| The Wreck of the Dunraven
This historic wreck was a 79m British steam sail ship which was built in Newcastle and struck the reef in 1876 en route from Bombay to Liverpool. Soon after she slid off the reef and turned upside down and is now covered in so much coral growth, it is hard to tell where the reef stops and the wreck begins. After taking a look at her rudder and propeller, divers are taken through the hull of the wreck. Swimming inside Dunraven is like swimming through a Cathedral with beams of light pouring through her portholes. Old Hessian ropes and the remains of wooden cargo boxes bring this ship alive and the sight of her enormous boilers are a reminder of the magnificent age of steam engines. A safety stop on the reef brings schools of yellow goatfish, baby barracudas and a numerous of stonefish.
This can be dived on either a full day trip, where it is combined with one dive at Ras Mohamed, or on an ''Early Bird'' Trip which gives divers the chance to jump in at Shark Reef before the crowds, followed by a dive on the Dunraven and a third dive at another site in Ras Mohamed.
Supplement:
25 Euro. 1 dive on the wreck and 1 dive in Ras Mohamed. The price does not include food/drinks or the 5 Euro park entry fee.
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Dunraven
Skill level: Guided AOW
Access: Boat
Max depth: 30m
Distance from port: 30km west
Latitude: 27.703333
Longitude: 34.121667
The Dunraven was a British steamer merchant ship on route from Bombay to Newcastle, England with a cargo of timber and cotton when she struck the reef at Beacon Rock on the 22 April 1876. The ship was holed in three places, fire broke out and she overturned and sank. A conflicting version of events suggests that she lay impaled on the reef for several days before fire engulfed her and she sank.
She lies upside down with her stern at 29 metres and bow section at 18 metres. The best of this dive is by penetrating the hull from either the stern, the broken midship or bow. The interior of the ship is home to innumerable fish and corals including groupers, lionfish, scorpionfish and swarms of glassfish. |
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