Numidia

Numidia was almost new when she died. Completed on the Clyde in 1901 for the Anchor Line, she was weeks into only her second voyage, London for Calcutta, when in the early hours of 20 July 1901 she steamed straight onto the north point of Big Brother — a mile-long island with a lighthouse that was lit and working. The crew got off without loss, and salvors spent weeks stripping what they could reach while the hull ground on the reef. Then she slipped, and gravity arranged one of the most dramatic wrecks in the Red Sea: a ship draped bow-up down a near-vertical wall, upper works beginning within ten meters of the surface and the stern fading past the edge of sport-diving depth. Pairs of railway wheels from her cargo still lie stacked near the island. A century of soft coral has upholstered every surviving beam.

How she sank: Ran onto the northern point of Big Brother Island, 20 July 1901.

Condition: The shallow section is broken and coral-fused; the deeper hull holds its shape, becoming more intact the farther down the wall it goes.

Penetration: Limited. Short pass-throughs in the forward section suit trained divers; anything deep inside the down-slope hull becomes a technical dive quickly. Entering any overhead environment requires specific training — a wreck certification at minimum, technical wreck training for full penetration.

Recommended certification: Advanced Open Water with deep experience; technical training below 40 m

Current: Strong · Visibility: 20–40 m

Marine life: Soft corals in full riot, anthias in their thousands, and grey reef sharks — with oceanic whitetips and hammerheads possible off the wall in season.

Hazards: Strong, shifting currents around the island, exposed offshore position, and a wreck that invites divers deeper than they planned — watch depth and gas.

Lies within Egypt's offshore marine-park islands; liveaboard permits and park fees apply.