* 312ft long, 1095 tons, Tyne built * Sail and screw steamer * Carrying a general cargo including Belgian
glassware * Caught fire * Struck Sha’ab Ali
Dive Site: Carina
Description: 18th Century steamship
Length: 40 – 50 metres (130 – 165 feet)
Depth: 10 m (20 m)
Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)
This shallow wreckage lies on the northern side of one of two large pieces of the reef which are known as Dnaba reef but really is a separate part of Sha’ab Ali. The wreckage is very spread out and has become known as The Carina. I’m not sure how this name came about however it is not the correct name, which still remains a mystery. Carina was originally part of a large star constellation, Argo Navis, so perhaps a boat captain named the wreck after the stars. What I do know is that there is little left of the original ship. What is clear from the wreckage is that it was a large sail and steamship from around the 1880 era and a large number of household bricks scattered amongst the wreckage suggests that this was her cargo. The stern area still houses the propeller making it barely discernable from the rest of the wreckage.
This site is fed by strong currents and if they are running it is important that your dive guide drops you to the north of the wreckage so you at least get some time to drift over it before heading down the east side of the reef in a southerly direction. Normally the dive boats will drop you off and then go and moor further down around the east side of the reef, so you make a “one-way dive” back to your boat from your drop point. steady knot or so down the east side making for an effortless cruise along the reef. This is a shallow dive with the majority of the wreckage in 10m or less and the edge of the reef at a similar depth of 12-14m. It makes for a good third dive of the day or dusk dive, before heading to Sha’ab Ali to moor for the night and get an early start on the S.S Thistlegorm, or cross the Straights of Gubal back towards Hurghada. The corner of the reef where the wreckage lies slopes gently up with table coral after table coral overlaid and really does have some of the best examples of hard coral in the area. The east side of the reef floor is also covered in coral rather than being a sand composition only
