Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait · Egypt · Wreck
Giannis D
An engine room full of glassfish at the end of a canted stern
Area photo: W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
A Japanese-built cargo freighter under Greek ownership when she was lost, now broken into three parts on the Sha'b Abu Nuhas reef, her bow in 10 m and her stern laid over on her left side to 25 m. The engine room is accessible enough to swim through and full of glassfish, and the mast and anchor winch in the shallows are furred with soft coral.
Also known as Shovo Maru, Markos.
Where it is and how deep
27.5783° N, 33.9247° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Take the wreck from her shallow end and she reads in order. The mast rises to within 4 m of the surface and the anchor winch is furred with soft coral, and from there the deck falls away to the bow, which sits in only 10 m and is one of the two parts of the ship still in good shape. It is bright, easy water, and worth working properly before you go deeper.
Swimming aft, the middle of the ship gives out. The midships section has collapsed and is in bad condition, plate and frame rather than recognisable structure. Past it the stern rises again, and this is the part that catches divers out: she is laid over on her left side, so corridors and doorways read as sloping shafts and the whole geometry is rotated. Keeping track of which way is up takes deliberate effort.
The stern is where the penetration is, and at 25 m it is the deepest part of the dive. Inside, divers reach a pocket of trapped air and the engine room, which is accessible enough that exploring it is straightforward rather than technical, and which is full of glassfish. Work back out of the stern and follow the hull up the slope to the bow and the mast, finishing in the shallows where the soft coral is.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Giannis D
- Type
- Greek-owned cargo freighter, Japanese-built
- Length
- 100 m (328 ft)
- Sunk
- 1983
- Cause
- Sank on the Sha'b Abu Nuhas reef in April 1983
- Lies
- In three parts: bow in 10 m, midships collapsed, stern on her left side to 25 m
She was built in Japan in the 1960s and sailed under three names: Shovo Maru first, then Markos in the 1970s, and finally Giannis D in the 1980s after a Greek company bought her. The 100 m freighter was carrying a cargo of soft wood when she sank on Abu Nuhas in April 1983, which is why divers still call her the Wood Wreck.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| 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 stern is laid on her left side, which rotates every corridor and stairway; divers lose their sense of up inside her, so fix a reference before going in.
- Penetration at the stern reaches a trapped-air pocket and the engine room. It is overhead diving: go in with wreck training, a light and a line, and do not breathe the air pocket.
- Conditions over Abu Nuhas can be rough, with very strong currents and a choppy surface; check the drift and the state of the surface before leaving the boat.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Giannis D?+
The mast tops out about 4 m below the surface and the bow sits in only 10 m, while the stern is the deepest part of the wreck at 25 m.
Do you need wreck training to dive the Giannis D?+
Not for the outside of the hull, which is shallow enough that even inexperienced divers explore it. Penetrating the stern to reach the air pocket and the engine room is overhead diving and belongs to divers with wreck training and a light.
Sources
- Giannis D, wreck — Scubago
- Abu Nuhas dive site guide — Divezone
More dive sites in Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait
Wall
A drift along a 35 m wall over the 1887 wreck of the Ulysses
An 1869 P&O steamer rotted back to her iron ribs at 24 m
Tiles still in the holds, bow at 3 m and stern at 26 m
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
Similar dives elsewhere
An air pocket in the rear cargo hold big enough to surface in
A minesweeper on her port side, 25 minutes from the marina
A 135-metre cargo ship turned artificial reef, on her port side
A 115 m ferry lost in 1991, dived as a memorial without entry