Captain Karmi starts the two outboards and the speed boat ‘Mimi’ roars to life. It takes only a few minutes until we reach the site. A back roll gets us into the water where we descend on the line.
All I can see in the beginning is blue water and a school of fusilier but as I continue down, at 17 metres we reach the wreck. She came to rest on her starboard side and we start our dive right at the bow. The name ‘El Arish El Tor’ is still legible and the anchor chain is covered with soft corals.
We dive past
what has once been the bridge, descend further to 35 metres and shine our torches beneath the vessel. The orange rescue boats are tucked underneath and life vests are hanging all over the place. It’s an eerie scene, but fortunately the sinking of this ship did not cost any lives.
On the chimney we discover the logo of the Sayed Nasr lines and I spot a blue spotted sting ray that has made its home here while a very large school of soldier fish attempt to hide in the wreck.
We swim through what once was a shaded seating area. Now only metal frames and the roof of corrugated metal are left; fire sponges and purple fan coral give it new life. As we round the stern the two enormous propellers are silhouetted against the surface, covered with huge soft corals and I stop to take a few pictures. On our way back we encounter thousands (!) of yellow tail barracudas that are forming an actual layer of fish over the top of the wreck, sweeping back and forth as some large mackerels shoot through them in pursuit.
It’s time to ascend and during our safety stop we watch a group of Indian mackerels fishing for plankton, their mouths wide open as they swim in synchronised splendour. As we finally break the surface the captain is ready to help us with our kit and during the swift ride back we start to discuss all the things we’ve see on this dive! We continue recalling more and more details all the way through the beautifully cooked BBQ at the Safaga Beach Club restaurant until it’s time for our next dive.
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