Sharm El Sheikh · Egypt · Wreck · Reef
SS Dunraven
An upside-down 1876 steamer with glassfish packed into the hull
Photo: Alexander Vasenin · CC BY-SA 3.0
A Victorian steamer that struck the reef at the southern edge of Sha'ab Mahmoud in 1876 and now lies upside down against the wall, bow at 15 m and stern on the sand at 29 m. Three large ruptures in the hull open the interior to divers with wreck training, and the hull itself is covered in coral.
Also known as Dunraven Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
27.7033° N, 34.1217° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck lies inverted on the reef, with the top of the bow at 15 m and the stern down on the seabed at 29 m. Dives usually start at the stern, past the boiler, then work forward to the bow before fining back over the coral-covered hull and onto the reef wall to finish in the shallows. Three large holes in the plating open the interior, and the stern section is open in places for divers qualified to go inside.
Around and inside those ruptures is where the life concentrates. Glass fish pack the openings in their thousands, and groupers, jackfish, scorpionfish and crocodilefish work the same broken sections of hull. Penetration is genuinely optional here: the holes are large, but the ship is upside down, which turns the interior geometry on its head and is reason enough to stay outside without wreck training.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Dunraven
- Type
- British steamer
- Length
- 81.6 m (268 ft)
- Built
- 1872
- Sunk
- 1876
- Cause
- Struck a reef in the Gulf of Suez after the crew miscalculated their position
- Lies
- Upside down in two sections on the reef, bow at 15 m and stern on the sand at 29 m
Dunraven was launched at the C. Mitchell iron shipbuilding yard in Newcastle upon Tyne on 14 December 1872. On 25 April 1876 she ran onto a reef in the Gulf of Suez after her captain and crew miscalculated their position; she hung there for 14 hours, then capsized and sank quickly in 25 m of water. The crew were all rescued the following day. Local fishermen knew the wreck for generations from nets snagging on it, but it was not identified until 1977, by the geologist Arye Keller and the underwater cameraman Howard Rosenstein.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sharm El Sheikh: Hammerhead sightings at Tiran peak June–September; winter winds can make Tiran crossings choppier.
Know before you go
- The site is exposed and prone to the weather, so trips are moved or dropped when the wind is up rather than run in rough conditions.
- The hull is inverted, so the three penetration holes lead into upside-down spaces; stay outside unless you have the wreck training for them.
Photos from SS Dunraven
Matt Kieffer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Alexander Vasenin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Exploring The SS Dunraven Wreck - The Upside Down Ship! - Red Sea Wreck Diving, Egypt · Chris Price Diving on YouTube
Dive Hut - Dunraven Wreck - Sharm el Sheikh · DiveHut on YouTube
🌊 Scuba Dive into History: SS Dunraven Wreck Penetration in the Red Sea! 😱🚢💦 · Adventures Above and Below the Water on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Dunraven wreck?+
The top of the bow sits at 15 m and the stern rests on the seabed at 29 m, alongside the reef wall. Most of the dive is spent between those two depths, working along the inverted hull.
Can you go inside the Dunraven?+
Three large holes in the hull open the interior, and the stern section is open in places for divers qualified to enter. Because the ship is upside down, this is a wreck-training dive rather than a casual look inside.
Sources
- SS Dunraven — Wikipedia
- SS Dunraven Wreck dive site — PADI
- Dunraven Wreck: Dive into history and marine life — Egypt Liveaboard
- Discover the Dunraven Wreck - Red Sea's Diving History and Marine Life — Red Sea Marine Sharm
Photo credits
- Common lionfish with fanned spines resting among coral on the reef near the Dunraven wreck. by Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diver with a torch inside a broken, coral-covered section of the Dunraven's inverted hull. by Matt Kieffer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bright red soft coral branching from the reef wall near the SS Dunraven wreck. by Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Sharm El Sheikh
Reef
Anemones holding a permanent population of anemonefish
Reef
The freighter Loullia aground on the reef since 1981
Reef
Two enormous caves filled with shoaling glassfish
Scalloped hammerheads off the back of the reef in late summer
A 1984 freighter broken up in 10 to 12 m of water
Lagoon
Shallow hard coral lagoon on the west side of Tiran Island
Wreck
A 175 m bulk carrier aground off Nabq since 1996
Coral blocks from 2 to 40 m on a sea-grass bottom
Similar dives elsewhere
Tiles still in the holds, bow at 3 m and stern at 26 m
A 120 m lentil carrier, bow at 15 m and stern down at 32 m
An 1869 P&O steamer rotted back to her iron ribs at 24 m
A minesweeper on her port side, 25 minutes from the marina