SS Thistlegorm: Strait of Gubal · Northern Red Sea Dive Site

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SS Thistlegorm

Strait of Gubal · Northern Red Sea

5–40m+

Depth Range

30m+

Visibility

–

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Overview

SS Thistlegorm

The SS Thistlegorm was a British armed merchant vessel launched in 1940 and sunk on the night of 6 October 1941 by German Heinkel He 111 bombers from Kampfgeschwader 26. She was at anchor in the Strait of Gubal, waiting to transit the Suez Canal, when two bombs struck Hold 4 at the stern and detonated the ammunition cargo. She sank in minutes. One hundred and thirty men were on board; nine were killed. She was 126 metres long.

The wreck lies on its starboard side. The keel sits at 28–30m, the upper decks at 15–16m, and the mast tips reach to 5m. Jacques Cousteau found her in early 1956 on one of his early Calypso voyages, and then her location was lost again. It was not until 1991 that her precise bearings were fixed and regular recreational diving began. She is the most visited wreck dive on earth.

What makes the Thistlegorm extraordinary is the cargo. Hold 1 holds BSA M20 motorcycles, stacked in rows exactly as they were loaded in 1940. Hold 2 holds Bedford OY trucks, Bren gun carriers, and Lee-Enfield rifles. Hold 3 holds rubber Wellington boots, aircraft parts, and spare motorbike frames. Hold 4, the explosion point, is gone. Two steam locomotives were blown off the deck by the blast, one landed to the west of the wreck, the other is on the east side near the bow on the seabed. They are not near each other. The stern gun is still mounted.

The day boat problem is real. On a busy day, dozens of boats may be moored simultaneously. The experience of diving the Thistlegorm in 2025 is not the same as diving it ten years ago, the degradation is visible, measurable, and accelerating. The RSS documents this. The motorcycles in Hold 1 are still intact. If the volume of visitors continues unchecked, they may not be in twenty years.

The answer is to be there early. A liveaboard anchoring overnight and diving at first light gives you an hour or two on the wreck before the day boats arrive. That window is what the Thistlegorm still is, a cathedral of history on the sea floor, almost entirely intact, and completely silent.

Dive Profiles

★ Atlas Pick

SS Thistlegorm

Hold 1 & 2, Motorcycles & Vehicles

16–26m

Depth

Mild

Current

Drop to the upper deck at 15–16m and enter Hold 1 from the forward hatch. The BSA M20 motorcycles are stacked in rows, exactly as loaded in 1940. Take time here, torch off briefly if you want the atmosphere. Move aft to Hold 2 for the Bedford trucks, Bren carriers and rifles. Watch your depth: the hold floor sits at 24–26m. Never kick the silt. Exit and work the deck before ascending along the mast.

SS Thistlegorm

The Stern, Locomotives & Gun

16–30m

Depth

Mild

Current

Start at the deck midships and work aft. The stern section was destroyed by the explosion, the stern gun is still mounted on the aft deck at around 16m. The two locomotives are not together: one landed to the west of the wreck at 28–30m, the other is on the east side near the bow. Each one is the size of a small building. Plan your dive around one locomotive per dive, they are too far apart to cover both comfortably. Time your ascent carefully from 30m.

SS Thistlegorm

Night Dive, The Holds

16–26m

Depth

Mild

Current

Night on the Thistlegorm is among the finest dives in the world. Glassfish pack every hold interior in densities that swallow the torch beam in silver. Lionfish hunt at the hold entrances. Octopus emerge across the hull. The wreck is completely still, no day boats, no other divers. This is a liveaboard-only dive and the reason serious wreck divers keep returning to Sharm.

SS Thistlegorm

Mast & Upper Deck

5–16m

Depth

Mild

Current

Start at the mast tips at 5m and work down to the upper deck at 15–16m. The batfish gather here in formation around the mast structure in daylight. The deck still looks like a deck, ladders, hatches, fittings largely intact. A good option for a second or third dive of the day, shallower and less demanding than the holds. Also good for divers not yet comfortable with penetration.

Inside the Wreck

The holds

Hold 1, Motorcycles

Forward cargo hold · Lost 1941

16–26m

Depth

BSA M20 · stacked in rows

Length

Intact

Condition

Hold 1 is the most photographed section of the Thistlegorm. BSA M20 military motorcycles, loaded in 1940 and never delivered, sit in rows exactly as they were stacked. The hold entrance is from the upper deck at 16m; the floor sits at 24–26m. In good conditions the motorcycles are visible from the hatch before you descend. Torchlight reveals the detail, handlebars, frames, even tyre tread, intact after 80 years. This is a penetration dive. Enter with a torch, maintain buoyancy, know your exit.

