Brothers & Daedalus · Egypt · Wreck · Wall
Numidia Wreck
Railway wheels at 8 m on a hull that runs down to 80 m
Photo: W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Numidia is a 137-metre steam cargo ship that struck the northern reef of Big Brother Island in 1901 and now hangs down the wall at a steep angle, bow at 8 m and stern at 80 m. It is dived as a wall dive rather than a wreck resting on sand, with railway wheels in the shallows and strong north-to-south current across the site.
Also known as SS Numidia.
Where it is and how deep
26.3167° N, 34.8417° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You drop onto the northern reef and pick the wreck up almost at once: the bow section sits just 8 m below the surface, and the railway wheels she was carrying lie there at the shallow end. From there the hull falls away down the wall at a dramatically steep angle rather than resting on any seabed, so on this wreck depth is simply a question of how far along the ship you swim.
Working down the plating, the cabins and bridge come at around 20 m, the engine room at 40 m and the mizzen mast at 50 m. Recreational groups turn somewhere in the first two of those and drift back up the wall with the water, which runs north to south across the site and decides how much of the ship anyone sees on a given morning.
Past the mast, the stern and propeller lie at 80 m, technical territory well beyond a recreational profile. The structure holds hawksbill turtles and reef fish, while manta rays, grey reef sharks, thresher sharks and oceanic whitetips pass in the blue off the wall. The dive ends back up at the bow, shallow enough at 8 m to spend the safety stop over the railway wheels.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Numidia
- Type
- Steam cargo ship
- Length
- 137 m (449 ft)
- Built
- 1901
- Sunk
- 1901
- Cause
- Struck Big Brother Island after an insufficient course change on the night watch
- Lies
- At a steep angle down the northern reef of Big Brother, bow at 8 m and stern at 80 m
The Numidia was built by D&W Henderson of Glasgow and launched on 4 February 1901, a steam cargo ship of 6,399 GRT. She was lost the same year. Just after 2 am on Saturday 20 July 1901 she struck the rocky shore of Big Brother Island, after Second Mate James Tulloch, who may have dozed off on watch, made a course change that was not enough to clear the island.
Marine life and season
- Manta rays
- Reef sharks
- Thresher sharks
- Oceanic whitetips
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Brothers & Daedalus: Boats run the offshore route from March to December; schooling hammerheads peak at Daedalus from June to August.
Know before you go
- Strong north-to-south currents run across the wreck, so groups drop upcurrent and ride the wall instead of trying to swim the ship end to end.
- The hull hangs at a steep angle and it is easy to gain depth without noticing; fix a turn depth before descending and watch the computer rather than the structure.
Photos from Numidia Wreck
W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Numidia wreck - Big Brother - Red Sea. · Ian on YouTube
SS Numidia Engine Room Big Brother · AquaholicFilms on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Numidia wreck?+
The bow sits at 8 m and the stern reaches 80 m. A recreational dive covers the railway wheels at the bow, the cabins and bridge around 20 m and the engine room at 40 m; the mizzen mast at 50 m and everything below it are technical depths.
Why did the Numidia sink?+
Just after 2 am on 20 July 1901 she struck the rocky shore of Big Brother Island. The second mate on watch, James Tulloch, may have dozed off, and the course change that was made was not enough to clear the island.
Sources
- The Incredible Story of the SS Numidia Wreck - 2025 Guide — MarsaAlam.com
- Brother Islands Diving, Red Sea - Egypt — Dive The World
- Big Brother – Red Sea Diving Marine Park Dive Sites — Red Sea Diving Marine Park
Photo credits
- A diver descends past the coral-covered railing of the Numidia's upper deck by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A head-on view straight into the wreck's bow lattice, symmetrical and coral-covered by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Divers ascending through the iron trusswork of the wreck's upper deck by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Divers hovering above the wreck's superstructure near the surface by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Malapascua thresher sharks: Monad or Kimud?Big animals · 11 min read
- Do you need a safety stop? What it buys youBody & health · 11 min read
- Deep wreck diving: where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
- Where to dive with oceanic whitetip sharksBig animals · 11 min read
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