Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait · Egypt · Wreck · Reef
Kimon M
A 120 m lentil carrier, bow at 15 m and stern down at 32 m
Photo: Wusel007 · CC BY-SA 3.0
The deepest of the four Abu Nuhas ships: a 120 m German cargo vessel that ran onto the reef at full speed carrying 4,500 tons of bagged lentils out of Iskenderun. Her bow sits at 15 m and her stern lies out on the seabed at 32 m, so the most interesting end of the wreck is also the end that limits the dive. Much of her cargo and her engine were salvaged after she sank.
Where it is and how deep
27.5817° N, 33.9302° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The ship runs down the reef slope with her bow at 15 m and her stern out on the seabed at 32 m, so the dive is planned around how long you want at the deep end. Divers usually drop over the shallow structure, follow the plating down to the stern, spend a few minutes at the deepest point and then work back up the same line, which keeps the ascent gradual and leaves the shallow section for last.
Much of her cargo and her engine were recovered after the sinking, so the dive is the structure itself: the plating, the open holds and the stern section out on the sand. Several species of pipefish live on the wreck, which makes it a better macro dive than a hull of this size suggests. Bottom time at the stern is short, so most divers take one pass along the deep end and give the rest of the dive to the shallower structure.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Kimon M
- Type
- German cargo vessel
- Length
- 120 m (394 ft)
- Sunk
- 1978
- Cause
- Ran aground at full speed on the Abu Nuhas reef
- Lies
- Bow at 15 m on the reef slope, stern out on the seabed at 32 m
The Kimon M was a 120 m German cargo vessel carrying 4,500 tons of bagged lentils from Iskenderun in Turkey when she ran aground at full speed on the Abu Nuhas reef, at the end of a voyage that began in December 1978. It is not known which wreck, if any, she struck before grounding. A passing cargo ship, the Interasja, answered the distress call, picked up her entire crew and delivered them safely to Suez.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
| 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 sits at 32 m at the far end of the wreck, so gas and no-decompression time run down where you are furthest from the exit; turn the dive on a set pressure rather than on the route.
Photos from Kimon M
Wusel007 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Kimon M · f64se on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Kimon M?+
The bow lies at 15 m on the reef slope and the stern rests on the seabed at 32 m. Plan the deep end early and keep the shallow bow section for the back half of the dive.
Sources
- The Wrecks of Abu Nuhas — Diving Around
- Abu Nuhas Wrecks Diving, Hurghada, Red Sea - Egypt — Dive The World
- List of shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean — Wikipedia
- Kimon M wreck -- OpenStreetMap node 663869811 — OpenStreetMap contributors
Photo credits
- Rusted hull sections of the wreck Kimon M breaking the surface at Abu Nuhas reef by Wusel007, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The Kimon M's wreckage above water at Abu Nuhas, with cargo ships passing in the shipping lane behind by Wusel007, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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
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
The Thistlegorm's sister ship, upright and intact below 30 m
Similar dives elsewhere
An upside-down 1876 steamer with glassfish packed into the hull
A 1984 freighter broken up in 10 to 12 m of water
The 27 m liveaboard Atlantis X, bow at 16 m
A Cessna wing at nearly 30 m, colonised as a miniature reef