What happens when you play with the turtles....?

Wrecks - Thistlegorm - Red Sea

About the Thistlegorm
Location: 27°42'00"N; 34°05'00"E
Description: Container ship
Length: 126 meters approx
Depth: 16 - 33 meters
Visibility: 20 - 30 meters

The Thistlegorm was discovered in 1956 by Jacques Cousteau and is probably the most famous wreck in the world. It sank in 1941 when it was hit by a German bomb that blew a hole in the port side, igniting tank ammunition that was in the hold. The explosion ripped the roof of the ship backwards, rather like opening a tin of sardines. The stern section of the wreck lies almost horizontal to the sea bed; the remainder of the wreck is nearly upright. Inside the wreckage, tyres, tanks, motorbikes, Bedford trucks, waders and wellington boots can be seen. Penetration is possible around the bridge and blast area. The large prop is still in position and the guns on the stern are in excellent condition. Artillery litters the blast area. A bath tub can be seen towards the bow and a toilet near the stern. The sea life is impressive with possibility of seeing tuna overhead the resident turtle. Expect this to be very busy, especially once the day boats have reached it; it is likely to be chaos both on the surface and under the water.

Diving The SS Thistlegorm
By John Kean

A trip around Thistlegorm today is like traveling through time and many visitors experience high emotions during the dive. It is after all a bombsite with highly visible signs of great destruction and loss. It's also a giant underwater museum, a war grave, a unique piece of military history and an opportunity to step into the past during a period when the free world was under threat from one of the most tyrannous regimes of modern times.

Sunk by German bomber planes in World War Two, SS Thistlegorm has lain at the bottom of the sea for over sixty years. Located in the Straits of Gubal, Northern Red Sea this famous vessel has been the subject of much activity and drama during its two lives as both a seagoing merchant ship and as a world-class diving site.
Despite extensive public knowledge and interest in Thistlegorm, it will continue to inspire a sense of mystery. Jacques Cousteau's visit in 1955 remains the subject of much discussion and like the legend himself Thistlegorm continues to attract speculation and controversy from beyond the grave.

Divers can visit the wreck from Sharm El Sheikh by daily boat or during a weeklong safari. Located on a bed of just thirty meters in good visibility this is the perfect wreck dive where much of the original cargo still remains. The bow is just fifteen metres below the surface and the propeller at twenty-seven. Measuring over four hundred feet long, SS Thistlegorm often requires several dives to complete an extensive coverage, inside and out.

Currents may occasionally be strong; however, mooring lines tied by the guide allow divers to make a comfortable descent to the shelter of the wreck. Once inside, divers can explore the ship's holds where time has seemingly stood still. Motorbikes, trucks, guns and wartime cargo, never to reach its destination, lay stacked where it was loaded back in 1941.


Diving at night with Graham my buddy, in hold 2 there are several WW2 jeeps and motorbikes. It's a bit spooky at night!!




On an early morning dive we took a look around the bomb damaged stern of the Thistlegorm, dropping down to 30m we found the locomotive below...






Anti-aircraft guns at the stern...








Hold 1 was surrounded by two train carrages which were cargo on board.










I found this guy on the night dive on the Thistlegorm, he's a scorpion fish!

Latest trip - 29th Dec - 5th Jan
Northern Red Sea, Reefs and Wrecks, Blue Horizon

Dolphins!!!! Before this trip, I've never been fortunate enough to see or swim with dolphins . (I've seen them from boats, but never a close in-water encounter). It was just as incredible as I've always imagined it to be. They are so inquisitive and captivating, so agile and gracious and they were fast , very fast!

I'd been chatting to Mohammed, the captain of our boat for the week. I'd told him about my wish to have a dolphin encounter, he then said one day "If you don't see dolphins on today's dives I will show you dolphins". I was a little speculative of this but true to his word, we were all relaxing after the morning dives and were on our way to the next dive site when I heard the cry of "dolphins!!". The boat started circling and the dolphins were swimming in the waves at the bow of the boat!! I grabbed my camera, checked and sealed it and threw on my wetsuit in record time. I jumped into the rib and a handful of us made our way over to the dolphins. Luckily the dolphins were in a playful mood and allowed us the privilege of an amazing encounter.

Whilst our eyes and thoughts were transfixed on the playful and intriguing mammals, the rest of the guys were watching from the boat. Apparently when we entered the water the group were dispersed all over the place. The dolphins started to work their magic, unbeknown to us. By the time they'd finished we'd been herded into a tight group just like a shoal of bait fish!! I guess they were getting their practice in for catching their supper! Then they vanished into the distance. No-one wanted this encounter to end so we kept looking for the dolphins and with some assistance from the boat we managed to have another game with our new friends! I think they managed to herd us up again! It gave me a chance to get the following shots...

Here is my second whale shark post. I have so many photos I want to share with everyone. The first picture though, is by James Thompson, the pioneer of the world famous 'Whale Shark' call. He was lucky enough to witness a whale shark feeding frenzy from the luxury of the microlight on our first day in the Seychelles, the 2nd of October.



"James was able to take digital stills and video clips of the surface-feeding event in which several sharks can be seen lined up behind each other swimming in a tight feeding circuit, narrowly avoiding the others in the frenzied group. The sharks were feeding amongst a large shoal of fusilier fish which formed halos around the whale sharks, avoiding being accidentally sucked down by the ram-feeding sharks. James and Johan observed the group for five minutes or so before completing the rest of the survey which located a total of 23 sharks on this round Mahe flight, the highest total record for this season so far.

James was part of a group of keen divers who had booked a weeks vacation in Seychelles to participate in the MCSS whale shark monitoring programme through DiveQuest, one of a few UK Tour Operators specializing is diving vacations for small groups involving local conservation projects. James trip as observer in the micro-light will certainly give him many unforgettable memories of Seychelles!"

Taken from http://www.mcss.sc/SAGREN/Sagren_v4_3_art4.htm

Photography the whale sharks was a great experience. Below Tony Baskeyfield is demonstrating how it's done. He admits to sitting at home in front of his television, practicing holding his breath to make the most of the experience!! Tony organised this amazing trip - thanks Tony!





This poor guy has lost his incredible sweeping tail that forms such a destinctive feature of the whale shark. It must also slow him down in the water I would imagine. David's guess is that a propeller was the cause of this injury...



Sometimes you just can't get out of the way!! Especially if they want to have a good look at you!



Remember, these are the juvenile whale sharks.....!!!











I love eagle rays, they are so graceful, I was lucky enough to swim along amonst them all...