Chrisoula K

Divers call this the Tile Wreck for the neat tonnage of Italian floor tiles still stacked in its holds - pallets of them, fused by forty years of marine growth into strange terraced sculpture. The freighter hit Abu Nuhas at speed in 1981; her bow disintegrated against the crest while the rest settled largely upright down the slope, stern near 26 meters with rudder and propeller in place. Holds are roomy and bright enough for straightforward exploration, and the workshop spaces aft carry lathes and machinery for those who look. One wrinkle for the record-minded: some wreck historians argue the tile carrier dived today is actually the Marcus, an earlier loss, and the naming debate has never entirely settled.

Le moment pour lequel vous venez: Holds stacked with floor tiles; machinery in the aft workshops; an easy, open penetration layout.

Topographie: Largely upright hull on sand, bow wreckage scattered at the reef top

Entrée: Eastern half of Abu Nuhas; the smashed bow lies at the reef crest, the stern in deeper water.

Dangers: Sharp, unstable plating around the destroyed bow; surge over the shallow wreckage.

Conservation: Leave the tiles where they lie - the stacks are the site's identity.

Nitrox: Pertinent ici : les profils se situent dans la plage où le nitrox prolonge significativement le temps sans palier (avec la formation pour l'utiliser).