Jacques Cousteau discovered and first dived the HMS Thistlegorm in the 1950’s and photographed it for National Geographic.  He removed one of the motorbikes as well as a safe and the ships bell. (He wouldn’t be the last looter of the Thistlegorm). However he kept the location a secret and it wasn’t until 1992 when she was rediscovered by a group of divers that the HMS Thistlegorm really became famous throughout the dive community. Situated North East of Shag Rock in the area of Sha’ab Ali, the HMS Thistlegorm can be reached from both Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh on daytrip dive boats or by liveaboard dive boats.

The ship lies upright and on an even keel in 32 metres of water, a perfect depth for a scuba divers wreck. This, plus the good visibility (average 25-30 metres) and accessibility from shore is what has made her such a favourite among divers. The bridge is at just 10 metres and the currents are generally light so, unlike a lot of wreck dives around the world, it’s an easy dive that does not require long decompression procedures or tek dive training.

However, what helps to make the Thistlegorm so popular is also proving to be her undoing, as too many divers are visiting her and too many mooring dive boats are rapidly deteriorate the superstructure. Divers always come away from the wreck talking about the amazing cargo, but every time a diver revisits the Thistlegorm they inevitably bemoan the fact that more and more has been stolen and more damage has been caused by looters. The WWII trucks are still parked in the holds with the motorcycles still on the backs, but badges, pedals, tool kits and other “souveniers” have long been looted. All brass fittings are gone of course. It is not too strong to call this theft as the wreck is officially a war grave.

Despite the damage the Thistlegorm is still an amazing wreck, still one of the world’s best wreck dives. The dive is normally started on the front section which is still in very good condition and all the winches, blocks and windlasses are still in place. Swimming aft there are Bedford trucks and motorcycles in the starboard and port side holds but the port side hold has been pushed in from above by a railway water carrier so it is slightly more hazardous. There are more vehicles in hold number one along with a mountain of spare parts. Lower down on the port side are two large armoured cars and on the upper deck there are two paravanes and a railway tender. But this is all just the appetizer. The main course starts as you fin gently through hold number 2 then hold number 3 on the starboard side.It is here that you pass lorries, trailers, motorbikes and different calibre weapons packed in boxes. There’s ammunition boxes near a Bren gun and further on some 14 inch shells. It’s like diving through museum of war and obviously one dive is not enough to take it all in, you would ideally need a week at this one dive site alone. You should just have time to see the two deck mounted guns at the stern before making your way back towards the bridge for your ascent. From above the wreck you can look down on the devastation caused by the bombs behind the bridge. Looking off to the port side you can see one of the locomotive engines on the seabed.

Most divers aren’t diving here for the marine life but plenty have made their home on the wreck, including grouper and black tip reef sharks which can be spotted on the early morning dives.