TRAVELSPECIAL
Free-swimming moray eel with cleaner wrasse on the Barge
Wreck heaven
Next , we arrived at the Thistlegorm , the WW2 supply ship that became a living museum and the most popular dive in the Red Sea . Its position affords limited protection , and with growing winds there were concerns we would have limited time on the site .
Somehow , the Explorer was able to stay on-site overnight , allowing an afternoon , night and morning dive on the wreck , with its remarkable cargo of munitions and war machines . The first dive involved a gruelling descent against a fast current , but night divers were rewarded with a more placid experience . I photographed one of the BSA motorbikes , photobombed by a colourful broom-tailed wrasse . The next day we finned towards the stern in easier
A chunky tasselled scorpionfish on the Barge
BSA motorcycle and broom-tailed wrasse , SS Thistlegorm conditions , visiting the giant propeller and the iconic gun . The day boats had long since departed , anticipating the storm , and finally we too had to get out of Dodge , powering back across the strait to the shelter of Gubal Island .
It was a fairly wreck-dominated itinerary , but in fairness these were extremely good wrecks . The Barge at Gubal Island is the least historically significant of these wrecks , but it tips the balance in favour of wildlife , yielding enormous scorpionfish and free-swimming moray eels . Mario and I got permission to run an afternoon dive into the night phase , a change of shift when the Barge really comes to life , circled by thousands of fusiliers and sergeant majors . Mario tested his eyesight by picking out five different stonefish from the reef around the wreck .
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