–BSA M20 motorcycles in rows
–Original loading arrangement intact
–Accessible from upper deck hatch at 16m
–Hold floor at 24–26m
–Torch mandatory, interior is dark

Hold 2, Vehicles & Weapons

Midship cargo hold · Lost 1941

16–26m

Depth

Bedford OY trucks · Bren carriers

Length

Intact

Condition

Hold 2 carries the heavy vehicle cargo, Bedford OY trucks, Bren gun carriers, and Lee-Enfield rifles still in their racks. The scale inside is larger than Hold 1; the trucks fill the space. The steering wheel of the forward truck is still in place. The hold floor is at 24–26m. Watch silt on the floor, one fin kick here drops visibility to zero and damages structure that has survived eight decades intact.

–Bedford OY trucks, steering wheels still in place
–Bren gun carriers
–Lee-Enfield rifles in original racks
–Larger interior than Hold 1
–Floor at 24–26m, silt caution

The Locomotives

Blown from deck by explosion · Lost 1941

28–30m

Depth

Two · full size · port side

Length

Intact · heavily encrusted

Condition

Two steam locomotives were loaded on the main deck for transport to Egypt. When Hold 4 detonated, the blast threw them in opposite directions, one landed to the west of the wreck, the other on the east side near the bow on the seabed. They are not near each other. Each is a full-size locomotive, the scale disorienting underwater, heavily covered in coral growth after 80 years. Plan one locomotive per dive, covering both in a single dive means rushing. This is the deepest section of a Thistlegorm dive. Manage your bottom time.

–Two locomotives, west side and east near the bow
–Blown in opposite directions by the 1941 explosion
–Deepest section, 28–30m
–Plan one per dive, they are too far apart to combine
–Heavy coral encrustation after 80 years

Key Stats

The numbers

5–30m

Depth Range

15–20m+

Visibility

24–27°c

Water Temp

Mild

Current

Yearround

Season

Advanced

Recommended

Safety & Skills

What you need to know

Penetration

Entering the holds is wreck penetration. You must be able to navigate in reduced visibility, avoid silt-out, and always have a clear exit. Enter with a torch, know your way back, and do not enter alone. If visibility inside drops, stop and exit.

Depth management

The wreck spans multiple depth levels simultaneously: mast at 5m, upper deck at 16m, hold floors at 24–26m, keel and locomotives at 28–30m. Set your turn-pressure before entry. It is easy to sink deeper than planned inside the structure.

Boat traffic

The busiest dive site in the Red Sea. Dozens of boats may be moored simultaneously. Deploy your DSMB before ascending. Never surface without it. Ascend along the anchor line, not in open water.

Structural integrity

The wreck is actively degrading. Do not touch the structure, contact breaks fragile coral growth and can collapse weakened sections, particularly in the stern. Perfect buoyancy is not a preference here, it is a requirement.

Visibility

Typically 15–20m in normal conditions. Can reduce in summer plankton blooms. Clear enough to navigate the holds safely in standard conditions, inside the holds, bring a torch regardless.

Current

The Strait of Gubal sees moderate current but the wreck site is largely sheltered. Current rarely prevents diving. Conditions are generally calmer than Elphinstone or the Brothers.

✅

Minimum: Advanced Open Water50+ logged dives recommended before entering the holds. The depth, penetration environment, and boat traffic make this unsuitable for novice divers regardless of certification.

✅

Wreck specialty strongly advisedEntering the holds without specific training is dangerous. A PADI or equivalent Wreck Diver specialty teaches the skills the Thistlegorm interior actually requires.

✅

Torch mandatoryPrimary light and a backup for the holds. Even in good ambient visibility, the interior of Hold 1 is dark. Diving the holds without a torch is not acceptable.

✅

Buoyancy control essentialThe wreck is fragile. A single fin kick in the wrong place stirs silt to zero visibility and damages irreplaceable structure. Be honest about your buoyancy level before entering.

✅

DSMB mandatoryHeavy surface traffic. Every diver carries and deploys their own. Do not rely on a group marker.

How to Get There