What the Thistlegorm is like
I first dived the SS Thistlegorm from a liveaboard out of Sharm El Sheikh on a Northern Red Sea itinerary. We were in the water before most divers had even boarded their day boats. No crowds, no silt storms, no one cutting across your sightlines. Just the four-blade propeller appearing out of the blue, the scale of the hull becoming clear as you descended the anchor line, and then, through the first cargo hatch, a row of BSA motorcycles, tyres still intact, sitting exactly where they were loaded in 1941.
Manie Eksteen, PADI Staff Instructor
That cargo is the draw. But many divers do this wreck badly: it is deep, the current is real and the holds get crowded. Together, those three can make a great dive stressful for anyone who arrives underprepared. Sandstorms kicked up by bad fin technique. Divers surfacing early. Groups scattered across the Strait of Gubal with dinghies scrambling to collect them.
The wreck at a glance
It is deep, it is exposed to open-water current, and it only shelters you once you are down on it.
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Length | 128 metres (420 feet) |
| Maximum depth | 30–32 metres (100–105 feet) |
| Shallowest point | Bridge, approximately 12–15 metres (40–50 feet) |
| Orientation | Upright on a sandy bottom, except the blast-damaged stern, which left a debris field of twisted metal |
| Visibility | Typically 15–30 metres |
| Currents | Significant. The wreck sits in the Strait of Gubal, exposed to open-water current. Serious mid-water; the wreck itself provides shelter once you're down |
| Water temperature | 22 °C (72 °F) in winter to 29 °C (84 °F) in late summer |
What you will see
The Thistlegorm is famous for its time-capsule cargo. Unlike many wrecks that were stripped or salvaged, it remains packed with World War II equipment.
| Cargo | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| BSA M20 and Norton 16H motorcycles | In the upper and lower holds, often still lined up in rows |
| Bedford and Ford WOT trucks | Massive vehicles stacked on top of one another |
| Bren gun carriers | Small armoured tracked vehicles |
| Rifles | Crates of Lee-Enfield rifles visible in the holds |
| Aircraft parts | Two Bristol Blenheim bomber wings and spare parts |
| Locomotives | Two LMS Stanier Class 8F steam locomotives, blown off the deck in the explosion, lie on the seabed on either side of the ship |
| Personal items | Wellington boots (wellies) and spare tyres, scattered throughout |
The wreck has also become a thriving artificial reef. Massive schools of batfish, barracuda and jacks often hang in the current above it. Large Malabar groupers hide in the engine room or under the hull, nudibranchs and pipefish cling to the rusted railings, crocodilefish sit on the decks, and reef sharks occasionally cruise the perimeter.
How the dives go
Because of the distance from Sharm El Sheikh (about 3–4 hours by boat), most day-trip boats depart very early, often at 4:00 or 5:00 AM. Liveaboards are the preferred method for many, as they allow multiple dives on the wreck, including night dives for the highly experienced.
First dive: the orientation. You explore the outside of the wreck. This dive sets your bearings for the penetration dives that follow. Don't rush it: knowing where the hatches are, where the anchor line is and how the current runs is time well spent.
Second dive: the penetration. This one focuses on the holds. Divers enter with a guide through the hatches into Hold No. 1 and No. 2. Because the ship is so large, these holds are cavernous and generally safe for those with Advanced Open Water training, provided they have good buoyancy and stay within their training and experience. Moving through rows of trucks and motorcycles feels like walking through a flooded museum. Torch essential.
Getting down: the anchor line. There's no other practical way to dive the Thistlegorm. Mid-water there is no structure to shelter you from the current, so the descent line is your lifeline: thick, fixed and non-negotiable. Use it going down, use it going up, and plan your safety stop around it, because the mid-water current can be punishing at 5 metres without a reference point. On a liveaboard, the boat typically tries to moor on the stern side.
Once you're on the wreck, the superstructure shelters you from the current. You can move between the helm, the engine room and the cargo holds with relative ease. Stray above the deck in open water and you're working against the current again.
Liveaboard or day trip?
