Jeddah · Saudi Arabia · Wreck
Chicken Wreck
A cargo ship that hit the reef carrying frozen chicken
Area photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
A vessel carrying a cargo of frozen chicken struck the reef here and sank where it hit, which is how the site got the name divers use for it. It lies in 10 to 18 m of water beside the coral garden that shares the same reef ground, shallow enough that the whole wreck fits inside one relaxed dive.
Where it is and how deep
21.7418° N, 38.9923° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is a reef dive with a wreck lying on it. The ship struck the reef and went down where it hit, so the hull rests against coral rather than out on open sand, and the reef itself is part of the dive rather than a backdrop. Drop in on the shallow end at about 10 m, where the reef top gives you a clear reference, and work along the structure as it steps down towards its deepest point at 18 m.
At 18 m at its deepest there is no reason to rush any part of it, and the whole wreck fits inside one no-decompression profile with air to spare. Nothing is published about the state of the interior, so read the ship from outside and leave the overhead alone. When you have finished with the steel, the reef the wreck sits on carries the rest of the dive, and the 10 m end gives you shallow water to work back through at the finish.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Unidentified cargo vessel
- Type
- Cargo vessel carrying frozen chicken
- Cause
- Struck the reef while carrying a cargo of frozen chicken
- Lies
- On the reef in 10 to 18 m, next to the Coral Gardens 1 reef
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Jeddah: Diveable in any month: winter water near 22C wants a 5 mm suit and hood, and July-September pairs the warmest sea with severe heat ashore.
Questions divers ask
Why is it called the Chicken Wreck?+
The vessel was carrying a cargo of frozen chicken when it struck the reef and sank. The ship's name, flag and the date it went down are not published, so divers here use the cargo instead.
Is the Chicken Wreck suitable for new divers?+
It lies in 10 to 18 m, which is inside Open Water limits, and it is dived from the outside. The reef alongside gives shallow water for the end of the dive.
Sources
- Jeddah - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Coral Gardens 1 - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Jeddah
Wreck
Jeddah's biggest wreck, on its side between two reefs since 2022
Reef
Two caves at 3 m, a 5 m platform, and sand at 36 m off one beach
Coral garden
Diverse coral between 15 and 20 m, a short boat ride out
Reef
Shallow reef at 7 to 13 m with a drop-off past 60 m alongside
Reef
Easy reef averaging 12 m, shared with snorkellers
Reef
Shore entry onto a 10 m shelf with a coral wall below it
Reef
A 5 m platform off the beach, and diving down to 40 m
Similar dives elsewhere
A plastic skeleton in the pilot's seat of a sunken Hercules
An 1869 P&O steamer rotted back to her iron ribs at 24 m
A dive boat lost to fire in 1996, on the seabed just past 20 m
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The stern lies canted 45 degrees to port at 24 metres