)
- Built
- 1863
- Sunk
- 1869
- Cause
- Struck Sha'b Abu Nuhas reef near Shadwan Island at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez
- Lies
- On her port side parallel to the reef, hull down at 24 m, the wooden flooring rotted away to iron ribs
Carnatic was built in 1862-63 by Samuda Brothers at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs, London, and ran for P&O. In the early hours of 13 September 1869 she struck Sha'b Abu Nuhas reef near Shadwan Island, at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez, and broke apart the following morning; 30 lives were lost. Her cargo included around 40,000 pounds worth of gold. Divers rediscovered the wreck in May 1984.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait: Diving is year-round; Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov give the calmest seas, and winter northerlies can make the exposed north reef unworkable.
Know before you go
- Broken glass wine bottles from the cargo still lie on the floor of the wreck; keep hands and knees off the timbers and hold your trim between the ribs.
Photos from Carnatic
Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Dive videos
Scuba diving the SS Carnatic wreck in the Egyptian Red Sea. · Water We Doing Here on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Carnatic wreck?+
The hull lies parallel to the reef at 24 m, with depths on the wreck reported between 16 m and 27 m. That keeps the dive inside recreational limits, and there is no reason to go below the wreck itself.
Can you go inside the Carnatic?+
Mostly you dive her from the outside. The wooden flooring has rotted away to expose the iron ribbing of the inner holds, so divers swim the length of the ship looking into the holds rather than working through an enclosed interior.
Sources
- SS Carnatic — Wikipedia
- Abu Nuhas Wrecks Diving, Hurghada, Red Sea - Egypt — Dive The World
- The Wrecks of Abu Nuhas — Diving Around
Photo credits
- Diver hovering beside the coral-covered iron ribs and frames of the Carnatic wreck underwater. by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 19th-century engraving of the steamer Carnatic listing under sail with lifeboats alongside as it sinks. by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Cheapest places to scuba dive, and the catchTrip planning · 15 min read
- Your first wreck dive: what to expect and whereFirst dives · 6 min read
More dive sites in Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait
Wall
A drift along a 35 m wall over the 1887 wreck of the Ulysses
Tiles still in the holds, bow at 3 m and stern at 26 m
Wreck
An engine room full of glassfish at the end of a canted stern
The stern lies canted 45 degrees to port at 24 metres
A 120 m lentil carrier, bow at 15 m and stern down at 32 m
The Thistlegorm's sister ship, upright and intact below 30 m
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