Liveaboard, without hesitation.
| Day trip from Sharm | Liveaboard | |
|---|---|---|
| First entry | Roughly 8:00–10:00 AM, after a 3–4 hour crossing | Before the day boats arrive |
| Dives on the wreck | One | Two to three across the day |
| Crowds and silt | Multiple boats on a busy day; the holds get crowded and visibility inside drops as silt is disturbed | The early-morning dive comes before the crowds and the silt |
You also get your surface interval aboard a stable vessel rather than a small day boat, and the return journey doesn't cut into your dive time. For a wreck of this complexity and depth, a Northern Red Sea liveaboard itinerary is the right platform. Most Northern Red Sea trips run 5–8 days and cover multiple wreck and reef sites alongside the Thistlegorm. Compare Red Sea shore vs liveaboard, or see our top Red Sea liveaboards.
How to reach the wreck:
- From Sharm El Sheikh: the most common departure point. Long day trips often include breakfast and lunch.
- From Hurghada: some day boats operate from here, but it is a longer and potentially rougher crossing across the Strait of Gubal.
- By liveaboard: most Northern Red Sea itineraries spend a full day or more at the Thistlegorm, allowing a night dive for divers with night training.
Ready to look at boats?
What certification and experience you need
The Thistlegorm is not really for beginners. Open Water certification is insufficient: Advanced Open Water is the minimum, and experience with current and depth is strongly recommended. The combination of 30-metre depth, active current and other divers in the holds rewards solid fundamentals. If you're early in your diving career, do the Thistlegorm on a later Red Sea trip, once you have more dives in the water.
- Minimum: PADI Advanced Open Water (or equivalent). It covers divers to 30 metres (100 ft) and gives you the navigation and deep diving training you need. The wreck lies at 30–32 metres (PADI's site page gives a maximum of 32 metres), so stay within the depth limit of your certification and experience.
- Recommended: 30+ logged dives, with at least some experience diving in current and ideally some previous wreck experience. A PADI Wreck Diver specialty is not required to dive the Thistlegorm. Most operators will take you into the forward holds with a guide even without it. But understanding wreck diving principles before you get in the water is not optional.
- Nitrox: worth having if you are certified. Diving at 28–32 metres on air gives you a compressed bottom time, and nitrox can extend your no-deco limit. Don't use nitrox without certification. Analyse every cylinder yourself, set your computer to match, and know your mix's maximum operating depth, which can be shallower than air's limit. Nitrox does not let you dive deeper.
Skills to bring
Certification sets the minimum. The skills below decide how the dive goes. Groups can move through those holds and turn them into sandstorms. Divers hovering slightly above the deck, getting swept by current because the wreck isn't sheltering them anymore. Divers running low on air because they've been working hard and burning through it. A diver separated from their group in the hold, unsure which hatch leads back to the anchor line.
These are not beginner mistakes. They happen to certified divers who just haven't refined their fundamentals. Before you dive the Thistlegorm, get these right:
Buoyancy and trim. Horizontal body position is non-negotiable in the holds. Fins close to the ceiling inside a cargo hold will destroy visibility for everyone behind you and risk damaging structure that's been sitting there since 1941. If you're still using your hands or arching your back to stay level, do a buoyancy dive before this trip.
Fin technique. The frog kick and back kick are your tools inside a wreck. Frog kick for forward momentum without disturbing silt. Back kick to stop or reverse. Practise both until they're automatic, not something you have to think about while you're also navigating a hold full of trucks.
Air consumption and awareness. At 28–32 metres you burn through air faster than you expect, especially if you're excited or working against any current. Know your personal air consumption rate. Turn the dive at the agreed pressure, not after. When either you or your buddy reaches it, signal and turn together, so you are back at the anchor line with your reserve intact.
Ascent and descent discipline. The anchor line ascent from this depth, with potential mid-water current, requires calm and control. Review controlled ascent rates and safety stop procedure before this dive. Our scuba diving ascents and descents lesson walks through the full technique.
Torch use. Bring your own if you have one, and know how to use it without blinding your buddy or shining it directly at the cargo. Directed light is what shows the rows of bikes and trucks.
