Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait · Egypt · Wreck · Reef
Chrisoula K
Tiles still in the holds, bow at 3 m and stern at 26 m
Photo: W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
The tile wreck of Abu Nuhas: a freighter that hit the reef in August 1981 laden with floor tiles, and the cargo is still in her holds. The bow sits in about 3 m of water against the coral and the stern and propeller lie at 26 m, so a single dive covers the whole hull from reef top to sand. Which ship she actually is remains disputed.
Also known as Tile Wreck, Marcus.
Where it is and how deep
27.5814° N, 33.9319° EPublished position for this site.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
The ship lies with her bow in about 3 m of water hard against the reef and her stern and propeller down the slope at 26 m, so one dive covers the whole hull. The usual order is deep first: drop in over the shallow end, follow the plating down the slope to the stern and the propeller, then turn and work back up the length of the ship with the reef on your shoulder.
The holds are the reason people come. The tile cargo she was carrying is still in them, and the openings are big enough that divers with wreck training can move through. The interior is cluttered with fallen beams and poles, though, so getting in among the tiles is a dive with a light and a line rather than a quick look through a hatch on the way past.
The last stretch is the shallowest part of the dive. The bow section sits in a few metres of water on top of the reef, bright and easy to hang over while the computer clears and the safety stop runs. Flatworms and lionfish work the plating on the way up, Arabian Picasso triggerfish and clown sand wrasse patrol the sand alongside the hull, and dolphins pass along the reef.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Chrisoula K
- Type
- Cargo freighter
- Sunk
- 1981
- Cause
- Hit the reefs of Abu Nuhas while carrying a cargo of floor tiles
- Lies
- Bow in 3 m of water on the reef, stern and propeller down the slope at 26 m
Chrisoula K hit the reefs of Abu Nuhas on 31 August 1981 carrying a cargo of tiles. The name is not settled: wreck researchers hold that the tile wreck divers visit is in fact the Marcus, a separate vessel that went onto the same stretch of reef in May 1978 with an identical Italian tile cargo, and that the Chrisoula K's own hull was located in 2000, some 600 m out from the reef in deep water.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
- Dolphins
| 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
- The holds are cluttered with fallen beams and poles; going inside needs wreck training, a light and a line, not a quick look through an opening.
Photos from Chrisoula K
W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
The Wreck Of The TILES - Chrisoula K In Red Sea 🇪🇬 · Blue Horizon Diving on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Chrisoula K?+
The bow sits in about 3 m of water on the reef and the stern and propeller lie at 26 m, so the dive spans the full hull. Most of the deep time is spent at the stern end early in the dive.
Is the tile wreck really the Chrisoula K?+
Not everyone thinks so. Researchers argue the tile wreck is the Marcus, which went onto the same reef in May 1978 with the same Italian tile cargo, and that the Chrisoula K's hull was found in 2000 about 600 m out from the reef in deep water.
Sources
- Abu Nuhas Wrecks Diving, Hurghada, Red Sea - Egypt — Dive The World
- The Wrecks of Abu Nuhas — Diving Around
- M.V. Marcus (Aka The Tile Wreck) — Deeplens.com
- List of shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Coral-encrusted bow section of the Chrisoula K rising toward the surface with a diver alongside by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Starboard hull and railings of the Chrisoula K resting on the reef at Abu Nuhas by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A diver's torch lights the cargo deck inside the wreck of the Chrisoula K by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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