The wreck Umbria has a cargo of 360.000 bombs that makes the exploring of the wreck still more exciting. The Umbria is one of the most famous sunken ships in the world. The Umbria was built in Hamburg in 1912 and started life as a freighter. It’s big enough to give you plenty to explore but small enough to cover in one dive.

The central part of the ship can even be explored without breathing apparatus and there is much to be said for getting a general impression of the wreck with just musk and fins. Corals and fish are plentiful in this area. The fish which have made the Umbria their home are use to divers and let them come to close quarters, almost posing for photographers.

The depth it lies in means you get plenty of bottom time and there is plenty of easy penetration to be done. For those who want to, it is possible to get to the engine room, in the holds, the bakery and thoroughly explore the interior of the wreck. The cargo of fiat lagunas, wine bottles and munitions provide interest and the wreck is festooned with coral and fish life. Even just swimming the length of the wreck and observing the holds from a distance is an excellent experience.

Be sure to head around the stern of the wreck to the propeller, and there is a nice swim through underneath the large rudder, which is home to lots of snapper and some featherstars. On one of the gangways towards the collapsed funnel midships live some tiny cleaner shrimps, and if you put your fingers on the handrail they will come up and begin to ‘clean’ you, which is very entertaining. We did 3 dives on the Umbria whilst in Sudan; I could have happily done three more. It really does deserve its reputation as one of the world’s best dives.

UMBRIA, an old italian freighter that provided war material for the italian troops in Eritrea in 1940. When the British entered the vessel, the Captain decided to sink his own ship. Now it´s a terrific place for diving.

The wreck “Umbria” was built in Hamburg 1912 and started life as a freighter. Umbria has a cargo of 360.000 bombs that makes the exploring of the wreck still more exciting. The “Umbria” is one of the most famous sunken ships in the world. Lying in the shelter of Wingate Reef, just outside Port Sudan and largely unaffected by currents and tides, it is within easy reach of Port Sudan harbour.

The wreck lies at an angle on her port side with her starboard davits breaking the surface. At a maximum depth of 36m, the Umbria is shallow by most wreck divers’ standards. With plenty of light and good visibility, entering most of the ship is easy. The hull itself is completely intact, if heavily encrusted with marine life, and can be explored internally and externally along its entire length.

Location: Egypt / Sha’ab Abu Nuhas
Description: Japanese freighter
Depths: 4 -24 meters
Length: 100 meters

The Sha’ab Abu Nuhas large coral reef lies in the Gubal straight. This reef is just as well known (although feared) among sailors as it is among divers. There are seven ship wrecks lying on the bottom of the sea, one of them the Ghiannis D. She hit the reef in April of 1983 and over the course of two weeks slowly split in two and sank. She is undoubtedly one of the best wreck dives in the Red Sea.

To find the Ghiannis D, leave the lagoon via the channel to the West. Proceed slowly along the Nothern reef at a distance of about 50 metres. It can be seen from the surface after about 200 metres. This is the most accessible of the other wrecks in rough seas. It takes extremely foul weather to make it out of bounds to divers equipped with a zodiac. Current is minimal.

The best part of the wreck is the stern section. It lies on the seabed at 28 metres, upright but slightly skewed to one side. She is an ideal wreck for penetration with a number of entry and exit points. Because she is skewed, the interior has impossible angles and perspectives. You find yourself swimming up a stairwell which your mind tells you is heading down.

The effect is very disorientating and the conflict between balance and vision can even lead to sea sickness. The engine room is at the centre of this zone. It is large and spacious but dark. Take a torch. There is a large air pocket in the engine room. This should be avoided unless you want to be covered in the layer of oil that floats on the water’s surface.

Outside the stern section the masts, railings, wires and cables are festooned with soft corals. Some dramatic photographs can be taken of the superstructure silhouetted against the light. The bow section is also picturesque but it is a long swim away. Your time and air might be better used exploring the shallow mast and rigging of the stern, where you can also do your safety stops.

Large potato cod often hang out to the North. Free swimming morays, snapperfish, eagle rays, mackerels, groupers and sharks can also be seen.