Best time to go
Diving is possible year-round, but spring (April to May) and autumn (September to October) offer the best balance of comfortable air temperatures and warm water. In the peak summer months it can be extremely hot on the deck of the boat, and winter can bring choppy seas that make the crossing difficult. See our Best Time to Dive the Red Sea: A Month-by-Month Guide.
History: the sinking and the rediscovery
The SS Thistlegorm was a British Merchant Navy armed freighter, launched in 1940 and built for one purpose: keeping Allied forces supplied during World War II. At 128 metres (420 feet) long, she was loaded to capacity at Glasgow and sent on a long route to Alexandria, south around the Cape of Good Hope and back up through the Red Sea, because the Mediterranean was too dangerous. She never made it.
In October 1941, while anchored at "Safe Anchorage F" near the entrance of the Gulf of Suez, waiting for the Suez Canal to clear, she was spotted by German Heinkel He-111 bombers operating out of Crete. On the night of October 6th, two bombs struck cargo hold No. 4, which was packed with ammunition. The blast ripped the stern off the ship. She went down in minutes, taking nine crew members with her. The Thistlegorm Project's wreck history gives the time as 01:30 on 6 October 1941 and lists four sailors and five Royal Navy gunners among the dead.
The wreck sat undisturbed until 1955, when Jacques Cousteau located it with help from local fishermen. He recovered several artefacts, including a motorcycle and the captain's safe, for his documentary The Silent World. What he didn't do was publish the coordinates. The Thistlegorm was lost again for nearly 40 years, until the liveaboard diving boom out of Sharm El Sheikh in the early 1990s brought her back to the diving world's attention. She's been one of the most dived wrecks on the planet ever since.
Protect the wreck
Nine men died when the SS Thistlegorm sank, so treat the wreck as a war grave. Many divers visit, which has led to significant wear and tear. To preserve it for future generations:
- Never take souvenirs.
- Practise perfect buoyancy to avoid kicking up silt or hitting the wreck.
- Follow the "look but don't touch" rule strictly.
- Support operators who use permanent moorings rather than dropping anchors, which can smash the wooden decks.
Before you go
The Thistlegorm rewards preparation:
- Get your buoyancy dialled in.
- Learn your fin techniques.
- Book a liveaboard itinerary that gives you more than one dive on the site.
- Arrive knowing roughly where the holds are and what you're looking for.
It is one of many Red Sea wrecks in the north. If you want more wrecks, try Abu Nuhas, a dive site in the Northern Red Sea with four wrecks on one reef.
Questions
Do I need a Wreck Diver specialty to dive the SS Thistlegorm?
No. Most operators will take Advanced Open Water divers into the forward holds with a guide, without requiring a Wreck Diver certification. That said, having the specialty, or at minimum a solid understanding of wreck diving principles, makes the experience significantly better and safer.
The holds are large, but bring a torch and enter only with a guide. They do not require penetration certification for the standard route. Tight overhead environments deeper in the wreck are a different matter.
Is the SS Thistlegorm suitable for beginners?
Not really. Open Water certification is insufficient. Advanced Open Water is the minimum, and experience with current and depth is strongly recommended.
Liveaboard or day trip for the SS Thistlegorm?
Liveaboard. Day boats from Sharm El Sheikh take 3–4 hours to reach the wreck, so you arrive when other boats are already on site. A Northern Red Sea liveaboard gets you there first, typically before the day boats, and gives you two to three dives on the wreck across the day.
Can you penetrate the SS Thistlegorm?
Yes, and it's the best part of the dive. The forward cargo holds are large, cavernous and generally accessible to Advanced Open Water divers accompanied by a guide.
You don't need a Wreck Diver specialty for the standard hold penetration. What you do need is solid buoyancy and good fin technique, because poor body positioning in the holds kicks up silt and makes the experience worse for everyone around you.
How do I book a liveaboard to dive the SS Thistlegorm?
Look for any Northern Red Sea liveaboard itinerary departing from Sharm El Sheikh. Virtually all of them include the Thistlegorm as a core site. Most trips run 5–8 days and cover multiple wreck and reef sites alongside it. Start with our top Red Sea liveaboards.