Giannis D. – Greek timber freighter

Probably the most incomprehensible story belongs to the Giannis D . It has not been established why the ship ran aground on the reef of Abu Nuhas in broad daylight when there was no wind. It happened on April 19, 1983. The Giannis D was en route from the port of Rijeka to Hodeida in Yemen and came to Abu Nuhas laden with teak and mahogany wood. There, according to eyewitnesses, she suddenly changed course for an unexplained reason and hit the reef at full speed.

During the collision with the reef, the port side tore open and the ship sank within seconds, as the holds were immediately full of water. But only in the weeks after the accident did the wreck gradually break apart and sink to its current depth of 27 meters on the sandy seabed around the reef. The entire crew was able to save themselves to the nearby island of Shedwan.

Today the wreck has a sloping position and the lack of straight lines gives a somewhat confusing picture. This can make the visit a little more challenging for inexperienced divers. In the area of ​​the stern, the interior can be easily explored. The well-preserved aft ship with bridge also reveals a great view. From there you can take the worthwhile route to the engine room, which houses huge schools of glass fish.

The bow section is on the backboard side and, with the capstan and motor winches, gives an insight into the earlier device for lifting the cargo. Only the middle part is no longer in good condition and broken into its individual parts. Scorpionfish as well as curious batfish can be seen near the wreckage.

The highlight here, however, is often not the exciting and easy-to-dive wreck, but rather dolphins that steal the show from the wreck. Even when diving, they can be regularly observed and often with their playful demeanor attract the attention of divers more than the wreck of the Giannis D.

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Ship details

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