SS Thistlegorm

Verified2026-09-11 checkedWreck

A British armed freighter bombed in 1941, holds still packed with wartime cargo.

Depth: 16–32 m52–105 ft
Difficulty: Advanced
Entry: Boat
Typical current: Moderate
Coordinates: 27°48.798′N 33°55.248′E
Activities: Scuba · Technical

Sunk by German bombers in October 1941, the Thistlegorm still carries motorcycles, trucks, rifles and railway rolling stock in her holds. Usually dived over two dives — exterior and cargo holds — with current often strong at the surface and the shot line the only sensible reference. Silt inside the holds punishes poor buoyancy, and although the holds are large and open, a torch and a plan are not optional.

Day boat from Sharm el-Sheikh, or by liveaboard in the Strait of Gubal.

Best season

ExcellentMay–Jun
ExcellentSep–Oct
GoodMar–Apr
GoodJul–Aug
GoodNov–Dec
FairJan–Feb

Before you get in

Going inside a wreck is an overhead environment: silt can take the visibility in seconds, and there is entanglement. Swimming the outside of it is a different dive.
Past 30 m, where no-stop time and gas both go quickly and nitrogen narcosis starts to show.

Taken from this site’s recorded depth, type and current, and nothing else. An empty list is not a safe site — the sea on the day, the local geography and the boat traffic are not in it. The briefing on the spot comes first.

Conditions

Water temperature: 26.1°C79°F
Wave height: 0.9 m3 ft
Air temperature: 26.5°C80°F
Wind speed: 20.9 km/h13 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 16:15 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/7

High03:540.26 m
Low10:20-0.22 m
Low22:47-0.22 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Red lionfishPterois volitansCommon
Scalefin anthiasPseudanthias squamipinnisCommon
Teira batfishPlatax teiraRare
Blackfin barracudaSphyraena qenieCommon
Giant trevallyCaranx ignobilisCommon
Giant morayGymnothorax javanicusCommon
TrumpetfishAulostomus chinensisCommon
PorcupinefishDiodon hystrixRare
Yellow boxfishOstracion cubicusCommon
Bluestripe snapperLutjanus kasmiraCommon
Emperor angelfishPomacanthus imperatorCommon
Feather starCrinoideaRare
Fire coralMillepora spp.Common

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

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